Is The Royle Family the best sitcom?

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Genius writing, genius actors and so many true to life moments. Strictly 90s/early 00s though (And Queen of Sheba episode) It went wrong when they started messing about with it after that

Sue Johnston is a class act in this and Brookside
 
It’s definitely up there. Caroline Aherne is absolutely iconic, what a loss.
 
One of my fave episodes is the Sunday lunch one with Nana and Twiggy. Every line is absolute gold

And I loved lines like "This is too much for me Barbara! Oh this gravy looks watery Barbara, I usually put cornflour in mine" It's such a classic thing ya nan would say
 
Definitely right up there for me. 10/10

It would be up there with Fawlty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances, Original Birds of a Feather and Gavin&Stacey for me
 
lolly said:
It's absolutely up there for me. The writing is sublime, and it's so beautifully observed.

And that's before we get started on The Queen Of Sheba, which is perhaps my favourite episode of any TV show ever.
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Queen of Sheba is actual art. I watched it again recently and every scene is perfection. Sue Johnstone is an absolute POWERHOUSE from start to finish.
 
I think my favourite quote could be :)

"Betty buried her husband on Wednesday. I don't mean to speak ill of the dead but he were a tight bugger that Kenneth by all accounts. Do you know he used to follow her round Kwik Save taking everything out of her basket as quick as she put it in! He'd never let her have jaffa cakes, only rich tea........ I bet she'll have jaffa cakes now!" :D

Liz Smith's expressions were everything :D
 
The beauty of this show is in how real it is. I might buy olive oil by post but my heart and values are proudly rooted in the working class. I might watch some on the train home. (In 1st)
 
big ron said:
The beauty of this show is in how real it is. I might buy olive oil by post but my heart and values are proudly rooted in the working class. I might watch some on the train home. (In 1st)
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Definitely. It also speaks so well to what it means to be northern and the every day idiosyncrasies of life (‘Dinnerladies’ achieves something very similar).
 
Is it particularly northern humour? Certainly I don't feel excluded by it - to me it's a class thing rather than a northern/southern thing. Other than the accents, there's nothing I see in it that I didn't recognise from my own upbringing and family, from language to characters to observations.

I remember reading a while ago (it may be a Victoria Wood thing) that northern humour tends to look inwards, whereas southern humour looks outwards. So perhaps it's approach as much as anything else.
 
lolly said:
I remember reading a while ago (it may be a Victoria Wood thing) that northern humour tends to look inwards, whereas southern humour looks outwards. So perhaps it's approach as much as anything else.
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I don’t get that? What would looking inwards and outwards mean? :confused:
 
Rita said:
I don’t get that? What would looking inwards and outwards mean? :confused:
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I guess humour drawing from your own life and observations (and in Aherne's case, she grew up on a huge council estate, and I believe Craig Cash had a similar upbringing), rather than looking at the world outside you.
 
lolly said:
I guess humour drawing from your own life and observations (and in Aherne's case, she grew up on a huge council estate, and I believe Craig Cash had a similar upbringing), rather than looking at the world around you.
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Thinking of all the main characters from The Royle Family I would assume they all came from
humble beginnings which is probably why they all played their individual parts so fantastically.
 
I've been rewatching and I honestly think this in top 3 best sitcoms ever. A lot of people have the attitude of "Oh yeah it's good but it drags on" but it's meant to be like that. It's like watching real people and the pauses they take during conversations and the faces they pull. If you keep your eye on it throughout, it's honestly beautifully put together and you can imagine this as a real family
 
"He might be a millionaire but he's still got ginger bollocks"

"Ooh that reminds me, I've got some tangerines in the cupboard - anybody want a tangerine?"

:D:disco:
 
Sardonicus said:
"He might be a millionaire but he's still got ginger bollocks"

"Ooh that reminds me, I've got some tangerines in the cupboard - anybody want a tangerine?"

:D:disco:
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How can you not MARVEL at a mind that is capable of writing that?
 
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