The Royle Family’s Sue Johnston, 80, was so heartbroken by the tragic deaths of four of her co-stars, she has only recently been able to watch the sitcom again after years

Sue Johnston was only recently able to watch her hit sitcom The Royle Family after the death of many of the cast, including its creator Caroline Ahern.

The 80-year-old actress, who played Barbara Royle in the comedy, was so heartbroken over the deaths of her former co-stars that she couldn’t bring herself to watch a single episode of the BBC series.

Caroline Ahern, who co-created the program and played Sue’s on-screen daughter Denise Best, died in 2016 at the age of 52 after a battle with cancer, and actress Liz Smith, who played lover Norma “Nana” Speakman, the mother of Sue’s character, Barbara, died at the age of 95 years on Christmas Eve in 2016.

Peter Martin, who played neighbor Joe Carroll in The Royles, died aged 82 in April this year, while actress Doreen Keogh, who played Peter’s on-screen wife Mary Carroll, died in 2017 aged 93 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Sue told Radio Times Christmas Special: “It was really hard because there are so many people in it who are no longer with us, but Queen of Sheba (the landmark episode from 2006) is my favorite and I watch it with great pride.

“The other day the first episode was re-aired, and you know, now little kids are asking to take selfies with me because they enjoy it just as much as the older generation. I think how proud Caroline would be if she knew he was still loved.

“It was one of the happiest jobs I’ve ever had. And yes, I miss her. All the time.

“She’s another one of those people who would like to grow old and get wrinkles… Although she could probably get Botox!”

Fans of the Royle family were in tears during the 2006 Christmas special, Queen of Sheba, when character Norma “Nana” Speakman, played by late actress Liz Smith, died.

Nana, the mother of Sue’s character Barbara, was often seen quarreling with Barbara’s husband Jim (Ricky Tomlinson) over a variety of amusing issues, from owning everything as seen in an episode of Antiques Roadshow to refusing to share her chocolates.

In the episode, bedridden Nana met her newborn great-granddaughter Norma, who Denise and David (Craig Cash) named after her.

After being rushed to hospital, she woke up to see her family near her bed before dying peacefully.

Actress Liz, also known for her role in the sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, died aged 95 on Christmas Eve 2016.

This Christmas Sue will present a one-off BBC Two tribute to comedian and writer Caroline Ahern, creator of The Royle Family, who died of cancer in 2016 aged 52.

Craig Cash, who co-wrote The Royle Family with Caroline and plays her on-screen husband Dave Best, will be seen in the documentary breaking down in tears as he talks about his heartbreaking reaction to learning of his pal Caroline’s cancer diagnosis.

The Royle Family star, 63, was a long-time friend of the comedy legend and is set to appear in the upcoming BBC film, which will air on Christmas Day.

In the touching programme, Craig admits he was “in denial” when Caroline called him to tell him she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

He also details the heartbreaking night she revealed her plans to take her own life by taking an overdose at the peak of her career.

Caroline died in 2016 aged 52 after a battle with cancer, and Craig took over her role as narrator on Gogglebox as a mark of respect.

In a documentary produced by MirrorCraig details the moment Caroline shared her cancer diagnosis.

He says, “I just kept saying no, just repeating no.” But there is a lot to be said for denial. And she was like, “We had a little laugh, didn’t we, Cashie?”

Craig also holds back tears as he recalls the struggle he and Caroline had to bring The Royals to screens back in 1998, when BBC bosses were reluctant to commission the show because it didn’t have any of the traditional “gags”.

The couple first met while working at a pirate radio station in Manchester, and after participating in a stand-up competition together, Caroline’s career took off when she took a job as a secretary at the BBC.

As her alter ego Mrs Merton, Caroline asked celebrities outrageous questions, with one producer noting in the documentary that she got away with it thanks to her “delightful playfulness”.

Craig recalled the darkest moments in Caroline’s career, admitting she “suffered from depression for a long time.”

Breaking into tears, he adds: “It was the middle of the night… she was really saying goodbye,” he says, sobbing.

“She just said, ‘I love you’ and ‘Sorry, I’m leaving, I overdosed.’ I said, “Make yourself sick, make yourself sick, make yourself sick.” I had to call her mom and tell her that her mom called an ambulance and luckily they came and broke down her door and got her in time.”

Caroline later admitted in an interview that she did not remember that night because she was “very drunk” at that moment.

The star continued to struggle with her mental health and worked at the Priory on several occasions after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The one-off documentary will feature never-before-seen photographs and footage of The Royle Family cast members, as well as colleagues and friends.

It will air on BBC Two as part of the Arena series and will feature stars including Steve Coogan, John Thompson and Sue Johnston.

Earlier this year, The Royle Family stars Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston reunited for an appearance on Celebrity Gogglebox.

The pair are best known for their roles as bickering couple Jim and Barbara in the BBC comedy, which inspired the Channel 4 show.

It was also a reunion with star Cash, who became the narrator of Gogglebox following Ahern’s death in 2016.

Speaking about joining the show, Tomlinson said: “When it first aired, Gogglebox was called ‘the real Royle family’, so it’s a full circle moment: Sue and I are back together, in front of the box!”

Caroline Ahern: Comedy Queen airs on Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC Two.