THE BEST OF THE ROYLE FAMILY

THE BEST OF THE ROYLE FAMILY!
10/10 – THE BEST OF ROYLE FAMILY
9/10 – CLASSIC ROYLE FAMILY
8/10 – VERY ENTERTAINING
7/10 – VERY GOOD
6/10 – ENTERTAINING
5/10 – GOOD
4/10 – AVERAGE
3/10 – POOR
2/10 – BORING
1/10 – AWFUL

Season 1

S1, Ep1

14 Sep. 1998
Bills, Bills, Bills
After receiving the phone bill Jim is on the warpath. Who has been calling Aberdeen? Cheryl and Denise are looking in the catalogue for jackets while Jim buys some jeans off Twiggy.
6/10

S1, Ep2

21 Sep. 1998
Making Ends Meet
The family have their tea,discussing mobile hairdressers and Mary from next door's birthday before sitting down in front of the box. Jim is complaining about the expense of the upcoming wedding before going to the toilet and announcing that he has left a big smell. Dave turns up with business cards for his mobile disco and the Royles are fascinated by the fact that neighbour Jacko has bought a new red Sierra.
6/10

S1, Ep3

28 Sep. 1998
Sunday Afternoon
Barbara's mother Norma,known as Nanna,comes for Sunday tea and to see Denise in her wedding dress. Nanna's reminiscing about the old days and long dead friends sends the usually lazy Jim into the kitchen to do the washing-up,where he is joined by the other menfolk for small talk,though they return to watch the Antiques Road show on TV and place bets as to the asking prices of the items. Jim agrees to see Nanna home on the bus but makes such a song and dance about it that Dave agrees to take her in his van.
7/10

S1, Ep4

5 Oct. 1998
Dad's Birthday
It's Jim's birthday and the Carrolls from next door come in to help with the celebrations. A family photo is taken though Antony wants to appear in profile as he has a black eye after fighting with the Beswick brothers. Jim annoys Denise by implying that Cheryl is fat and Barbara annoys Jim by talking about an old boyfriend but he is happy to take her to the pub to celebrate - providing she brings her purse.
6/10

S1, Ep5

12 Oct. 1998
Another Woman
Denise and Dave come in from the pub where Dave has had a gig with his mobile disco. Denise is drunk and angry,claiming that Dave has been flirting with the buxom Beverley Macca but Dave takes Jim and Antony into the kitchen,explaining that nothing happened. After speaking to her parents Denise calms down and the family has a sing-song to Jim's banjo playing.
7/10

S1, Ep6

19 Oct. 1998
Wedding Day
Denise and Dave's wedding day arrives and the menfolk are in the back room,Jim practising his speech,Twiggy offering to sell knock-off tracksuits at the reception and Antony being teased about his hair-cut. Nanna is put out because nobody will take her home for her comfortable shoes but she does have thirty-six films in her camera whilst Antony is hoping to move into Denise's room when she moves out. Alone in the house after the others have left for the church Jim is uncharacteristically tender in assuaging Denise's nerves.
6/10
38/60 ENTERTAINING
Season 2

S2, Ep1

23 Sep. 1999
Pregnancy
Denise and Dave turn up and announce that Denise is pregnant with a boy which they will call Dave or Keanu. Barbara is tearful,Jim merely comments on the waste of money for a pregnancy testing kit,though he does send Antony to the shop to buy pomagne. Denise is not happy that Antony has told outsiders her news whilst Barbara and Mary from next door both recall how useless their husbands were when they were giving birth.
6/10

S2, Ep2

30 Sep. 1999
Sunday Lunch
Jim invites Twiggy for Sunday lunch but moans about him accepting after he has left. Nanna turns up and prattles on about illnesses,funerals and Richard 'Branston' to intolerant Jim's annoyance whilst Dave and Denise bicker. He wants her to stop smoking during her pregnancy whilst she is annoyed that he will not move his moped out of the baby's planned room. At least Antony is happy as he has a girlfriend,Emma.
6/10

S2, Ep3

7 Oct. 1999
Nana's Coming to Stay
Dave and Denise arrive to give Jim and Barbara a boring account of their visit to the ante-natal clinic. They all discuss Emma,Antony's girlfriend who may only be seventeen and ' a tiny little thing' but she does have her own car. When Antony comes in he announces that he is part of a rock band called Exit. Jim finds this hilarious. On the other hand he is less amused that Barbara has invited Nanna to stay following the operation to remove her cataracts.
8/10

S2, Ep4

14 Oct. 1999
Nana Comes to Stay
Nanna is now staying with the Royles and Jim,churlish as ever,is making no bones about his animosity to her after she walks off with the remote control and accidentally turns off the video. When Barbara announces that she is staying another week he is not pleased but the last straw is her obsessing about a television show with a man dressed as a chicken. Antony's band has split up and Emma is going to the cinema with a platonic male friend but the entire family turn on Jim when he tries to suggest to Antony that she is two-timing him.

