The actors used to be so deadpan but now characters like Dave and Denise deliver a lot of their lines with a stupid smile on their faces that make them look really idiotic and even borderline retarded at times.
About last year I bought a boxset of the first 3 series (which was every episode ever made until the 2006 special came along) from Morrisons for the amazing price of £5.99. I'm so glad I didn't buy any of the others since then - not even 'The Queen of Sheba' which was £2 at Morrisons.
It's certainly fair to say that perhaps they should have called it a day after 'The Queen Of Sheba' episode. In the best episodes of this show they achieved a wonderful degree of pathos, which I think they are struggling to attain thesedays. The show generally was at its best when it was just a fairly disinterested and disaffected family sitting in their living room watching telly and not much actually appeared to happen. Trouble is that scenario can only be sustained for so long.
A family sitting down in front of their TV and not doing much else was the essence - the beauty - of 'The Royle Family'. Take that away and you have an unrecognisable mess of a once great and groundbreaking sitcom (remember that this show predates 'The Office').
Better than last season's offering. Enjoyed the flirting with the Sat Nav girl.
It was certainly better than last year's guff-fest, but IMO it still lacked the magic that made the three series unmissable.
I think all the gurning and overplayed facial expressions are just annoying and seem to be trying to draw in a wider audience who didn't 'get' the show's original subtly understated style.
And as others have said on this thread, I think it would have been better to call it a day after 'The Queen of Sheba'
It's just 'much-loved boxer goes into the ring a few times too many syndrome' for me.
A few things. Married 50 years? That would make them both at least mid sixties, plus, they waited a long time to have Anthony! Were Berni Inns around in 1959? And did I miss something, but who was looking after the children? Thought it blew hot and cold. Some funny lines but some laboured scenes too. Plus Joe, who throughout the history of the show has been monosyllabic other than when he is singing, got a huge part this time round. Was weird hearing him say so much. And what happened to Anthony anyway? First five minutes and he's gone. Did he not want to do the full hour?
I totally agree on the fifty years point. I think it is pretty lazy if writers can't be bothered to be accurate to things they have already written. In the amazing menopause episode in series 2 Barabara said they've been married about twenty five years which would mean they'd now be on something like their thirty fifth wedding anniversary.
I know the concept of sitting in a lounge doing nothing has its limitations but if they had written an episode like that it would have been cricised for a few but most of the audience would have loved it. To try to get a broader audience is pretty stupid of them and clearly has ruined the show's identity.
Yep, I couldn't get my head around the 50th anniversary; it's never been mentioned that they were married a long, long time before having children. Also I couldn't believe Jim had a beard over 50 years ago. Only beatniks would have had one then - and Jim wouldn't have been a beatnik.
I always saw Jim and Barbara as a 60s couple, who met and married in their late teens and had children straight away.
I loved the egg cup argument in the caravan, spying on the caravan next door and Jim turning nasty after they had a nice time playing games. But the obvious gags ruined the normal comedy of the show. Realism was sacrificed for the sake of a laugh that wasn't needed; characters saying things that no one in real life would ever believe or say. It's almost like they've lost confidence in the subtlety that made the show so good in the first place.
I think with the loss of Mary and pretty much Anthony, other than a cameo at the start, they had to pad the hour out with whatever they could think of. Hence Joe got a lot more to say than his character has ever had in the past. It was out of character for him really.
They need to stay in the living room. With Nana dead, Anthony's character change, and other members of the cast off doing other things, that will be tough to do.
The characters have to develop and as a result be taken out of their environment in these specials, but if Aherne and her mob come up with some genius writing that is situated in the living room, they are sure to re-gain some lost credibility for a few weak plots over the last few specials.
Even if we have to wait a few years, or if it means shortening the episode to 30 mins. An episode set in the living room like the 'old days of the Royles' would suit fine for Christmas.
Remember Aherne's first version of the script was more in the vain of comedies like 'My Family'. She scrapped it, and came up with the new format that was 'The Royle Family'. If she carries on like this with these specials she is in danger of writing the sitcom she never wanted to write.
Some great lines in there...
"5 pin bowling", "partially stocked shop", "all three meats"
Classic.
I was disappointed too and felt that they should have stayed with a 30 minute episode at home (Jim was right) rather than the ill-advised, obvious yuks road-trip stretched to the breaking point over an hour. The first few minutes were quite good at least.
I found the first few minutes were the most dire!
It is written with Phil Mealey who wrote Early Doors. He is a great writer on Early Doors (well I don't know which bits he wrote but Early Doors is great), but I think his humour has possibly influenced The Royle Family too much and taken away the subtlety of it, whereas before the third writer (Henry Normal and Carmel Morgan) appeared to be there to tidy the script up rather than to contribute with the comedy.
I've never been into The Royle Family and last night's offering proved me right.
I was prepared to give it a chance as there wasn't much else on, but it was so boring.
Jim's farts were the 'best' bit about it. 
