Today would have been the birthday of creator and star of The Royle Family, Caroline Aherne.
When she passed away on July 2 this year, it came a shock and, yet again, another example of a much-loved celebrity passing away in 2016.
Timelines have been awash with Caroline's many hilarious moments from the likes of The Mrs Merton Show, but her best-known exploit was The Royle Family.
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Often considered as one of the greatest British television shows, The Royle Family encapsulated its audience with its well thought-out characters, digestible comedy and fantastic writing.
It was so simple, yet so effective. But why?
Credit: BBC
I've always thought that the best form of comedy is a mirror. If you can see pieces of yourself in a TV show, it's far more connectable.
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If you can watch something and then speak to your mates, or in terms of The Royle Family, your relatives, and then say: 'That is us, that is so us', then you have a far greater connection with it.
When you watch The Royle Family, it's really hard not to spot pieces of your dad in Jim Royle, or empathise with Anthony and Denise because of their sibling rivalry. That's why it was so brilliant.
Caroline and her writing partner, Craig Cash, who played Dave Best, were outstanding at tapping into the reality of home life. If you've never seen it, you'll probably watch the first episode and think 'this is literally just a bunch of lazy fuckers sat in a living room and watching TV. I don't get it'. However, by the end of the episode, you'll most likely soon be thinking 'that was brilliant'.
The formula was simple, really. Jim Royle, played by the fantastic Ricky Tomlinson, was your typical dad. He was lazy, tight, shouty, and judgmental. His wife, Barbara, played by Sue Johnston, was the type of mum who would do anything for anyone. She was the most loving type, but also just as lazy as her husband.
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Aherne's character, Denise, was the first born of Jim and Barbara and was the princess of the family. She was always moaning, always getting her own way, and loved dropping her younger brother, Anthony, in it.
Anthony was played by Ralf Little and was at that stage of teenage life where he did not have a clue what was going on. Often ridiculed by his family, he was the target of most jokes and always, always, always the designated brew maker.
They all had a chemistry, and could probably fool you into thinking they were an actual family. It easily reminded me of the times my family would head round to my nan's house.
Everyone would have their own seat. My dad and granddad always had an arm chair, my nan, sister and mum would cram onto the sofa, and I, as the youngest, would be demoted to an 'emergency chair' from the kitchen. We would sit around a coffee table which had a tea pot on it, with six non-matching mugs surrounding it. We would then complain about the utter shite that was playing on the few TV channels we had.
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Add in the hilarity that was written by Aherne and Cash and you've basically got the foundations of The Royle Family.
Credit: BBC
One thing that will usually be overlooked is the creation of nana, who, in my opinion, is the most underrated character in the series.
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Played by Liz Smith, she epitomised what it was to be a grandmother. Arguing with her son-in-law, giving out 50p to her grandchildren, thinking it was the best gift ever, and just generally not understanding modern times. You could easily watch her and see the similarities between her and your own nan.
That brings me nicely onto what I consider to be Aherne's best writing - the 2006 Royle Family special, 'The Queen of Sheba', which focused around nana. Her health was rapidly deteriorating so she had been forced into living and sleeping in the Royle's living room.
After an emotional rendition of 'Que Sera Sera' with her daughter, Barbara, and the revelation that Denise and Dave's second child would be named after her, nana passed away.
Credit: BBC Wolrdwide
There's a harrowing scene where the majority of the cast take turns standing over nana's hospital bed and crying. Jim Royle's involvement was especially emotional, as he had finally broken down that typical mother-in-law relationship, and cried his eyes out.
The episode ends with the cast back at the Royle's home for nana's wake. Denise reveals that, before she died, nana asked her to spell 'funeral', but stopped her after three letters. She says that is what she wanted. She wanted her funeral to be 'fun'.
Jim Royle agrees, grabs his banjo and then sings Harry Von Tilzer and William Dillon's 'I Want A Girl'. The lyrics go:
I want
a girl, just like the girl that married dear old dad,
She was a pearl, and the only girl that daddy ever had.
A good, old fashioned girl with heart so true,
One who loves nobody else but you.
I want a girl, just like the girl that married dear old dad.
The credits then roll over the top of a picture of Jim, Denise, Barbara, Dave and Anthony, who are gleefully singing.
It was odd that a sitcom known for its hilarity gave such an emotional episode. However, that confirmed the true brilliance and diversity of Aherne and Cash's writing.
Beyond the life of Caroline Aherne, her creation will most certainly live on.
RIP.
Featured image credit: BBC
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