Royle Connections
Families have often been bound together by the various traditions they observe. It could be playing Ker-plunk on Sunday afternoons, or the annual camping holiday in a damp corner of Cornwall. It could be the timing of when the presents are opened on Christmas Day.
The tradition that binds together the Royles, TV's most famous family this side of the Simpsons, seems to be, well, watching TV. Last Sunday night, when we said our final farewell to the Manchester clan, they were occupying their usual spots on the sofa, glued to Location, Location, Location.
But there was always more to the Royles than channel hopping, and in the finale the star of the living room was no longer the telly but Nana - aka Norma - ensconced in her bed as her daughter, Barbara, cared for her in her twilight year.
The deliberate shift of focus introduced new traditions: great-grandchildren doing a talent show, dopey Dave reading aloud from Mills & Boon. In one moving scene, Barbara reminded her mum that she used to put a red ribbon in her hair as a child. 'Well,' said Norma, 'that's what my mum used to do for me.' Just before she dies, she is presented with her new great-granddaughter: Baby Norma - complete with red ribbon.
The show attracted 7.8 million viewers, the biggest audience for a British TV comedy this year. Its huge appeal surely lies in the fact that, in a world in which family life seems to be under ever-increasing pressure, The Royle Family reminds us that kinship is still the tie that binds.
And often it's how we celebrate our traditions that strengthens that bond. As Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, the instruction to love God with all your heart, your soul and your strength is to be shared by each generation with the next: 'These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home...'
The Royles may not be everyone's picture of domestic bliss, though. And, as this year's London Lectures at the LICC discuss under the banner 'Redeeming Family', one of the church's greatest tasks currently is to explore exactly what that mission entails in today's world.
After all, it is surely our goal to let everyone know that, when the credits roll, we are all part of the same Royal family.
Jason Gardner
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