| The Royle Family | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash |
| Starring | Ricky Tomlinson Sue Johnston Caroline Aherne Ralf Little Craig Cash Liz Smith |
| Opening theme | Oasis – "Half the World Away" |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Harries |
| Producer(s) | Glen Wilhide |
| Location(s) | Wythenshawe, Manchester, England |
| Running time | 28 min. (18 episodes) 45 min. (2 episodes) 60 min. (2006 & 2008 specials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original airing | Original run: 14 September 1998 – 27 November 2000 XMAS Specials: 25 December 1999 – present Specials: 29 October 2006 – 13 March 2009 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning[1] television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006 and another in 2008.[2] It concerns the lives of a working class Manchester family, the Royles.
The series is remarkable for its simple production and realistic portrayal of working-class family life at the turn of the millennium. It, therefore, has something in common with kitchen sink drama. The scripts contain often banal conversations. All the episodes take place in the Royles' home; most centre on the telly-centric living room. The first series of the show was written by Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, who also acted in it, along with poet and comedian Henry Normal. In the second series Aherne and Cash were joined by Carmel Morgan, and finally the third series was written by Aherne and Cash alone.
In a list of the 100 greatest British television programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000 and voted on by industry professionals, The Royle Family was placed 31st. In a 2004 poll to find Britain's best sitcom, The Royle Family was placed 19th out of 100 nominations.
Contents |
Series
The first series ran on BBC Two in 1998, quickly gaining a following such that it was moved to BBC One for the second series in 1999, when it became even more popular. A Christmas special appeared in 1999, followed by a third series and another Christmas special in 2000. This episode was the last, after Caroline Aherne decided to move to Australia to escape the press, after a bout of depression.
After Aherne announced that she would not write or star in any more episodes, Ricky Tomlinson also pulled out to ensure the show's end. However, on April 7, 2006, the BBC announced that Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash were to write a script for a one-off special, which was broadcast on 29 October 2006.[3] The episode received widespread critical acclaim, having been watched by over 8 million viewers[4]
In 2008, The Royle Family returned for a Christmas special, the first one since 2000. This episode was shown on Christmas Day on BBC One. Two more specials are currently in final talks.
Structure
Each episode appears to take place in real time. However, the passage of time as indicated by the changing programmes on the Royles' TV sometimes suggests that the action has been compressed. "The Queen Of Sheba", however, jumps forward in time in a more conventional manner, while "The New Sofa" is set over two days. Unlike most sitcoms the show is filmed in 16mm film using a single camera. Multi-camera videotape is standard for UK sitcoms. Along with the absence of an audience and a laugh track, this gives the show a noticeably different look and feel to usual sitcoms.
For the first three series, all of the action took place within the Royles' house. This changed on the special episode "The Queen Of Sheba" of which part was filmed in a hospital as Norma Speakman fell ill and died. Additionally, in the 2008 Christmas episode, most of the action took place in Dave and Denise's home.
The shows theme tune is Half The World Away by Oasis, which can be found on Whatever and The Masterplan.
Episodes
A total of 23 episodes of The Royle Family have been created to date. The newest episode, called 'The Golden Eggcup' will air during the 2009 Christmas Holiday Season [5], possibly Christmas Day, as have previous Christmas specials.
Future
The 2008 Christmas special, entitled "The New Sofa" was the first that took place mainly outside of the Royles' house. It began at the Royles', but moved to the Bests' house early on.[6] Ralf Little did not appear in this episode, but his character is referenced. The hour-long special aired on Christmas Day.
On 29 December 2008 it was revealed that following the Christmas special (which attracted 10 million viewers) the BBC, Cash and Aherne were to meet to discuss making further episodes of the show. It was stated that Aherne had agreed "in principle" to discuss a deal that looked set to, at the very least, make two more specials in between 2009 and 2010 with the BBC hoping they will accept a deal for a full series.[7]
The Royle Family returned as part of Comic Relief, on Friday 13 March 2009. It also marked the return of Ralf Little as Antony, who joined Dave, Denise, Jim and Barbara in the one-off mini episode[8] Much speculation in the British press during 2009 suggested the show was to return for a special at Christmas 2009. This was later confirmed by the BBC.
The next special is to be aired over the 2009 Christmas season, entitled 'The Golden Eggcup' [9]
DVD releases
| DVD Title | Discs | Year | No. of Ep. | DVD release | Christmas Specials Included | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||||
| Complete Series 1 | 1 | 1998 | 6 | 16 January 2007 | 06 November 2000 & 15 May 2006 | 06 November 2006 | — | |
| Complete Series 2 | 1 | 1999 | 7 | 15 January 2008 | 06 November 2000 & 15 May 2006 | 03 March 2007 | 1999 | |
| Complete Series 3 | 1 | 2000 | 7 | — | 19 November 2001 & 15 May 2006 | 03 March 2007 | 2000 | |
| The Queen of Sheba | 1 | 2006 | 1 | — | 30 October 2006 | — | — | |
| The New Sofa | 1 | 2008 | 1 | — | 26 Jan 2009 | — | — | |
| The Very Best of... | 1 | 1998 - 2000 | 8 | — | 25 November 2002 | — | 1999 & 2000 | |
| Complete Series 1 - 3 | 3 | 1998 - 2000 | 20 | — | 15 May 2006 | 09 March 2008 | 1999 & 2000 | |
| The Complete Series & 3 Specials | 4 | 1998 - 2006 | 21 | — | 13 November 2006 & 01 September 2008 | — | 1999, 2000 & 2006 | |
| The Complete Series & 4 Specials | 5 | 1998 - 2008 | 22 | — | 24 August 2009 | — | 1999, 2000, 2006 & 2008 | |
References
- ^ "BAFTA Winners". http://www.bafta.org/site/page129.html. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
- ^ "The Royle Family - Queen of Sheba". BBC Press Office. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk44/unplaced.shtml#unplaced_theroyles. Retrieved 2006-11-05.
- ^ "The Royle Family (BBC One) - Film and TV - Entertainment - Manchester Evening News". http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/s/226/226775_did_you_see_the_royle_family_bbc1.html. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ "BARB Weekly Viewing Summary w/e 2006-10-29". BARB. http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/weekreports.cfm?report=weeklyterrestrial&RequestTimeout=500. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2009/wk51/bbc_one.shtml#bbc_one_royle
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk52/bbc_one.shtml#bbcone_royles
- ^ "The Royle Family Back in 2009"
- ^ http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz/s/1101007_royle_family_return_for_comic_relief
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2009/wk51/bbc_one.shtml#bbc_one_royle
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Royle Family |
- The Royle Family at the BBC
- The Royle Family at the Internet Movie Database
- The Royle Family at TV.com
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