Ralf Little expresses how close Royle Family cast were with emotional tribute to ‘nana’ actress Liz Smith

The closeness of the cast of The Royle Family was clear to anyone who watched the widely-acclaimed sitcom.

It helped create the authentic family living room setting that made the show, which ran from 1998 to 2012, such a funny and long-standing success. The passing of 95-year-old Liz Smith, who played nana in the series, is the second tragedy to befall the members of the show in 2016 following Caroline Aherne's death earlier this year. [caption id="attachment_104386" align="alignnone" width="741"] Liz Smith (far left) and Caroline Aherne (far right) with other members of The Royle Family cast Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston.[/caption] The much-loved comedian and actress, who played Denise, died in July after losing her battle with lung cancer aged 52. The actor who played Anthony, Ralf Little, has since summed up just how close the cast were as he paid emotional tribute to Liz Smith yesterday, describing them as his 'second family'. https://twitter.com/RalfLittle/status/813518637919248384 Two more wonderful talents taken from us in 2016.