Sun, Oct 29, 2006
Frail, poorly Nana is now permanently in bed in the Royles' sitting room, causing Jim to sulk when she swaps the battery from the remote for her fan. Antony has split from Emma but brings their little boy Lewis to visit while Little David tries out his judo moves. Cheryl brings a succession of boyfriends to visit: the nervous Derek, whose ginger hair reminds Nana of 'Annie'; paintballing Slash; and a rabbi called Solomon. Denise gives birth to a daughter and names her Norma after Nana, which delights the great-granny, but just as Barbara is looking forward to having her floors laminated throughout, the worst happens: Nana slips away. It is a sad moment and even Jim sheds a tear. But Nana has told Denise that she wants her wake to be a jolly time, so the family obliges.
Mon, Nov 6, 2000
Nana's friend Elsie has died, and when she and Barbara return from the funeral she is drowning her sorrows with brandy. But at the same time she goes on about all the things that she will be taking from Elsie's flat for herself. This annoys Jim, who calls her The Living Dead. Barbara declares that she will not be cooking dinner, so she sends Antony to buy fish-and-chips, which pleases Cheryl because it's a break from her diet. While everybody else is downstairs, Jim goes up and talks through Baby David's baby monitor, pretending to be Elsie's ghost telling Nana to keep her thieving hands off her possessions.
Mon, Dec 25, 2000
On Christmas Day, Darren, Nana, and the Bests--who seem to have raided Baby David's savings for their own presents--turn up at the Royles', but Jim is annoyed: nobody has brought him anything. Later Antony brings Emma and her parents, Valerie and Roger. They are clearly much better off than the Royles--Valerie has had implants and Roger has a boat, a personalized number-plate, and a box at Old Trafford--and, he confides to Jim, a mistress. After they have gone, an embittered Jim rants to Baby David about being a loser. Then he learns that the family has bought him a present after all: a subscription to SkyTV.
Mon, Oct 19, 1998
Denise and Dave's wedding day finally arrives. The menfolk are in the kitchen, Jim practising his speech, Twiggy offering to sell knock-off tracksuits at the reception, and Antony being teased about his new haircut. Nana is put out because nobody will take her home for her comfortable shoes, but she does have 36 films in her camera. Antony hopes to move into Denise's room when she moves out. Alone in the house after the others have left for the church, Jim is uncharacteristically tender in assuaging Denise's nerves.
Thu, Sep 30, 1999
Jim invites Twiggy to Sunday lunch, but after he leaves, he moans about him accepting. Nana turns up and prattles on about illnesses, funerals, and Richard "Branston," to intolerant Jim's annoyance, while Dave and Denise bicker: he wants her to stop smoking during her pregnancy; she is annoyed that he will not move his moped out of what will be the baby's room. At least Antony is happy: he has a girlfriend, Emma.
Sat, Dec 25, 2010
Another Christmas at the Royles' sees Jim incapacitated after an accident at the supermarket and needing to be carried to his chair. Mary has died, so Joe and Cheryl bring her ashes into the house in an urn which is placed next to Nana's--but unfortunately end up in Barbara's new Dyson. After singing 'Bat Out of Hell,' Joe recalls a bizarre naked wrestling match with Bobby Carter, and Cheryl tells of a romantic encounter in the supermarket car-park. Antony is now a successful businessman whose presents put the Bests' gift to the Royles, a fridge magnet, to shame. He has a new girlfriend, heavily-pregnant nurse Saskia--so heavily pregnant, in fact, that history repeats itself.
Mon, Sep 28, 1998
Barbara's mum Norma, known as Nana, comes for Sunday tea and to see Denise in her wedding dress. Nana's reminiscing about the old days and long-dead friends sends the usually lazy Jim into the kitchen to do the washing-up, where he is joined by the other menfolk for small talk, though they return to watch "Antiques Roadshow" on TV and place bets on the items' asking prices. Jim agrees to see Nana home on the bus, but makes such a big deal of it that Dave offers to take her in his van.