Douglas Hodge

Pete has disgraced himself. In a moment of drunken folly he has brought shame on himself, on Sue and possibly on the whole family. As you'd expect, the scene tonight where Sue confronts him about it is one of the best in the series so far. Claire Skinner does simmering rage better than most - just look at the way her eyes shoot daggers at Pete. And look, too, at the way Hugh Dennis saves Pete's most panicky look for when he realises he'll have to discuss the whole thing with 13-year-old Jake. This little contretemps serves as backdrop for the return of one of Outnumbered's old hands - Samantha Bond as Sue's infuriating sister Angela. Since we last saw her, Angela has married a pony-tailed American therapist (Douglas Hodge) and become mother to his children: "We have five kids," she announces to Sue, with classic sisterly oneupwomanship. The comedy in the awkward restaurant meal that follows is a teeny bit forced, but there are plenty of choice moments in the episode. As Angela says, annoyingly, "There's such wonderful energy in a big family."

David Butcher, Radio Times, 13th May 2010

The family-centred improv' comedy has been a bit patchy of late but this episode is a corker. Tonight it's not just the kids who have been misbehaving, as Sue (Claire Skinner) discovers when she checks Pete's (Hugh Dennis) mobile for messages. But there's no time for a heart-to-heart when the kids are about.

If it's not Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey) turning the garden into a watery war zone, it's Karen (Ramona Marquez) asking if it's ever OK to hit a classmate.

Meanwhile, Pete's worried about the impending clash as Sue's sister Angela (Samantha Bond) turns up with her new husband (Douglas Hodge). While the adults struggle to remain civil, the children call a spade a spade - or, in Jake's case, reel off 18 names for a part of the male anatomy. Nudity and toilet habits also feature - but that's kids for you.

Indeed, some families might see this comedy more as a documentary. A funny one, mind.

Jane Simon, The Mirror, 13th May 2010