The Royle Family Top In TV Families Poll

16th November 2006

Small screen favourites The Royle Family have been voted Britain's favourite TV family of all time, according to a new poll.

Jim and Barbara Royle, and their unruly Mancunian brood, scooped more than 23 per cent of the vote in a survey by Dr Oetker pizza.

They were followed by the Trotters, from sit-com Only Fools and Horses, and the cartoon legends The Simpsons.

The survey of 3,000 people revealed that it's not just fictional families that have a place in the nation's hearts - Sharon, Ozzy Osbourne and their kids Jack and Kelly came
fourth in the top 25 television families.

Brits clearly have a taste for the gothic, as the spooky Addams Family were rated highly, along with the Fishers, a family of funeral directors from hit American drama Six Feet Under.

But more ordinary families did well too, with the clean-cut Waltons ranked at number seven, and the squabbling Liverpuddlian Boswell brood from sit-com Bread at number 11.

And soap opera families were revealed to be popular too, with The Dingles from Emmerdale and the Mitchells from Eastenders making it into the top ten.

The survey also found that the majority of British families sit down to a meal in front of the television once a week.

In fact, one in five people questioned said staying in with their families was their favourite thing to do of an evening.

And 62 per cent said they would like to spend more time with their families.

Sunday was named as the day we are most likely to spend time with our families, with 50 per cent saying they have quality time with their folks then.

While a traditional 40 per cent say they always eat meals with their families.

The study also found that while many Brits may still be traditional, when it comes to eating pizza, a whopping 76 per cent throw away their knives and forks and get stuck in
with their hands - Jim Royle would approve!

Top Twenty Five TV Families

1. The Royle Family (The Royle Family)
2. The Trotters (Only Fools and Horses)
3. The Simpsons (The Simpsons)
4. The Osbournes (The Osbournes)
5. Frasier Crane and family (Frasier)
6. The Addams Family (The Addams Family)
7. The Waltons (The Waltons)
8. The Dingles (Emmerdale)
9. The Mitchells (Eastenders)
10. The Fishers (Six Feet Under)
11. The Boswells (Bread)
12. The Ewings (Dallas)
13. The Battersbys (Coronation Street)
14. The Cunninghams (Happy Days)
15. The Slaters (Eastenders)
16. The Huxtables (The Cosby Show)
17. The Connors (Roseanne)
18. The Cohens (24)
19. The Kennedys (Neighbours)
20. The Ramseys (Neighbours)
21. The Robinsons (Neighbours)
22. The Colbys (Dynasty/ The Colbys)
23. The Bristows (Alias)
24. The Sullivans (The Sullivans)
25. The Carringtons (Dynasty)