Journey Into DVD: The Royle Family Series 1

"The Royle Family" is a great example of a TV show on DVD that gives me pause at first, but soon grips me until I wind up tearing through the whole thing. At first, this 1997 Britcom is a little off-putting. OK, maybe a lot off-putting. But these 6 episodes of Series 1 leave me wanting many more.

It's mostly a group of people--mostly the titular Royles, but friends and neighbors as well at different times--huddled around a TV in their living room and chatting. There's a low-rent feel to everything, with the grainy video, limited camera angles, and the not-TV-attractive cast. And the characters have some unpleasant habits in which they indulge throughout the show, with smoking being one of the least offensive of them. The patriarch, Jim Royle, is shown picking his nose, scratching himself, grabbing himself, and doing other things.

So there's an overall crude atmosphere that might turn you off. But something happens as you watch this show, and you get hooked. At least, I sure did. There are only 6 episodes, and each one of them goes by so fast it really leaves you wanting more.

In his excellent review of the show, Paul Mavis at DVD Talk describes the phenomenon that occurs when you watch "The Royle Family." You may feel a little superior to these people--after all, they're rude, crude, and they just sit around on their arses watching telly--but soon you realize that, hey, what does that make YOU? After all, YOU are sitting on your arse watching THEM?

Mavis doesn't make this connection, but when I watched this disc, I thought of another nineties comedy, "Beavis and Butt-head." They were crude characters who sat on the couch watching TV, and while you at first laugh at what they're saying and maybe laugh at them, you also get the postmodern commentary on the audience.

However, "The Royle Family" is quite different in the sense that you really care about them. There's a narrative that unfolds over the course of the 6 episodes, as Jim and Barbara's mid-20-ish daughter Denise prepares for her wedding to Dave, who comes over and hangs out a lot. There are several levels of humor in this show. There is the sheer joy of laughing at what the characters say and do for their own sake. Hey, I like a good joke about shite as much as the next bloke. There is also the ironic sort of humor like that in the title--their names are Royle, but this family hardly represents the typical picture of a "royal family." But there's also a more subtle humor, often rooted in a less obvious irony, that becomes increasingly evident the more you watch.

Fact is, these people are talking about more than just poop, and their interactions get to essential human feelings and issues with which we can all identify. But beyond the humor, as you watch and get wrapped up in the lives of the Royles, you pay attention to the dialogue and appreciate more of the wit. You also notice how much the inhabitants of this household, though often sarcastic and cutting with their remarks, actually care for each other. It starts out as a loving glance or two, then maybe a kind word, and eventually you get some true outward displays of affection. Fear not, though, the show remains crude and amusing even in these moments.

Well before the sixth episode, I was well beyond the "meta" enjoyment of the show and was laughing WITH the characters as much as anything. Furthermore, I wanted to know what was going to happen next, even if it wasn't going to be much, and I didn't want to leave their company.

It's hard to describe this unique series and do it justice, but it's a very funny, clever Britcom that I would speculate is just as fresh today as it must have been in the late 90s. It takes you into a world all its own and creates a vivid watching experience. And, oh, yeah, it's hilarious. So the show is outstanding. Let's talk about the DVD extras.


Uh, yeah, there are none. I know very little about this show, and it would be nice to learn more, but there are no featurettes giving context, no audio commentaries, no bonuses at all. Perhaps the writers--primarily the actress and actor who play Denise and Dave--prefer to let their work speak for itself or are afraid to pull back the curtain too much. Still, this bare bones disc is a disappointment to anyone who is delighted by the program and wants to learn more about its production or its place in British culture. Lucky for me, though, there is something to look forward to: Series 2, a DVD which I hope to acquire and watch in the near future.