The Royle Family

The Royle Family was a popular BBC television situation comedy (sitcom) that ran for three series between 1998 and 2000. It concerned the lives of a cash-strapped working class Manchester family, the Royles.

Characters

The family consists of:

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• Jim (Ricky Tomlinson), father, and patriarch of the Royle family. Approaching 50, Jim is overweight, unemployed and very lazy. Ignorant and boorish, he is prone to being quick-temperered and scathing to those around him. Since he was made redundant Jim has been unemployed and is preoccupied with family expenditure and frequently loses his temper over money matters, particularly the burden of daughter Denise's wedding. He is loud-mouthed, opinionated, and very public about his bodily functions (for example, by announcing his visits to the toilet). However, he can also be very affectionate and sentimental (usually while slightly drunk). A quite competent banjo player, he has a raucous belly-laugh (usually in response to his own jokes) and is something of a party animal. Interestingly, Jim appears to be the most intelligent character. He spends an overwhelming amount of time sitting in an armchair watching television and does very little else in the series.
• Barbara (Sue Johnston), mother and domestic drudge to the Royle family, married to Jim. Barbara is the family's only wage-earner, working part-time at a local bakery. A bit more prim and a lot more hard-working than her husband, she often scolds Jim for bad language or improper conversation. Barbara is the most diplomatic family member, often using her soft voice and motherly charm to settle arguments.
• Daughter Denise (Caroline Aherne), a twenty-something weepy neurotic who is intensely jealous of the unseen character Beverly Macca. Exhibiting all the signs of a spoiled child, Denise is fussy, greedy, territorial, and immensely lazy. She has been in a relationship with Dave for five years. Denise is unemployed and apparently does very little besides occasionally going to "The Feathers" pub (with a habit of getting blind drunk), and sitting in the family living room watching the television day after day. In series two and three, Denise and Dave are living in their own house but still come round to the Royle home on a very frequent basis.
• Lanky teen son Antony (Ralf Little), approximately 15, is the family dogsbody. He is constantly ordered around by the family — performing nearly every errand — and seems incapable of standing up to them. In an ironic twist of the later series, Antony becomes street-smart and intelligent, and throughout the second and third series, becomes the only character with a possible better future, in the form of wealthy girlfriend Emma.

Regular characters include:

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• Dave Best, Denise's boyfriend and later husband (Craig Cash). Dave is a man of surprisingly low intelligence and is frequently childlike. He works as a furniture remover and part-time mobile disco proprietor. Dave is very hen-pecked by Denise, as his low intelligence makes him unable to stand up to her unless he is slightly drunk.
• Norma Speakman, Barbara's mother, known to everyone as Nana (Liz Smith). Norma features in most episodes and in the few in which she is absent, she is a major topic of conversation between the family. Norma and Jim share a mutual dislike for each other and are not afraid to show it. Nana has an irritating habit of constantly discussing death and recounting trivial anecdotes from her past, and is also fond of a drink, a fact which she unconvincingly tries to keep hidden. She lives in a flat on the other side of town with best friend Elsie (never seen), and her constant hints to move into the Royle household are politely ignored.
• Mary and Joe Carroll (Doreen Keogh and Peter Martin), the Royles' next-door neighbours. Mary, of Irish descent, is constantly cheery and provides a stark contrast to her husband Joe, who is extraordinarily dull and boring. Joe's monotone personality always saps Jim's usually cheery nature.
• Cheryl Carroll (Jessica Stevenson), one of Denise's (apparently few) friends, and daughter of Mary and Joe. Plump Cheryl is constantly dieting and constantly failing to stick to her diet regimens, ensuring that she is in a perpetual state of despondency about her figure. Cheryl is frequently the butt of Jim's (and occasionally even her father's) tasteless jibes.

Occasional characters include Antony's best friend Darren (Andrew Whyment), wealthy girlfriend Emma (Sheridan Smith), the never-seen Dukkers (the local hard-man), and Jim's best friend Twiggy (Geoffrey Hughes). The character Beverly Macca is repeatedly mentioned but never seen — all that is known of her is that she had two children before the age of 18, is attractive, and was a one-time girlfriend of Dave. Denise is extremely jealous of Beverly, and she and Dave frequently argue about her when drunk.

Related Topics:
Andrew Whyment - Sheridan Smith - Geoffrey Hughes

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