The Royle Family

[vjg13]

Wasn't the xmas day episode rubbish. It's always been good in the past but last night's was dire.

Shame Antony wasnt in it, but he was babysitting the DCs as Christmas isn't for children really! LOL

Crap really.

god, i thought it was a disgrace, a complete betrayal of the characters. they've been daft, denise and dave, but they'e never been fools. and it wasn't a broad farce prior to that episode. and i'm speaking as someone who thoutght that the nanna episode was as near perfect a piece of tv as i've seen. i was so disappointed, and a bit insulted. dh wanted to switch it off.

We were not impressed at all. It was all a bit embarrassing really.

The only bit I did like was when Denise was crying in the kitchen, and blaming everything on Dave.

Sue Johnston was massively underused, and Ricky Tomlinson's character had such a nasty edge to him that he made my toes curl.

It didn't have any of the usual subtleties that make it so poignant.

I feel used.

it was great

I agree it was not up to the usual standard but still thought it was chucklesome.

Loved the bit where dave was sharing his bath with the frozen turkey.

but he would NEVER do that, they're not utter morons. i feel used too, HC.
i thought the dialogue was too laboured, also. bloody mingling.

last years christmas special was tv perfection, it was never going to be topped.

god, i thought it was awful. Caroline Aherne has definately lost the plot big time if this is the kind of stuff she's writing....

It was just so far fetched and stupid. The whole point of the Royle Family is that many people could relate to them in some way or another - Jim not getting Barbara a present was silly - they have always been a loving family.

Dave in the bath with the turkey was stupid - I know they are not the brightest but they are not that stupid to put a whole bar of Stork on top of mashed carrot, surely?

I think the Royle Family has had it's day tbh

i noticed that phil mealey was a new co-writer, i suppose we could blame him.

Agree that it has lost its truth. Some funny moments though. And Tom Courtney was great.

I particularly didn't like him.
The Bar-bear-a thing was just irritating.

I liked it very much! The 'Bar-bear-a' and 'Fair point, well made' thing was inspired.

Part of Christmas and being with family involves gritting your teeth in the face of their bloody annoying little repetetive 'jokey foibles'.

We used to have to with my Grandma. She'd keep on and ON saying a million times that she still had 'room for steak and chips' when my poor mum had slaved over an enormous and elaborate Christmas dinner and we were all stuffed.

Loved the joke about Elvis. After all those no1 hits, it was a no2 that finished him off. Was that an old one? Oh well I thought it was perfection.

tom courtenay was tom courtenay, though, thready, he gets a free pass. although i did think he looked like he was appearing in a different production.

Yeah, DH and I couldn't help wondering if the new co-writer was responsible for the lower quality (in our opinion) of the writing.

That turkey thing, it was almost like watching My Family or even worse, something like...oh, I don't know! It was awful, awful, awful.

Some funny moments, but just tiresome, I thought.

The Queen of Sheba was perfect. Why couldn't they have left it?

I also thought it was a huge letdown. Agree that there were a few pearlers in there joke wise but nothing on what it was a few years ago.

I can now see why Ricky Gervais decided to stop doing The Office when he did, he left it being pure TV Gold and will always be remembered as such whereas if we get this every Christmas from Caroline Aherne et al., they will lose their credibility.

I only watched about halfway - it was dire. Twiggy was funny, would've liked to have seen Cheryl and her mum and dad.

i think that the phil chap co wrote early doors with cash and that was very sweet as well, so it's maybe not fair to blame him.

i just don't know what was in their minds, to betray those great characters like that. ralf little won a watch by getting left out.

I wanted to see what they'd done to the house in the last year as well. They had laminate on the floor - was that there last year?

I liked it. mostly.

I didn't like the fact the kids were left out, that didn't ring true. A family like the Royales would have had the kids at the centre of christmas with obscene amounts of toys and all on the nintendo wii. Both sets of grandparents and no one mentioned the kids???

Also didn't like the frozen turkey storyline, very old hat.

BUT I did like the whole Denise and Dave going to loads of trouble, tyring to get things right, punch on a trolley, mingling, seating plan etc. I also liked the interaction between the parents and thought that the fact they all came togther and had a bloody good time in the end was reflctive of the Royale family of old. You went from feeling they were a bunch of morons, laughing at them to thnking 'ahhh, they're good people who care about each other' just what the program has always done imo.

So flawed, but good.

I agree that the turkey joke was lame and laboured.

I loved the soup, though - and the looks that Barbara and Jim exchange.

Tom C. reminded me a bit of his Little Dorrit persona -- slightly baffled by all around him.

He was fantastic in Little Dorrit.

I loved it and am intending on having the blue vodka, blue nun and blu wkd punch for new year ;)

Was really disappointing.
it descended into complete farce.
TheRoyle family was at its best bwhenit was sharp observation, done with warmth.
This was just silly