Stars of beloved BBC sitcom The Royle Family set to reunite on Celebrity Gogglebox after 11 years

Fans of The Royle Family are in for a treat as Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston are set to reunite on the new series of Celebrity Gogglebox.

The actors played couple Jim and Barbara in the BBC comedy, which acted as inspiration for the Channel 4 show, for three series and a slew of specials between 1998 and 2012.

The sitcom depicted the life of an ordinary family in Manchester, and depicted their hilarious exchanges, predominantly while in front of the telly.

It’ll be a bittersweet moment for the pair as they appear on the show’s newest instalment, which was initially narrated by the late Caroline Aherne, who played their daughter Denise on the beloved series.

Aherne died in July, 2016 aged 52 following a two-year battle with lung cancer.

Following her death, Craig Cash, who starred as Denise’s husband David on The Royle Family, took over as the narrator of Gogglebox.

Speaking about joining the show, 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!”

Tomlinson and Johnston join a star-studded line-up for the reality show’s fifth series, which kicks off on Friday, June 16, including Davina McCall and her boyfriend Michael Douglas.

Comedian Katherine Ryan and her husband Bobby will also appear on it, as well as BBC star Chris Packham with his step-daughter Megan.

Meanwhile, a number of familiar faces are gearing up to return, include Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark, Denise Van Outen, Mo Gilligan, Shaun Ryder and Nick Grimshaw.

Gogglebox has proven to be one of Channel 4’s unlikely hits, and still pulls in strong ratings after a decade of meme-worthy moments and breakout stars such as Scarlett Moffatt.

Celebrity Gogglebox returns on Friday, June 16 on Channel 4