The Royle Family
- TV sitcom
- BBC One / BBC Two
- 1998 - 2012
- 25 episodes (3 series)
The Royles are a family of couch potatoes who watch television in their dirty living room whilst chatting, arguing, and drinking copious amounts of tea and alcohol. Stars Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, Caroline Aherne, Ralf Little, Craig Cash and more.
- Series 2, Christmas Special repeated Tuesday at 9:25pm on U&Gold
Streaming rank this week: 164
Press clippings
The 50 best TV comedies of all time - ranked
From cult classics to sitcom royalty, we've assembled the definitive list of TV comedy greats - but has Mrs. Brown's Boys made the grade?
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph, 20th June 2024The Office named top landmark comedy of the last 50 years
The Office was the highest-placed comedy in a Broadcasting Press Guild list of the top 50 landmark programmes of the last 50 years.
British Comedy Guide, 13th March 2024Sue Johnston: 'I watch Royle Family's The Queen of Sheba with a lot of pride'
Sue Johnston talks about Truelove and looking back fondly on The Royle Family.
Rosie Millard, Radio Times, 3rd January 2024Carrot crush for all! An oral history of The Royle Family and its 'gloriously mundane genius'
How did Caroline Aherne's show about a northern working class family who barely left their house become a hit, blazing a trail for The Office, Gavin And Stacey and Gogglebox? Its stars and makers reveal all.
Sean Cole, The Guardian, 8th September 2023The Royle Family at 25
25 years after it first aired, The Royle Family is a landmark of popular working-class culture on screen - the inventive masterpiece of its brilliant but troubled creator, Caroline Aherne.
Fergal Kinney, Tribune, 7th September 2023Gold to celebrate 25 years of The Royle Family
Gold is re-editing its 2010 documentary about The Royle Family to mark the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the sitcom.
British Comedy Guide, 1st August 2023UK vs US comedy: A lesson in quality over quantity
It essentially comes down to the fact that UK comedy shows often run for just a few seasons, packed to the rafters with quality and hidden moments that only reveal themselves after several viewings. By contrast, US comedy shows often go on for several seasons, mostly overstaying their welcome and having audiences become tired of their tropes and characters.
Thomas Leatham, Far Out, 1st August 2023The 25 funniest Christmas comedy TV specials of all time
The comedy special is as much a part of British Christmas as a family row and mountains of sprouts. This year, comedy shows from Motherland and The Detectorists to Mrs Brown's Boys and Ghosts are returning with festive specials to round off 2022. To celebrate, we countdown the greatest 25 Christmas comedy specials of all time.
Tom Fordy, The Telegraph, 23rd December 2022The greatest Christmas TV moments of all time ranked
The greatest Christmas TV moment of all-time is the Only Fools And Horses 'Batman and Robin' episode.
A poll of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas found the hilarious moment from 1996 where Del Boy and Rodney unknowingly prevent a crime - while dressed as the dynamic duo - is top of the tree.
Jake Penkethman, The Sun, 30th November 2022100 BBC TV gamechangers
The Sooty Show, Goodness Gracious Me and Hancock's Half Hour have been named amongst 23 comedy titles in a BFI list of the 100 most important television programmes from the BBC, as the broadcaster marks its 100th anniversary.
British Film Institute, 28th April 2022