[Saturn]

Wtf is this?

It has totally lost the plot.

[SuperDude95]

This is not funny anymore

[Clank007]

Christ this is awful....so far fetched it is ludicrous. What a disappointment

[Goingtothebeach]

Originally Posted by Loon

It seems more gentle- a bit like some of the episodes were. They weren't all laugh a minute. I tend to agree with the earlier poster who said that, after all this time, we care about the characters enough so that we don't have to laugh out loud at everything

This is part of the problem for me. The old series were so gentle and so observational. It was a bunch of people in a living room chatting.

This weird montage with this dressing Joe is the perfect example of something so tonally different from what the show was about. It's not that it's not funny it's that it's not the same show.

[Muze]

OK now it's just weird

[StandByMe89]

Originally Posted by PrattAttack

This is not the same show we all fell in love with 14 years ago. Why oh why did they change the style? This is almost cringeworthy yet I keep watching because I hold the characters so dear to me.

Yeah, I love the characters and the actors, but they have changed the format and it's just not the same, it's like a parody of the Royle Family.

[craigbboy]

This has to be one of the worst Christmas specials ever

[yorkiegal]

i can only guess that the remaining cast have few job offers in the pipeline anymore and that's why they're willing to carry on appearing in this parody of what was once a brilliant programme.

[neonkt1]

This part is terrible, we should have seen more of Carol. And Joe is actually quite boring...

[Prince Monalulu]

Originally Posted by rammie96

This isn't really The Royle Family though

Makes no odds to me, I didn't watch the previous 14 years it has been on according to an FM on here.
Caught the occasional episode.

I liked Craig Cash's Pub comedy btw.

[2shy2007]

I wish I WAS watching the great escape instead!

[Mrs Teapot]

I was looking forward to this after the depressing soaps and the repeated films and dire crap that has been on, a few smirks here and there but it's a bit stale......sadly

[BellaRosa]

The last 3 have been rubbish. They need to leave this now, it's rubbish

[rammie96]

WTF is going on now?

[Loon]

This date part is going on miles too long

[neonkt1]

The first part was pretty good until all this dating business.

[BellaRosa]

Originally Posted by StandByMe89

Yeah, I love the characters and the actors, but they have changed the format and it's just not the same, it's like a parody of the Royle Family.

They have made them so thick .. and the Who ? comment is wearing thin

[pjw1985]

If someone were to ask me what happened in this episode i couldn't possibly tell them as i stopped paying attention after 5 minutes

[Triarii]

Writers please stop trying to replace nana, it doesn't work. Joe is a minnow to her character, Dave's parents were pathetic and I can't remember if they added a character for the Golden Egg Cup.

Episode should have ended 15 minutes ago when the quality was semi-decent.

[yorkiegal]

they should have brought the next generation into it. Denise and Anthony's kids etc.

[mal2pool]

Got it on in the background..wasn't too bothered about it but i heard some funny lines.

[Marvin's Mum]

As an avid Royle family watcher, I have to say this is a bit pants

Why did they bother?

[WhisperingGhost]

I'm actually cringing for the actors in this "dressing Joe" part

[Chelsea97]

Originally Posted by Prince Monalulu

I liked Craig Cash's Pub comedy btw.

Yup Early Doors was a classic, far superior to this tripe!

[yorkiegal]

so Denise is too lazy to learn how to make a cup of tea but will give her time to serving a dinner for a neighbours date?