It’s been 25 years to the day since The Royle Family first hit our TV screens, and it’s set to return with a one-off special for the occasion.
The undeniably iconic BBC Manchester-based sitcom starring Ricky Tomlinson as family patriarch Jim Royle, Sue Johnston as his wife Barbara, the late Caroline Aherne and Ralf Little as their daughter and son Denise and Antony, and Craig Cash as Denise’s husband David, was watched and loved by millions nationwide.
Co-created by stars Aherne and Cash, the hilarious and heartwarming series about a television-obsessed family ran for 25 episodes and specials between 1998 and 2012.
Critics lauded The Royle Family for its unique approach to storytelling, as it famously broke away from the traditional sitcom structure, and went on to earn a place in the hearts of viewers and amass a loyal fanbase thanks to its relatable portrayal of family dynamics.
So it’s only right that we properly celebrate this show on its 25th birthday, right?
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The Royle Family is returning with a one-off 25th anniversary special / Credit: BBC
Well luckily, that’s exactly what UKTV is planning to do, as the channel Gold is airing an updated and refreshed version of the critically-acclaimed sitcom’s original 2010 documentary, The Royle Family: Down the Back of the Sofa, tonight to mark 25 years since the show first aired.
The refreshed version of The Royle Family: Down the Back of the Sofa gives fans another chance to see the original documentary interviews with the core cast – which includes Craig and Caroline’s only ever filmed interview as a pair.
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In celebration of the late Aherne’s, the refreshed documentary will also include insights from an impressive collection of celebrity fans.
Tonight's the night! 25 years since the very first episode of #TheRoyleFamily aired, we're celebrating by offering you another chance to watch our interviews with the core cast from 2010 as well as fresh insights from celebrity fans! pic.twitter.com/hoQ8T47d3v
Actors and comics Diane Morgan, Rosie Jones, Jamie and Natasia Demetriou, John Thomson, Rachel Fairburn, Shobna Gulati, Jack Rooke, and Sharon Rooney are just some of the famous names set to pay tribute to Aherne’s legacy in the documentary special.
“The Royle Family has without doubt left a permanent mark in television history and we’re delighted to have commissioned this documentary for the 25th anniversary,” Gold’s Senior Commissioning Editor for Comedy and Entertainment, Jason Dawson, said ahead of the documentary airing.
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“We hope viewers will enjoy reliving this celebration of one of the nation’s most beloved shows.”
You can watch The Royle Family: Down the Back of the Sofa at 9pm tonight on Gold.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Five Greater Manchester-based music artists you should listen to | April 2026
Danny Jones
Ay up, you lot – we’re back with another box office batch of music from in and around Greater Manchester for you to get your teeth stuck into.
We’d like to think you know the deal by now, but if not, here’s a quick rundown for you…
Every month, we look back on the local bands and artists, either hailing from or now based in the area, that are spending regular time in our rotation.
It doesn’t matter if they’re still just young prospects or they’ve been at it for decades: if it’s good and it’s been in our ears, it goes on the list. Ready? Let’s go, then.
Five Manc bands and artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. Harry Lyon
First up is April’s cover star: the wonderfully talented Harry Lyon, who is another born and bred and now quietly plying his trade here in Greater Manchester and already showcasing a great level of versatility early in his career.
He moved to the city from Sheffield not too long ago, and his creative output has only ramped up since he got here. Toying with everything from alt-pop/indie to straight singer-songwriter stuff that wouldn’t sound out of place on the radio, his often R’n’B-esque vocals mean he can turn to multiple styles.
We actually lucky enough to bump into him in person earlier this month over in Stretford, and you’ll be glad to hear he’s also as sound a person as we hoped he’d be; he even teased a new single on the way, but for now, we’ll recommend ‘Violet’, ‘Backwards’ and the piano version of ‘While We’re Still Young’.
In fact, he does acoustic versions for most of his songs, and a fair few of them genuinely rival the originals in their own way.
From an up-and-comer to some Manc veterans that often get overlooked in the shadow of their even longer-standing and more well-known predecessors, but we’re going to go out on a limb and say something controversial here… We think we might prefer Black Grape to Happy Mondays.
Before you bite our heads off, let us explain: while the Mondays are obviously way more iconic and had a huge influence on the overall Madchester scene, we would argue that their progenic spin-off are almost a more honed evolution of at least some of what the Ryders and co. first created a buzz around.
Not only do the likes of ‘Kelly’s Heroes’, ‘Nine Lives’, ‘String Theory’ and more have so much more guitar in them (which will always score extra points for me), but more importantly, there is so much more successful experimentation with different instruments, cultural sounds and blends of energy.
It can be hard to know where to start, but those three examples aren’t bad options, and ‘In The Name of The Father’ is also such a vibe – we’re hoping we see it on the setlist for Outwards Fest next month.
