Category Archives: The Royle Family

THE Royle Family could be heading back to their TV sofa, the BBC confirmed this afternoon.
It was reported this morning that comedy star Caroline Aherne is writing a new script.
While there’s no confirmation of that, the BBC has just told me that The Royle Family may be returning…
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THERE are some people you look forward to interviewing more than others.
The Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson definitely falls into the former category.
Now Ricky, 67, aims to put the record straight about his time behind bars: “I want to clear my name before I die,” he says.
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A final word on last night’s one-off special of The Royle Family, which was watched by 7.8m viewers – the highest audience for a comedy on British TV this year.
Actress Liz Smith, who played Nana, appeared on Channel 4’s The Paul O’Grady Show this teatime.
“I just want to let you see that I didn’t really die last night,” she said. “For a woman who’s just died, I feel quite good.”
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A day off today – or rather it was meant to be.
So, making no apologies for returning to the subject, just a quick reminder not to miss The Royle Family on BBC1 at 9pm on Sunday.
If you’re going out, don’t. It’s the best thing I’ve seen on TV this year.
Here’s a final taster:
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“YOU can’t see it with your eyes, hold it in your hand…this thing called love.”
Johnny Cash says it all in the new one-off episode of The Royle Family, screened on BBC1 at 9pm next Sunday.
It is, quite simply, The Royle’s finest hour. Or as Jim might say: “A bloody great work of genius.”
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IT was the evening of Thursday September 3 1998. The venue: A screening theatre within earshot of London’s thundering Westway.
I was there to see a brand new BBC2 show, described by channel controller Mark Thompson as “a brave departure from traditional sitcom formats”.
This was the very first press screening of The Royle Family, held in the same week Caroline Aherne had confessed all about her champagne and pills suicide drama that July.
In the wake of the revelations, there was a certain amount of tension in the preview theatre as the cast and media took their seats.
But a smile appeared on Caroline’s face as co-star Ricky Tomlinson broke the ice with a joke about the drink problem which almost killed her.
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