First look at Outnumbered Christmas special as grown up child stars reunite eight years after show ended
BBC sitcom Outnumbered, which followed the daily chaos of the Brockman’s and their three precocious children, became one of Britain’s best-loved comedies.
Now the popular show is back for a Christmas special, with actor’s Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner returning as Sue and Pete Brockman and the children.
But as the new trailer drops this weekend, it seems that there is one catch: the children- Ben, (Daniel Roche) Karen, (Ramona Marquez) and Jake, (Tyger Drew Honey) are now adults.
Written and directed by the show’s creators Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, the special which airs on Boxing Day, follows the Brockman’s managing the demands of their grown up children, under the roof of their downsized home.
The harassed duo find that they still need as much parenting as when they were kids, as they gather their offspring, including one grandchild to celebrate a traditional family Christmas.
But it seems there’s some unwelcome tidings on the way, as they struggle with how to break to the news to their children.
The hit series first aired in 2007 and ran until 2014.
A one-off Christmas reunion special was broadcast on 26th December in 2016, so this year will be the first on screen get together in eight years.
Initially the show garnered critical acclaim for being partly improvised by comedy stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner, who also worked from scripts, where the children were given last minute instructions.
The series was praised for its realistic portrayal of children and family life and has won several awards including The Royal Television Society, the British Comedy Awards and the Broadcasting press guild awards.
Ahead of the special, the core cast members reflected on behind-the-scenes memories from their time filming.
Hugh Dennis – who played dad Pete – told why they didn’t take any mememtos from the set.
He shared: “We couldn’t really take anything from the set as it was filmed in an actual house, it was someone else’s house so we couldn’t really steal some of their things.”
Meanwhile, the conversation turned to their characters’ clothing throughout the show.
As actress Claire Skinner revealed that most of the clothes worn by her character Sue had been her own.
Having played a married couple onscreen for seven years, actors Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner were confirmed to be in a real life relationship following the show’s ending in 2014.
In an interview Dennis said: “I am very very happy, we are so very happy.” While Skinner described their romance as “a lovely little life surprise.”