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The Royle Family Christmas special is becoming rather a permanent fixture of the Christmas Day schedule. Every time those familiar credits start to play, there’s something exciting about seeing the wonderful characters again and, despite the fact that this year’s episode and the 2008 and 2009 editions haven’t quite been up to scratch, there’s always been something extremely watchable and enjoyable about them all.
In ‘Joe’s Crackers’, the Royles celebrated Christmas Day with next door neighbours Cheryl (Jessica Hynes) and Joe (Peter Martin), and we were introduced to Anthony’s new girlfriend Saskia (Joanne Froggatt). As ever, not much actually ‘happened’, it was more about the interaction of the characters and the hilarity that ensues from such ordinary situations.
What was most pleasing about the episode was the return to the style of episodes from the three magnificent series of the show, being set entirely in the house, and events largely happening in real time. 2008’s ‘The New Sofa’ gave us a peek at Denise and Dave’s house, and this was where the jokes stopped flowing. 2009’s ‘The Golden Egg-Cup’ fared much better, but the original charm was lacking, with most of the episode taking place away from the house. ‘Joe’s Crackers’ therefore marked a return to the show’s roots, but it could not return to the quality of the best episodes. Instead, it was blighted with the same issues as ‘The New Sofa’ (and any sketch show): it was a rather hit and miss affair.
Some of the jokes worked wonderfully, and were extremely deadpan. For instance, there was a delightful joke about an ice cream van, and there was a great visual gag of Cheryl stuffing her face with the Royles' favourite ‘squirty’ cream. Others did not work so well, with Denise and Dave in particular having become caricatures. Yes, they were always lazy, bad parents, but even they would not leave their children with a woman who they do not know the name of. For a sitcom that made its name due to its realism, ‘Joe’s Crackers’ had a remarkable lack of it, and there were some parts that were just too predictable for a sitcom that is hailed as one of the greatest of all time.
There also seems to be a pattern developing where the writers feel that (in the words of Simon Cowell) they must keep the show relevant. The references to the coalition jarred, and further references to the price of carrier bags have lost their edge. In the end, it just felt like they were desperate to ensure the audience that the programme is set in 2010. But, at 9pm on Christmas Day with 20 litres of alcohol, 10 kilograms of food and 5 kilograms of nibbles inside everyone, I don’t think they would care.
So, once again, The Royle Family provided a fast moving, diverting hour of television, and new episodes are always welcome. My feeling, however, is that the writers wanted the faultless 2006 special ‘The Queen of Sheba’ to be the show’s swansong, and it does reach the most natural ending for the show. The subsequent Christmas specials seem to be intended as fun, but not earth-shatteringly funny, and in this they succeed.
Jacob what the hell are you on about boy. I watched that and it was so funny i was crying and nearly peeing myself. Just as funy as the other series and specals in fact might of been even better.
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