This sitcom is a must see for anybody like me who has fond memories of time spent working on a shop floor 'up north'. It perfectly captures the down-to-earth local sense of humour and a certain on-the-dole lifestyle, particularly from in and around the Liverpool-Manchester area.
The writing by Caroline Ahern, Craig Cash, and Henry Normal, is understated, pin sharp and full of detail. The direction is clever and challenging as almost all the (non-) action takes place in the tiny lounge watching endless soaps on the telly or in the adjoining kitchen making endless cups of tea. Like a fly-on-the-wall documentary we watch the group dynamics and hear the conversations between the family members often with all their eyes glued to the box. Unlike most sitcoms there is no canned laughter or 'live studio audience' so it is up to the viewer to work out the funny bits.
For example, I enjoyed spotting the fact that in an early episode father Jim Royle buys a pair of cheap jeans from a dodgy mate and then spends the rest of the series wearing them with the cuffs turned up, as they are far too long. I was also introduced to the sly betting game of who could best guess the value of the item being discussed on The Antiques Road Show. The scenes are nicely observed, from the huge, overflowing ashtrays to the TV remote control held together by red electrical insulation tape (just like mine) to the birthday bottles of Pomane.
But what ties all this material together are the perfect performances, everyone from young Ralf Little to multi-talented Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson.
One of the funniest things on TV and in my view an instant classic.
Warning to non-UK readers: The Royle Family is only for the most dedicated of anglophiles - I expect half the viewers in England needed subtitles for some of the accents and idioms.
Title music specially written by Oasis.
Memorable quotes: [complaining when asked to fetch a couple of things from the kitchen] Denise: Shove a brush up my arse an' I'll sweep the floor.
Mum: I don't care what anybody is. I don't care if they're gay, straight or Australian.
