Customer Reviews

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring [DVD]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I was hugely looking forward to another helping of 'The Royle Family', easily one of the best sitcoms of the last twenty years. True, the infamous 'The New Sofa' episode a few years back suggested the show was past its best, but subsequent editions proved something of a return to form. However, 'Barbara's Old Ring' is a disappointment. Whilst it's nowhere near as bad as some reviewers have suggested - there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud lines in there - it just hasn't got the old magic of the early episodes. What worked really well about the show was the real-time aspect, which has been absent from the Christmas specials, and whilst this worked well in Nana's farewell episode in 2006, it completely goes to pieces in this edition. One minute it's Christmas Eve, the next the Royles are helping Joe to find love - yet after a series of different dates, the next scene is set on Christmas Day. When did these dates happen? Another major issue is Dave and Denise's children, or to be more accurate, their non-presence. A joke is made about the couple forgetting to pick them up from school (again), but the fact that they're nowhere to be seen on Christmas Day is ignored, suggesting either sloppy writing or a struggle to create comic value from their presence. The whole thing feels cobbled together around a few good jokes, without what made the show special in the first place - the well-observed comedy of everyday life.

I love 'The Royle Family', and in many ways below-par RF is a damn sight funnier than dross like 'Mrs Brown's Boys' on top form. However, this special smacks of a shortage of ideas, and suggests ending things now before the rot really sets in would be the kindest thing.

Ok, so you used to love this programme 5 years ago when it was still funny. This is not. It is predictable, dull and lifeless as though the principal actors are just going through the motions with a tired script for another Christmas pay check.
If you still don't heed this warning at least check it out on one of the many TV catchup services available and decide for yourself.

Well its a crying shame that such a great comedy has ended up like this.
After the "Queen of Sheba" the quality of this great comedy has taken a nose dive....Its become so unrealistic...daft...childish...and a bit desperate for a laugh (which sadly it doesn't deliver on this very often)...I have of course purchased this DVD because I wish to have the complete "Royle Family"...but I just hope that maybe next year if they are gonna do a xmas special....that they make it like the good old days of the Royle Family...and sign off on a high...cos its time for this great comedy to be put to bed.....hopefully on a high.

I have been an Amazon reviewer for almost 10 years now and so far I have tried to keep all my reviews positive; however after watching the latest installment of The Royle Family on Christmas Day I felt compelled to share my disappointment.
The writers have clearly lost their way. When The Royle Family was first broadcasted in 1998, I loved the cleverly subtle humour carefully interwoven into the simplicity, and whilst I do not care much for this word the 'normality' of the Royle's lifestyle. In Barbara's Old Ring the characters were by and large a parody of themselves; over the top, surreal and unrealistic. For example Joe taking his dates to the Royle's house and having the family dress up like servers was hugely out of character with the original concept. This slide was in the post before this episode. It started in 'The New Sofa' developed through 'The Golden Egg Cup' and 'Joe's Crackers'. Truth be told I have enjoyed the previous Christmas Specials although I did notice that characters; Joe in particular were changing for the worst.
I do hope that this is not the end for The Royle Family as it would be sad to end a wholly noble comedy on a note like this.

They've finally done it, I never thought they would do this but they've finally run out of ideas. This was terrible - DO NOT BUY THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE DISSAPOINTED.

This was the laziest piece of script- writing by numbers I have had the misfortune to view.Constantly repeating lame jokes or lines does not make them any funnier.A good script editor with a bit of bottle could have trimmed this down to a five minute programme. Doesn't`deserve 1star.

It pains me to say this but this years one was rubbish I have liked TRF since it began in 98 (wasnt fussed on The New Sofa but wasnt as bad as this) and cant belive how crude it was i mean they have had two years to come up with something, but no what we got was Daves erection problems, trifles in the shape of breasts a unlikeable neighbour and were did the family get the tuxedos from ????????????? what made it worse was The Queen of Sheeba was on the other night on gold and the diffrence in quality was huge

No when i heard of a new special i was expecting Anthonys wedding as a follow on from 2011 special with a nod to the other Royal wedding but no, all we got was this,so i hope the writers are reading the reviews and ether get back to the quality standards we are used to or end it.

I was really looking forward to a return of the Royles but this should never have made it to air - and I can't beleive the cheek of putting it on DVD. I read in a TV magazine that the writers had taken two years to perfect this - and according to a quote from Ricky Tomlinson the crew were laughing so much as they filmed it that they had to keep stopping. Come off it Mr T - that must have been nervous laughter.
The script - such as it was - seemed to have been culled from Christmas crackers (very cheap ones) and a blue joke book. I'm not sure there was actually a plot - Barbara lost her ring (cue lots of tasteless and lazy references to Jim's arse) and Jim bought her a new one for less than £80. That's it really. Add to that a fat woman who wanted to borrow things, Joe next door advertising in the lonely hearts, a few references to the regular actors who obviously declined to be in it (Cheryl, Antony etc)and 30 minutes of one character saying a sentence and everyone else repeating it. Surely can't have taken more than a day to write and a day to record. No one laughed in my house and we're fans.
Time to say goodbye to the Royles and remember them as they used to be.

Sorry Royle Family - I think you've overcooked. No cheryl, no twiggy, no nanna, no anthony - the cast is dwindling but the script is the same. Just a couple of laugh out loud moments in this and the rest was very average.

After 2010's Really, Really brilliant Royle Family Christmas Special The Royle Family - Joe's Crackers [DVD] i was really looking forwards to 2012's episode of The Royle Family, well i need not have bothered, it was 110% rubbish, it only had half a cast, unlike last years Christmas Special which saw Ralf little back acting after some time away and even had Cheryl from next door too.

2012's episode had only half the cast, and also featured a very annoying actress playing a new next door neighbour and the program itself did not even have a Christmas theme to it, it was all about getting Joe a date, very boring and not at all Christmasie.

I can't even believe it was written and directed by the very same people as last years episode but it was as i have checked, i don't know what they were thinking of writing and directing this rubbish, then releasing it but they should all be ashamed of themselves, its nothing short of 110% rubbish.

If they are going to continue to make episodes like this one then they might as well just stop right now, as its so disappointing its not worth watching any more like this one.

All the way through i was itching to turn it of, but i did not just so i could compare it fairly to last years one, which i watched just before watching this one.

If you want to see a absolutely brilliant Christmas episode of The Royle Family and possibly THEE BEST EPISODE of The Royel Family, then just buy The Royle Family - Joe's Crackers [DVD].