Main characters
Jim Royle (Ricky Tomlinson)
- Amusing Injuries: Barbara accidentally dropping a frozen turkey on Jim's foot in the supermarket.
- Beard of Barbarism
- Brilliant, but Lazy: He sits in front of the TV all day, but at times he's actually quite bright, at least compared to the rest of the family.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Fat Slob
- Gasshole
- Hypocritical Humour: Any time Jim accuses anyone else of being lazy, mean or overweight.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Though he does sometimes veer into Jerkass territory, especially with Nana and Antony.
- Lazy Bum
- Lazy Husband: To Barbara's hard working housewife.
- Limited Wardrobe: Invariably seen in his dirty yellow t-shirt and jeans.
- Misanthrope Supreme
- Nobody Poops: He usually announces it.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Nana thinks he is (and he thinks she is).
- Only Sane Man
- Playing Sick: The aforementioned foot injury was not as bad as he made out.
- Sarcasm Mode
- The Scrooge / The Grinch
- This Is My Chair: Jim always occupies the armchair.
- Two-Faced Aside: Jim will say something nice, whilst making a gesture that shows he thinks the opposite. He also has a habit of being friendly to people while with them, then insulting them the moment they leave the room.
Barbara Royle (Sue Johnston)
Denise Royle/Best (Caroline Aherne)
- Berserk Button: Don't mention Beverley Macca.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef
- Dumb Blonde
- Hangover Sensitivity
- Hypocritical Humour: Whenever Denise calls someone else lazy.
- Lazy Bum
- Must Have Nicotine
- Parental Abandonment: Not far off it. In one episode, she claims that Cheryl potty trained her kids, taught them to read and attended all their parents' evening meetings.
- Spoiled Brat
Antony Royle (Ralf Little)
- Butt-Monkey:
- Kick the Dog: The Royles usually give him the menial jobs around the house.
- Pet the Dog: When Antony announces he's going to London with his band, the whole family, including Jim, tell him to take care and to call them if he gets in any trouble.
Dave Best (Craig Cash)
- The Ditz:
- Flanderization: Dave gets dumber as the series goes on.
- Henpecked Husband
- Lazy Husband: Denise is the lazy one in their relationship. When Baby David is born, Dave does the nappy changing and late night feeds.
Supporting Characters
Nana (Liz Smith)
- Annoying Laugh: Jim certainly thinks so.
- Last Words: "Trevor McDonald"
- Malaproper: She does this quite a lot.
- Motor Mouth
- Nobody Poops: She discusses her bowel movements almost as often as Jim.
Cheryl (Jessica Hynes)
- And a Diet Coke: In one episode she actually orders fish and chips with a diet coke, but has to settle for an ordinary coke as the shop has run out.
- Big Eater
- Parental Substitute: For Dave and Denise's kids.
Mary (Doreen Keogh)
- Ashes to Crashes: This happens to Mary's urn in "Joe's Crackers".
- The Ditz: She's a bit dotty.
- The Lost Lenore: For Joe, after she dies.
- Put on a Bus: After the 2006 special, she is said to be housebound with extreme incontinence. Subsequently she died off-screen.
Joe (Peter Martin)
- Amusing Injuries: Injuring his finger while grating some cheese for Cheryl.
- Ascended Extra: Joe makes a few fleeting appearances in the series, barely uttering a word, but he becomes a much more prominent character in later episodes. The final episode centres around the Royles trying to matchmake for him.
- Cranky Neighbor
- Dating Service Disaster: He has a few in "Barbara's Old Ring".
- Hidden Depths: He turns out to have a fine singing voice.
- The Quiet One: He does get more talkative after Mary dies (or when he's had a few drinks).
Twiggy (Geoffrey Hughes)
- Chronic Villainy: He keeps getting sent to prison.
- Friend in the Black Market: He sometimes supplies the Royles with shady/illegal goods.
- Mistaken for Gay: In "The New Sofa", he tells Dave's parents that he's just "come out" [of prison]. They think he's just come out of the closet.
- Only Known By His Nickname: His real name is never revealed and he's called Twiggy.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: He has a habit of inviting himself to dinner with the Royles a lot.
Emma (Sheridan Smith)
- The Ghost: Until we finally see her at the end of series 2.
- Put on a Bus: She disappeared after the 2000 Christmas special.
- Uptown Girl:
