Award-winning comedy Outnumbered returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas. Written and directed by the show’s creators, Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, it will follow the chaos in the downsized home of Pete and Sue Brockman, as they grapple with the challenges of parenting kids who are now adults, with their own lives to lead.
The stars of the original much-loved series are returning for the special including Hugh Dennis as dad Pete, Claire Skinner as mum Sue, Tyger Drew-Honey as eldest son Jake, Daniel Roche as the middle child Ben, and Ramona Marquez as the daughter, Karen.
In a moment of adversity, Sue and Pete gather all their offspring (including one grandchild) to try and celebrate a traditional family Christmas. But fate, neighbours, hyenas and bus replacement services get in their way.
Hugh Dennis says: “I can’t wait for the Brockmans to be back together again. Pete and Sue have downsized, the children are no longer children, but I’m sure family life will prove to be just as chaotic as ever.”
Claire Skinner says: “I’m really looking forward to being reunited with my TV family. Working on this wonderful BBC comedy doesn’t feel like work and is one of the greatest joys for us all.”
Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy, says: “Outnumbered is one of the crown jewels of British sitcoms. We're so grateful to Guy, Andy, Hattrick, and the cast for dusting it off and putting it back on display.”
Jimmy Mulville, executive producer, Hat Trick Productions, says: “Who doesn’t want to know what happened to the Brockmans, our favourite television family, since we last saw them? Well we can find out when Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins’ ground-breaking comedy returns in a one-off special this Christmas. It’s unmissable!”
Co-creator, writer and director Andy Hamilton says: “It’s a very exciting prospect to be revisiting the Brockman family - older, but not necessarily wiser - as they steer a path through the perils of Xmas and the rapids of modern-day family life.”
Co-creator, writer and director, Guy Jenkin adds: “I really wanted to find out what the Brockmans were up to these days, so Andy and I had to write this special.”
Outnumbered ran for five series between 2007 to 2014. The most recent episode was a Christmas special in 2016. While the show was scripted, scenes featuring the children were semi-improvised.
Outnumbered (1 x 40) is a Hat Trick Production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The show was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The co-creators, writers and directors are Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, the executive producer is Jimmy Mulville and the BBC commissioning editor is Emma Lawson.