BLACK GRAPE play Outwards Festival on Saturday 2nd May 😎
For fans of Sports Team, Spangled, Deadletter, and pretty much any current post-punk pioneers, these former students who originally hail from Cambridgeshire but have come up in and around the local rock scene have been making a splash for a little while, and now it feels like things are hitting a fever pitch.
Sometimes the idiosyncratic lyrics put you in mind of rising Oldham star, Seb Lowe; there’s even one intro that could be the start of a more upbeat and melody-forward King Krule, and you even get notes of Slaves/Soft Play at times. Whatever you hear, personally, you won’t find a bad song – we haven’t yet.
As the lyrics on ‘Are You The Best Yet?’ state, some of this stuff literally makes our knees go weak. We can’t remember the last time a band came around that has you eagerly awaiting the inevitable guitar break, let alone when you fully lock into one and pull a face (we’ve all got our own).
They’re so, SO good, and they help prolong some songs that, while brilliant, could feel more like fast-paced flashes in the pan without them. It all amounts to something extra and ups an already healthy dose of swagger: that’s definitely what you get on the recent ‘Cambridge Is On Fire’ and most of their tracks.
In at number four is another one to watch within the genre. Some industry figures have equated them to the likes of the Amyl and the Sniffers, Lambrini Girls, Viagra Boys, and so on, but we think there’s a much cooler sense of darkness going on with their approach – however familiar the repetitive guitar playing and aggressive, shouty vocals may be.
Luckily, their discography – not unlike that of their aforementioned punky peers – isn’t that extensive just yet, so you can easily work your way through all their releases soon enough, and they’ve also got a big gig at White Hotel coming up just after they drop their debut LP, Hodge Podge. Watch this space…
Our present picks would be ‘American Boy II’, ‘Marina’ for the foreboding sense of build and that central riff alone, and you simply have to listen to their latest single, ‘Creeping Offences’, which, understandably, is the best track in terms of production they’ve dropped yet.
We want to see them live before passing any decisive judgement, but we like what we’re seeing so far.
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5. A Certain Ratio
Now, we’ve touched on electronic-influenced alternative group in Black Grape, but what about another truly influential act from within that fluid space? Probably one of your bands/favourite DJ’s favourite artists, whether you know it or not, A Certain Ratio were tastemakers long before even they knew.
If the previous two are post-punk, then these lot are the funkier forerunners, known for their trademark muted strumming patterns, heavily distorted, codified and multi-layered mixes, ACR have been going nearly half a century now, and they were doing all this stuff long before virtually anyone else.
You’ll inevitably fall down a bit of a rabbit hole listening to their stuff, but ‘All Comes Down To This’ is a good starting point, and ‘1982’ has always made us think of what a Doctor Who-themed rave might sound like.
Oh, and purely because it still sticks with us as an eye-opening first listen, it really doesn’t get much better than this one:
And once again, that’s all she wrote.
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We hope you dive into at least some of these names over the long bank holiday weekend, as three uninterrupted days of listening couldn’t have timed any better.
Billie Eilish reveals the reason why she chose Manchester to film her new movie
Danny Jones
Global superstar Billie Eilish has revealed the reason why she chose Manchester, of all places, to film her upcoming new movie.
The answer won’t surprise you, but we were buzzing with it nonetheless.
In case you were unaware, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is the new documentary and live concert film directed by Billie herself, along with some help from none other than James Cameron.
Being screened not only in cinemas but also in 3D (yes, that’s still a thing), the performance-based movie captures content taken from her run of gigs right here in Manchester. Here’s why she picked us:
Though it’s still no surprise, really, we always find it so surreal seeing some of the world’s most famous artists speaking so highly about our city.
As you can see, while she did quip that the schedule lined up production-wise, it was an easy decision to pick her four – yes, FOUR sold-out nights at Co-op Live, as the place to film the project based on the atmosphere alone.
“I fricking love Manchester”, said the 24-year-old, going on to add, “Honestly, Manchester is one of my favourite audiences ever.”
Manc fans simply couldn’t get enough of her, hence why she was able to book so many big dates at the massive arena.
Here’s the big surprise she brought out for the show we were lucky enough to be at:
We love Billie and, as it turns out, she feels the same about us.
The release date for Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour movie is coming around early next month, with the film set to be screened in selected cinemas across the UK and beyond on May 8, 2026.
Speaking in the recent interview on the red carpet with the BBC, she also detailed how fellow Academy Award-winner Cameron contacted her first about the prospect of creating this immersive music project.
Imagine just picking up the phone to James Cameron – as you do…
Will you be watching? Better still, were you at one of the shows and plan to look out for yourself in the crowd, which is now soon to be splashed on the big screen?
Emily Sergeant -
14th September 2023 
