The Royle Family 01 2006 Special The Queen Of Sheba

This episode is a pure Masterpiece, even though i have seen it quite a few times, i still cry hard every time, Norma saying to Barbara "I Do love you Barbara" and singing Que serra is so Beautiful makes me Bawl, Dave & Denise naming their Daughter Norma but the most is Seeing Dave & Jim Cry you'd have to be made of stone to not cry at this episode, Love that Jim gave her ahses pride of place on the focal point of their lives.....the TV.

Morg106

A late comment, but so sorry to hear that. My mum had a small stroke early last year and it was absolutely horrible, so frightening. The thought of not seeing her for five months would be too much, especially at that crucial time when she's just been through something traumatic and needs to be comforted, so I'm glad you came through it. It's sad to hear that she had such a traumatic experience at her rehab centre but I think spending her last few months with family will have helped overcome it. The state of healthcare in this country, while this government pisses about having parties and acting like they live in Elysium...it brings out the democratic-socialist in me. We are so grotesquely wealthy a country, it shouldn't be like this. Anyway, setting the politics aside I hope you're feeling a bit better.

Saul

Don’t tend to re watch this one for obvious reasons but what an hour! Excellent writing and performance by all. Even leaving of the house setting for the first time wasn’t a distraction because you’re so immersed with the family at that point.

A

This is the first time I've watched this and it's killing me in how it reminds me of my nan who passed away this year. She was kept in hospital after a small stroke ' just as a precaution' and then we barely saw her for five months. They wouldn't let her home straight away but insisted she went into a rehabilitation centre that turned out to be nothing more than a failing care home. When we were finally able to get her out she had nightmares over her time there. She had become so frail, but had two happy months back at home before suddenly passing away.

LLS

Josh thank you been looking forward to watching your reaction to this and it hit me when you started too too reminded me so much of saying goodbye to my Mum, the last thing I ever said it was it is not the same without you

Mark garrett

Happy Christmas Josh!!!!

Phil Spicer

This episode is pretty brutal really when you think about it. But so relatable for a lot of people. I seem to remember it sparked quite a bit of criticism at the time when it first came out on TV. I think Caroline Ahern is similar in her writing to John Sullivan of Fools and Horses where they can tackle the most heartbreaking situations into comedy and have real heavy drama. Absolutely love this episode. Reminds me of when my grand parents passed away, within six weeks of each other. Thankfully neither had to go to a home but on the flip side, was emotionally hard to deal with. Everyone skirts around the subject of death when close relatives are involved. Loved all the fun of the funeral and the emptying of the catheter piss bag into a sink full of dishes hahahaha.

Phil Spicer

Never seen this one before, excellent episode, I reacted exactly the same way. Hey Merry Christmas Josh and Tay, hope you get some time off. 🙂

Gary Tamblyn

The scene where Jim was cut-up and crying really got me. The narrative was always that Jim hated nana but of course he really cared. Reminds me of a time where people had people rather than smartphones.

James

Hopefully you’ll get to see Spaced in the not too distant future and see the show that ‘Cheryl’ and Simon Pegg wrote and starred in together - she is in Shaun of the Dead too but don’t think you’d recognise her. I’ve rewatched the Royle Family countless times over the years but this is probably only the third time I’ve watched this, I can never face rewatching it, and it absolutely got me again. There are people that say that the remaining specials aren’t great, they’re certainly not the peak of the writing and they are more broad - but so is series 3 compared to series 2 and series 2 compared to series 1 (my personal favourite) there’s still plenty to enjoy in them and I think you’ll still like them.

Kieran B

I was bawling like a baby watching this as well Josh. Reminded me so much of my own nan. Loved watching this again with you. Merry Christmas Josh make sure you have a chilled day

Craigid Dave

This was such a tough watch as I found my mum just like Barbara found Norma, back in September. Sadly mum had passed away. That horror of finding her was truly awful. Also my mum was so like Liz Smith. I love this episode so much and it means more to me now than ever.

Claire Prowse

I've known the show all my life but never really delved too deep into it. A few years back I lost my granddad on Christmas morning. His favourite song? The one playing when Nana passed, albeit a different version. That one caught me off guard! Have a good Christmas Josh, thanks for the years of content :)

LewiMFZB

Couple of other interesting things to note Josh. Jessica Hynes who plays Cheryl lost a load of weight in real life so wore a fat-suit for the specials. (If you ever rewatch Shaun of the Dead, she plays Shaun's freind who appears to be on a similar survival mission. Looks like a totally different person!) And the great Liz Smith who plays Nana, only started acting at the age of 49, so it's never too late!

Sam Reeves

This was a sad one for sure man.

After Work Reactions

Oh no lol 😂

After Work Reactions

Thank you bud merry Christmas to you as well.

After Work Reactions

I agree this was a great episode 😂very sad as well

After Work Reactions

Thank you josh.I've been really looking forward to this one!! Merry Christmas to everyone that reads this.

Hiphopanonymous

i thought only robot dogs broken you lol

girlsdrinkfeck

Cry everytime I watch it, impossible not too

Michael Oliver

The bit where Jim was crying really got to me. What a bittersweet ending.

Lee

wow, what a coincidence.

Matgo Styles

Such a brilliant episode and superb piece of writing and acting. So polished and expertly done with every music cue from Johnny Cash to Sinead O' Connor's haunting version of 'Scarlet Ribbons', this is pure gold from start to finish. Aside from the emotional upheaval and grief of losing Nana, the comedy as we've come to expect by now, is just as hilarious and sharp as it always is. Dave reading to Nana with his ill-timed pauses had me rolling ("Luciana began to feel herself......" "Eh?!!!") A deserved and rightly hailed masterpiece.

Rob Walters

I love the royal family but I have only been able to watch this episode once or twice, reminds me too much of my nan and the way she went. Alas it got me again.... If there's anything than can make me well up in the world its this..

Nickthegamingnerd

Damn Josh can't remember seeing you so openly emotional and tearful. I know you find it tough letting it out and prefer to try and hold it in but it's all good man 👊 I'm not a huge fan of the show but man this gets me so hard, it's such a beautiful and painfully honest portrayal of the death of an elderly relative. One glimmer of good news is Liz Smith lived decades after this episode bless her, she only passed away a few years back near 100 years old.

Michael Harrop

Wow that was beautiful 😢 I'm really grateful to everyone who voted for this (and to you Josh) I completely misjudged this programme, I didn't think it would really be my kind of thing from a few clips I'd seen and hearing people mention it so I doubt I'd have ever sought it out otherwise. But it's become one of my favourite things you've ever reacted to. Such a fantastically written show, you can't help but love the characters. They're so real. There wasn't an episode I didn't enjoy. Quality stuff 👌🏻

BelladonnicHazeyJaneII

The fact that the one time we saw the characters outside of their family home was because they were saying their goodbyes to Nana in the hospital was perfect as far as I'm concerned. If there was ever a justification to leave the Royle household as viewers, that was it. Therefore, what a pity that the awful specials which followed were produced, where there was no such justification for such excursions, much less for the terrible and unfitting, out of place broad, wacky, farcical humour.

Right Said Brett

David would have been 7 as 6 years had passed from the last episode when it was xmas and his first birthday.

Liz Smith who played Nana died 5 years ago today at the age of 95.

Keith Pratt

Completely agree. Without giving too much away about the plots of the next episodes, I wouldn't be surprised if Cash and Aherne were contractually obliged to write a few sequels. They had neatly captured the spirit of the show in this episode and had no more that needed to be said. The dip in quality that comes after this episode may have been slightly deliberate on the part of the writers against the BBC forcing them to write more because everything about the humour and style of the show is markedly different after this point.

Dean

I’ve seen this episode so many times I’ve lost count and still find it impossible not to cry when Nana dies. The show is that brilliantly written that you feel part of the family

Liam

Glad you went on the emotional roller coaster this episode expertly takes its audience on. Raucous laughter one minute and raw intensity of grief the next. This demonstrates why The Royle Family was a pioneering sitcom in British history. The Office is often heralded as the first more overtly realistic sitcom, but The Royle Family came first. No studio audience. More authentic depictions of real life and people. More naturalistic dialogue. Not every line being an obvious feed or punchline. Minor note: Cheryl's first date (Derek) appears as one of the strippers (Lomper) in The Full Monty. Considering how you have engaged with this show, I really feel you need to watch Early Doors. It's made by most of the same makers of The Royle Family. It has the same style of humour and approach to representing ordinary life , only in a different setting. Because it's official audience was never as big as The Royle Family, it often gets overlooked but is equally worthy of appreciation. For me, this episode is the true end of The Royle Family and it goes out on a poignant high. The remaining episodes have their defenders i nthe audience, but I felt the quality really dips after this point.

Dean

This episode is an absolute masterpiece. Beyond a sitcom, this is like a film. The second you latched onto Norma in her first appearance, I knew this would hit you like a ton of bricks. Sat here weeping with you again now, as I did the first time I saw this. The moment they cut to the hospital is the first time we ever leave the house, and it should feel like a novelty but we're too caught up with the characters to even notice.

Matgo Styles

Just a sublime piece of television. I'm really dreading the next 4 specials though. It just doesn't feel like the same show after this episode. Turning it into a wacky sitcom to appeal to a broader xmas day audience.

Sam Reeves

Fantastic episode. I can never not cry at the scene of Barbara brushing her Mother's hair, as she sings 'Que Sera Sera', with Barbara stood behind her, looking to the heavens and weeping, knowing that her Mother's time upon this Earth will soon be over. Sadly, as far as I'm concerned, this is the last decent episode of the show and I wish they'd left it here. Everything after this was such a betrayal of what made the show great; suddenly, episodes were set outside of the Royle's house and the comedy became ungrounded and broad.

Right Said Brett

Great. Every scene hilarious. EVERY scene. (First, BTW)