Ralf Little

Is it wrong to judge a show by its theme tune? The folky version of Somewhere Beyond The Sea which opens The Cafe is sung by Kathryn Williams in a voice so wistfully fairy-like she makes Janet Devlin off The X Factor sound like Joe Cocker.

The second impression you'll get of The Cafe is that it's a bit Early Doors On Sea because it's directed by Craig Cash and is set, as you could probably guess, in and around a pretty beach-front cafe in Weston-super-Mare called Cyril's.

It's written by and stars Ralf Little and Michelle Terry (who is actually from Weston) and it makes a nice change to see Somerset getting a bit of a look-in, instead of the North West.

Having said that, many of the eccentrics who frequent the cafe run by Carol (Ellie Haddington) could have just stepped off the bus from Doc Martin territory. One of them, Kieran, who works as a living statue, is actually a different colour every day (a bit like Gold Guy in the short-lived sitcom Angelo's). Michelle Terry plays Carol's daughter Sarah, who's reluctantly living back home after a stint in London and is trying to become a writer.

Little plays her ex-boyfriend Richard who works in a care-home.

But a potential new relationship arrives tonight in the shape of an old school friend who has just zoomed down from the capital in a Porsche.

John is played by Daniel Ings from Pete Versus Life, who now seems in danger of being type-cast as the handsomest man for miles around. Poor thing. Must be tough for him.

Royle Family actors Ralf Little and Craig Cash collaborate for a gentle sitcom set in a seaside café in Weston-super-Mare. Cash directs a script by Little and actress Michelle Terry in a story revolving around three generations who run a struggling café: Gran (June Watson), divorcee Carol (Ellie Haddington) and daughter Sarah (Terry). The characters are nicely observed - in particular some of the café regulars such as Richard (Little), a care-home assistant and Sarah's ex, and Keiran (Kevin Trainor), who works as a "living statue" - but The Cafe's sedate pace does make it a bit dull.

A new sitcom from director and executive producer Craig Cash (The Royle Family) that is co-written by Ralf Little (The Royle Family and Two Pints...) and Michelle Terry (Reunited). It's a classic British sitcom set-up - take an institution (in this case a seaside cafe) and use it as a hub for characters to interact and to tease out class, inter-generational and social observations. The comedy and characters are gentle, if at times familiar, but there's a nice pace to it, as though pitched somewhere between Gavin And Stacey and Alan Bennett.

Michelle Terry introduction

When we started writing The Café, Ralf Little and I were mostly influenced by what we didn't want to write...

Ralf Little: 'The Cafe's about real people'

Royle Family favourite Ralf Little writes and stars in Sky1's new comedy The Cafe...

Yes, it's yet another brand new comedy from Sky! The Cafe's been written by Ralf Little - you know, him off The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager. But what's it about? Well, the clue's kind of in the title - we meet all the different people coming to a cafe in Weston-Super-Mare. Sarah (Michelle Terry) wants to be a writer, Little's character Richard is her former childhood sweetheart, and John (Daniel Ings) is Richard's old love rival. Obviously, there are loads of other characters as well - it might be worth checking out this double bill to see if you want to stick around.

The Cafe: Hoping for a big splash

Co-writers Ralf Little and Michelle Terry talk about their new Sky1 offering, The Cafe, a comic take on life in a typical British seaside resort, in which they both play leading roles.

Why Ralf Little is just write for new sitcom

Ralf Little wrote and stars in new sitcom The Café, which launches on Sky1 next week. And he's called on a Royle Family connection to help make it a hit.

Ralf Little opens The Cafe

He played poor put-upon Antony in The Royle Family. Now Ralf Little is striking out on his own. He talks to Patrick Barkham about The Cafe, the new sitcom he has written - despite being 'pathologically lazy'.

The Cafe interviews

The Cafe is a new comedy series on Sky1, written by and starring Ralf Little as Richard, and Michelle Terry as Sarah. The six-part series is directed by Craig Cash...