<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> External links </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Website </Td> </Tr> <P> The Royle Family is a British television sitcom produced by ITV Studios for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998--2000, and specials from 2006--12 . It centres on the lives of a scruffy television - fixated Manchester family, the Royles, comprising family patriarch Jim Royle (Ricky Tomlinson), his wife Barbara (Sue Johnston), their daughter Denise (Caroline Aherne), their son Antony (Ralf Little) and Denise's fiancé (later husband) David (Craig Cash). </P> <P> The series features simple production values and a stereotypical portrayal of working - class family life at the turn of the millennium . It therefore has something in common with kitchen sink drama . Almost all of the episodes take place in the Royles' home, largely in the telly - centric living room, with the humour derived from the conversations held therein . Aherne and Cash co-wrote every episode, along with Henry Normal (series one), Carmel Morgan (series two), and Phil Mealey (five Christmas specials). A sixth special episode was set to be written, but Aherne died on 2 July 2016 effectively ending the programme . </P>

When did the royal family tv series start