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The last two shows of the second series of Caroline Aherne's family sitcom were juggled around. No warning was given beforehand but a sheepish-sounding announcer alluded to the change over the end-credits. Show 5, which was meant to occupy the slot, swapped places with the final show. No actual explanation was given, despite some dramatic continuity being affected. For example, the back-reference to an unseen character called 'Duckers' being 'the world's hardest substance' (during the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? sequence) made little sense until the postponed episode was broadcast. Jim making the tea, meanwhile, was obviously planned as an end-of-series joke. So far no-one has postulated on why the episodes were rescheduled.

Paddington train-crash, my arse…

[NOTE: Interviewed on Clive Anderson All Talk a week before The Royle Family began its second series, Caroline Aherne started to tell an anecdote about Hugh Grant, but stopped and self-censored herself three times. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way...’ she said, before cutting herself short and refusing to divulge the amusement. It was eventually left as a non-anecdote and Anderson moved swiftly on. Time Out, however, filled us in: she’d been trying to get off with said actor, or - more likely - keep him talking in case some paparazzi turned up and photographed them together. Grant, however, wanted to go home. Aherne then pleaded with him to stay, and came out with the line ‘Oh go on, stick around - I’ll black up for you...’. So that was that. We can assume that Time Out’s source was present at the recording, where Aherne told the anecdote off the record.]


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