Royles written off for Christmas

The popular Royle Family Christmas special has been axed - because creators Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash have failed to deliver the script in time.

On the very day the engagement and imminent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton has been announced, it's only right we celebrate the country's first family. In this special, members of the Royle family share their memories of working on the show, how it came to be, and talk about some of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans. You get the impression that the cast are as close in real life as they are in the show, and Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash, Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, Liz Smith and Ralf Little share their recollections of a comedy that became a modern classic.

Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash rarely give interviews, so it's a real surprise to see them talking at such length about one of TV's best-loved sitcoms. Their anecdotes are often cut short by laughter, but we do get genuine insights into the meticulous way that the series is written, filmed and even edited. Such is the love for the pair that cast members and high-profile fans including Catherine Tate and Willy Russell all line up to pay tribute, but it's Cash and Aherne themselves who emerge as the most frank. For those who feel that the added slapstick of recent Christmas specials has severed the show from its realist roots, Cash's reasoning for the shift in tone will be of particular interest.

A long but comprehensive look back at one of British comedy's best shows, Craig Cash and Caroline Aherne's kitchen-sink comedy The Royle Family. Anchored by the scoop of bringing the two creative forces behind the show together to banter about their various real-life inspirations, it's really watchable. Even if you've seen moments like Denise and Dave's No Surprises lullaby a hundred times. Famous fans and the rest of the cast - including a touchingly reunited Ralf Little and Liz Smith - are on hand to nominate their favourite moments.

Interviews with Caroline Aherne invariably begin with "Caroline Aherne rarely gives interviews." So fans of a self-important actor shouting, "My arse!"* will be delighted to see Caroline and Craig Cash interviewed about the creation of The Royle Family. It's a jolly show with some interesting insights. You can certainly see why they were such a successful writing partnership as they retain the ability to make each other laugh and can barely finish an anecdote without cracking up.

But as with all these GOLD shows, it's somewhat besmirched by annoying talking heads. Thanks Catherine Tate for proving yet again that you're no good at anything. What is the point in this day and age of Catherine bloody Tate? Surely we can move on now?

Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, the creators of The Royle Family, take a lengthy look at just why their kitchen-sink comedy struck a chord. As several contributors suggest, it succeeded because it was observant, naturalistic and, as the screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (of Cracker) has it, "brilliant art".

Royle Family go behind the scenes for Gold specials

Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash to reveal secrets of UK's laziest family in two TV specials for digital channel Gold.

Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash's wonderful observational sitcom about a working-class Manchester family who seem never to leave their sitting room is now going the way Only Fools and Horses did, with an eagerly awaited one-off episode each Christmas. Tonight's instalment, for which no preview discs were available, is deliberately unfestive, with Jim (Ricky Tomlinson) and Barbara (Sue Johnston) wondering whether to spend a cash gift from their children on a satellite HD box or their first trip out of the UK. Afterwards, at 10.00pm, the final series of Gavin & Stacey - a sitcom which owes more than a nod to the Royles - begins to wind down, as the Essex crowd go on an eventful trip to the beach.