The Royle Family, a beloved BBC sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2012, continues to enjoy popularity among fans. The show chronicled the everyday lives of a working-class Manchester family, with Ricky Tomlinson as patriarch Jim Royle, Sue Johnston as his wife Barbara, and Caroline Aherne and Ralf Little as their children Denise and Antony. Craig Cash played Denise's fiancé, Dave Best.
The programme initially ran for three years before concluding in 2000, but the cast returned for standalone episodes between 2006 and 2012, with the final episode being the 2012 Christmas special, 'Barbara's Old Ring'. The entire series is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Ricky Tomlinson's health journey
Ricky Tomlinson, who played the boisterous and outspoken Jim Royle, has maintained strong bonds with his co-stars. In 2020, he reunited with Ralf Little for a travel programme discovering the North, and he also appeared in the Channel 4 series 'Ricky, Sue and a Trip or Two' with Sue Johnston.
Away from television, the actor had a successful quadruple heart bypass in 2007 after medics identified serious blockages. Praising the NHS on Loose Women in 2007, he said: "I had open heart surgery, a four-way bypass, I've had both cataracts done, I've had a growth on that eye taken off, and I'm asthmatic. I wouldn't be alive except for the National Health Service."
He added: "We've got the best National Health Service in the world, and we've got to support them. And if they come out on strike, I'll be on the picket line with them every morning!"
Sue Johnston's recent roles
Sue Johnston, who portrayed Barbara Royle, has featured in numerous productions since the sitcom, including a stint in Coronation Street as Gloria Price. Most recently, she stars in the comedy 'Ann Droid', where she plays a bereaved widow who receives a humanoid eldercare robot.
Asked whether the themes of isolation and bereavement resonated with her, she replied: "Yes, but probably not as much as it did when you start working on it, and when you start playing a scene, and certain things happen to you when you start thinking about it."
She added: "It was more the humour of it that I took on board first of all, and a lot of the human aspects and the sadness then came in, which is funny because comedy isn't supposed to be making you cry! But I think that that's the humanity in it, and that there are people in it who are lonely - but is a robot the right thing to help you with your loneliness? Strangely, it sort of works."
Caroline Aherne's tragic death
Caroline Aherne, who co-created the series and played Denise, sadly died at the age of 52. She was born with a rare form of retinal cancer, which left her partially sighted in one eye, and later fought bladder cancer before receiving a lung cancer diagnosis in 2014.
Shortly before her death, she praised her Macmillan nurse at a conference to enhance cancer care in Manchester, saying: "The brilliant thing was the Macmillan nurse was like an angel because when you hear them telling you you have cancer, it's true you don't take it in properly, or you just don't think of the questions."
She added: "The other thing that gets you through, I've found - so many funny things happen when you're in there and, looking back, you do have a right laugh with the nurses. Although I was on morphine, so maybe it was just me laughing. But that's a way I think you can cope with it. If you can separate yourself from it, a sense of humour really, really helps."
Craig Cash and Ralf Little's careers
Craig Cash, who played Dave and co-created the series, went on to co-write and star in the BBC sitcom 'Early Doors'. He also narrates Channel 4's Gogglebox, a role he assumed after Caroline's passing. In the 2023 documentary 'Caroline Aherne: Comedy Queen', he recounted the moment he discovered her diagnosis, saying: "I just kept saying no, just kept repeating no. But there's a lot to be said for denial. And she was like 'We had some laughs though, didn't we, Cashy?'"
Ralf Little, who joined the show aged 17 as Antony Royle, has enjoyed a thriving career, appearing in 'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps' and portraying Detective Inspector Neville Parker in 'Death in Paradise'. Recently, he has taken part in the stage adaptation of John le Carré's novel 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'.
Discussing his new role, he said: "You always want to try and do something a bit different, I get it. I've been known over the years for playing affable, likeable characters. I understand why, and I'm delighted that I've been able to do that, but I've wanted to do something a bit grittier and grimier for a long time, and this has been my chance."
Ralf also pursued a semi-professional football career, turning out for Maidstone United in 2003, signing with Edgware Town in 2004, and playing for various non-league sides until 2008. He returned to the pitch in 2010 for the Soccer Aid charity fixture. The Royle Family is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
