instance_of sunshine 
Caroline Mary Aherne ( 24 ___MASK83___ 1963  2 July 2016 ) was an English comedian and BAFTA - winning writer and actress , best known for performing as the acerbic chat show host " Mrs Merton ", various roles in the " The Fast Show ", and as the lead role in the " The Royle Family ", which she co - wrote . She was also known for narrating the Channel 4 reality ___MASK14___ " Gogglebox ", a role she held from its inception in 2013 until she became too ill in April 2016 . Early Doors is a BBC sitcom written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey who also appear in the ___MASK76___ playing best friends Joe and Duffy . The setting is The Grapes , a small ___MASK84___ house in Stockport where daily life revolves around the issues of love , loneliness and blocked urinals . Manchester is a major ___MASK70___ and ___MASK15___ borough in Greater Manchester , ___MASK34___ , with a population of 514 , 414 . It lies within the United Kingdom ' s second - most populous urban area , with a population of 2 . 55 million . Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south , the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation . The local authority is Manchester ___MASK32___ . Stockport is a large ___MASK94___ in Greater Manchester , ___MASK34___ , south - east of Manchester ___MASK85___ , where the River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey . The ___MASK94___ is the largest ___MASK40___ in the metropolitan borough of the same name . The Royle ___MASK24___ was a British television sitcom produced by ITV Studios for the BBC , which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000 , and specials from 2006 to 2012 . It centres on the lives of a scruffy television - fixated Manchester ___MASK24___ , the Royles , comprising ___MASK24___ patriarch Jim Royle ( Ricky Tomlinson ), his ___MASK25___ Barbara ( Sue Johnston ), their daughter Denise ( Caroline Aherne ), their son Antony ( Ralf Little ) and Denise ' s fiancé ( later husband ) David ( Craig Cash ). Ralf Alastair John Little ( born 8 ___MASK27___ ___MASK66___ ) is an English actor , writer and semi - professional footballer , working mainly in television comedy . He has played Antony Royle in " The Royle Family " and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of " Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ". Sue Johnston OBE ( born Susan Wright ; born 7 ___MASK83___ 1943 ) is an English actress known for playing Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 ___MASK78___ opera " Brookside " ( 1982  1990 ), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy " The Royle Family " ( 1998  2012 ), Grace Foley in the BBC drama " Waking the Dead " ( 2000  2011 ), Gloria Price in the ITV ___MASK78___ opera " Coronation Street " ( 2012  2014 ) and Miss Denker in the ITV drama " Downton Abbey " ( 2014  2015 ). She won the 2000 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress and was nominated for the 2000 BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance for " The Royle Family ". The British ___MASK37___ ___MASK63___ ( BBC ) is a British ___MASK84___ ___MASK58___ broadcaster . It is headquartered at ___MASK37___ House in London , is the world ' s oldest national broadcasting organisation , and is the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees , with over 20 , 950 staff in total , of whom 16 , 672 are in ___MASK84___ ___MASK67___ broadcasting ; including part - ___MASK50___ , flexible as well as fixed contract staff , the total number is 35 , 402 . Craig Cash ( born 11 ___MASK28___ 1960 ) is an English comedian , actor , director and BAFTA award - winning writer and producer . His best known work is in the television shows " The Royle Family ", " The Fast Show ", " The Mrs Merton Show ", " Early Doors ", " Sunshine " and most recently " The Cafe ", " Rovers " and " After Hours ". Sunshine is a ___MASK23___ - part comedy ___MASK30___ that began on 7 October 2008 on BBC1 from the co - writers of The Royle Family and Early Doors . These co - writers , Craig Cash and Phil Mealey , also appear in the series . Eric " Ricky " Tomlinson ( born 26 ___MASK28___ 1939 ) is an English actor , comedian , author , and political activist . He is best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in " Brookside ", DCI Charlie Wise in " Cracker ", and Jim Royle in " The Royle Family ". Phil Mealey is a British actor and writer . ___MASK33___ . Mealey co - wrote and associate - produced the BBC sitcom " Early Doors " with Craig Cash . Mealey also acted in the series , playing the character Duffy . Cash and Mealey won two North West Comedy Awards in 2005 for the writing and ___MASK51___ on the series . ITV Studios is a ___MASK59___ production ___MASK68___ owned by the British ___MASK59___ broadcaster ITV plc . It is primarily based in Greater Manchester and London in the United Kingdom . It was formerly ITV Productions , and originally Granada Productions ( the in - house production arm of Granada Television ). A ___MASK41___ , or sitcom , is a ___MASK31___ of comedy centered on a fixed ___MASK57___ who carry over from episode to episode . Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy where a troupe may use new characters in each sketch , and stand - up comedy where a comedian tells jokes and stories to an audience . Sitcoms originated in radio , but today are found mostly on television as one9 of its dominant narrative forms . This form can also include mockumentaries . The Mrs Merton ___MASK72___ was a mock talk ___MASK72___ starring Caroline Aherne as the elderly host Mrs Merton .