The Royle Family: Joe’s Crackers

Hope you all had a great Christmas break. There have been quite a few treats on the TV this year (along with a couple of disappointments – I’m looking at you, Come Fly With Me), but the highlight of Christmas Day’s viewing was something I wasn’t particularly looking forward to. I’m not sure why it is that I never remember just how good The Royle Family can be, perhaps its because it rarely has any particularly memorable lines, more a series of consistently, but gently, funny moments throughout each episode. On Christmas night, full to the brim with food and drink and without the energy to reach the remote control, I settled back to watch what turned out to be a brilliantly observed hour of comedy.

Christmas on the BBC

It’s that time of year again, when the TV companies start to tell us what treats they’ll be serving up over the Yuletide period. If I were writing this for a tabloid, I’d be contractually obliged to say something about some of the offerings being turkeys and others being crackers, but instead I’ll get right to it and pick through today’s announcements from the Beeb.