Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson is apparently pulling in thousands of pounds by flogging videos to fans uttering his iconic TV catchphrase.
If you’re unfamiliar with Tomlinson, the actor - now 83 - played the cynical James Randolph ‘Jim’ Royle in the British sitcom The Royle Family.
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The husband to Sue Johnston’s Barbara Royle, Jim was often seen doing nothing but watching the box, mocking his extended family and exclaiming his disbelieving manta: “My arse”.
Almost 25 years on from the sitcom's original release, however, Tomlinson's trademark catchphrase is still raking him in thousands of pounds per month.
The actor has recently been creating bespoke videos for fans using Cameo — a platform which also sees the likes of Harry Potter actor Tom Felton, The Inbetweeners' very own sex pest James Buckley, and Derry Girls star Leah O’Rourke filming personalised clips.
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According to reports by The Mirror, Tomlinson sells each of his Cameo videos for £59 and is reported to have earned a staggering £36,000 since joining the platform last year.
LADbible has contacted a rep of Tomlinson for comment.
At the time of writing, he has an almost-perfect rating of 4.99 stars and his profile is swamped with hundreds of positive reactions from BBC sitcom fans.
One customer wrote: “The video message for my Mum’s 70th birthday was fantastic! Personal, funny and heartfelt. Thank you for being so generous with your time — you absolutely made her day!”
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Another review reads: “I’m bawling my eyes out! I know my Dad is going to love his birthday message… If you fancy some free cake and a few bevvies, you’re welcome to come to my wedding reception in July.”
Almost all of the purchased clips see Tomlinson sitting in his classic Jim Royle yellow striped shirt or in a white string vest.
Tomlinson also made headlines recently following the death of Royale Family co-star Peter Martin.
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Martin played Joe Carroll in the classic comedy show between 1998-2012 and unfortunately died last month at the age of 82.
The death was confirmed by a Facebook friend of Martin, who wrote: “My friend, drinking partner, fishing buddy passed away on Wednesday morning, very sad, many of you will know him from TV. RIP Peter Martin, we had some great laughs.”
Tomlinson responded to the news via comedian John Martin, who said: “Ricky Tomlinson (who doesn’t do social media) has asked me to pay tribute to Peter Martin who sadly has passed away.
“Ricky said he was an absolute joy to work with and a brilliant actor. He will be sadly missed by Ricky. R.I.P."
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At this moment in time, there are no plans for the Royale Family to stage a comeback, with the last episode airing on December 25, 2012.
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Money
Ella Scott