The Royle Family’s Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston to reunite on Gogglebox

The Royle Family co-stars Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston are set to reunite on-screen again in Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox this week.

The funny pair played husband and wife Jim and Barbara Royle in the Northern sitcom from 1998 to 2000, as well as for five specials after that. 

After over a decade, they will get together again to add their hilarious commentary on the week’s television offerings, from Friday, June 16th.

As reported by The Mirror, ahead of featuring on the programme, Ricky said: “When it first aired Gogglebox was called ‘the real Royle Family’ so this is a full circle moment, Sue and I together again, in front of the box!”

And Gogglebox already has links to the Royles, with the late Caroline Ahern, who played the pair’s daughter Denise Royle, as the show’s narrator before she passed away from cancer aged 52 in 2016.

Taking over from comedian Caroline, Craig Cash – who played her husband Dave Best – has continued to narrate the show since then.

Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan will also appear on the new series, alongside her husband Bobby Koostra.

Katherine has recently revealed her days as a single mum with daughter Violet, 13 – who she had with a previous partner – were some of her happiest. 

She also said she was ‘quite nervous’ she may never regain that feeling after she had her son Fred, 23 months, and daughter Fenna, five months, with Bobby.

She said: “I was really happy with my daughter. I’m not one of those mothers who needs time away from my kids, I want to be with them as much as possible.

“Well, now they kind of annoy me because there’s three of them – but when Violet was little, she never bothered me.

“She was my best friend, the love of my life. I’m actually quite nervous that my decade of being a single mother to Violet, and of struggling and being poor . . . I’m worried that might have been the best time of my life.”

Celebrity Gogglebox will air on Channel 4 at 10pm on Friday, June 16th.