8/10

S2, Ep5

21 Oct. 1999
Barbara Finally Has Enough
Stressed out by the menopause, the bakery job and especially Jim's meanness and selfishness, Barbara confides in Denise before storming out of the house. Denise angrily confronts her father but Jim only brings up Denise's own laziness and carries on watching 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'. When Barbara returns he does make a cup of tea - with her help - and even offers to prepare the next evening's meal - until he discovers that it clashes with his darts night.
8/10

S2, Ep6

28 Oct. 1999
Antony's Birthday
Family, friends and neighbours gather at the Royle home for Antony's 18th birthday and to meet his new girlfriend, Emma. Dave brings an unwanted gift into the house and Jim, of course, gets his banjo out.
5/10

S2, Ep7

25 Dec. 1999
Christmas with the Royle Family
Denise's water breaks, and the television doesn't, but miraculously Jim still walks upstairs.
8/10
49/70 - CLASSIC ROYLE FAMILY

Season 3

S3, Ep1

16 Oct. 2000
Baby
Denise and Dave bring 10 month old David Keanu Best to visit his grandparents. Predictably most of the child minding is left to Dave, rather than his lazy wife, which perturbs Barbara. Antony's friend Darren is also visiting, having been caught trying to steal a fridge freezer from work. He is delighted when Denise starts to breast feed baby David, though Jim is disgusted. The family discuss David's future whilst Dave announces that he will build him a toy farmyard.
7/10

S3, Ep2

23 Oct. 2000
Babysitting
It's Saturday and Jim and Barbara have had baby David stay overnight with them so that his parents could go to the karaoke at their local, the Feathers, though both Denise and Dave are hung over so Barbara makes them bacon sandwiches. They see Joe and Mary from next door getting out of a taxi, having been to hospital since Joe cut his finger grating cheese - a fact which does not surprise Jim. The baby starts to cry and Antony is sent upstairs to pacify him - the others using the opportunity to go to the pub.
6/10

S3, Ep3

30 Oct. 2000
Decorating
Twiggy comes round to help Jim decorate the living-room. He tells Jim about Dave's problems with the police. Dave turns up and tells Jim and Twiggy about Darren's new girlfriend who looks like Tina Turner.
8/10

S3, Ep4

6 Nov. 2000
Funeral
Nanna's friend Elsie has died and she has been to the funeral with Barbara. She is drowning her sorrows with brandy but at the same time,since Elsie was on her own,she goes on about all the things that she will be taking from Elsie's flat for herself,which annoys Jim,who calls her the Living Dead. Barbara declares that she will not be cooking dinner so Antony is sent to but fish and chips,which pleases Cheryl because it is a break from her diet. Whilst everybody else is downstairs Jim goes up and talks through David's baby monitor,pretending to be the ghost of Elsie ...
10/10

S3, Ep5

13 Nov. 2000
London
Antony announces that he and Darren are going to London a musically-connected business trip and when Jim mocks him Denise uncharacteristically sticks up for her brother,accusing Jim of always putting him down. For the Bests their baby is the talking point - Denise telling everybody how he spilt an ash-tray over himself whilst Dave mentions that he is still building the toy farmyard. Nanna is taking an age in the toilet and when she comes downstairs complains that she is constipated though her affliction is brought to an end when she breaks wind.
8/10

S3, Ep6

27 Nov. 2000
The Christening
It's the day of Baby David's christening so it's all back to Jim's for a knees-up. Twiggy brings his latest girlfriend and Anthony and Emma make an announcement.
8/10

S3, Ep7

25 Dec. 2000
The Royle Family at Christmas
On Christmas day Darren,Nanna and the Bests - who seem to have raided baby David's savings for their own presents - turn up at the Royles but Jim is annoyed as nobody has bought him anything. Later Antony brings Emma and her parents,Valerie and Roger. They are clearly much better off than the Royles - Valerie has had implants and Roger has a boat,a personalized number plate and a box at Old Trafford - as well,as he confides to Jim,a mistress. After they have gone an embittered Jim rants to baby David about being a loser though there is compensation when he learns that...
8/10
55/70 - CLASSIC ROYLE FAMILY

THE SPECIALS
29 Oct. 2006
The Queen of Sheba
Frail and poorly Nanna is now permanently in bed in the Royles' sitting room,causing Jim to sulk when she swaps the battery from the remote for her fan. Antony has split from Emma but brings their little boy Lewis to visit whilst little David tries out his judo moves. Cheryl brings a succession of boyfriends to visit,the nervous Derek,whose ginger hair reminds Nanna of 'Annie',paint-balling Slash and a rabbi called Solomon. Denise gives birth to a daughter,named Norma after Nanna,which delights the old lady but,just as Barbara is looking forward to having her floors ...
10/10

25 Dec. 2008
The New Sofa
It's Christmas time again for Jim & Barbara and there's baiting aplenty in their over-decorated living room. Daughter Denise and husband Craig arrive on Christmas Eve with aspirations for Christmas morning whilst Twiggy marches in full of festive spirit.
7/10

25 Dec. 2009
The Golden Egg Cup
Jim and Barbara have received the gift of money from their children - but what to do with it? Barbara wants to finally go abroad, while Jim favours buying an HD satellite box.
5/10

25 Dec. 2010
Joe's Crackers
Another Christmas at the Royles sees Jim incapacitated after an accident at the supermarket and needing to be carried to his chair. Mary has died so Joe and Cheryl bring her ashes in to the house in an urn which is placed next to Nanna's (but unfortunately end up in Barbara's Hoover.) After singing'#Bat Out of Hell' Joe recalls a bizarre naked wrestling match with Bobby Carter whilst Cheryl tells of a romantic encounter in the supermarket car park. Antony is now a successful businessman,whose presents put the Bests' gift to the Royles,a fridge magnet,to shame. He has ...
10/10

25 Dec. 2012
Barbara's Old Ring
Christmas is coming but Barbara is not happy. Not only has she lost her wedding ring but Jim has won on a scratch card she found down the back of the sofa whilst looking for the ring and has kept quiet about his hundred pounds winnings. Nor is he especially sympathetic about Dave's impotency problem, though the entire Royle family unite to help recently widowed Joe from next door enjoy a restaurant-style evening in their house with the equally scatty Philomena, whom he has met through a want ad. On Christmas Day Barbara lashes out at Jim for his laziness and juvenile ...
4/10
36/50 - CLASSIC ROYLE FAMILY