Outnumbered to return for 2024 Christmas special

Thursday 23rd May 2024, 10:15am

After eight years off air, Outnumbered is to return this Christmas for a new special
Pete and Sue must now grapple with the challenges of parenting kids who are now adults
The BBC says: "Outnumbered is one of the crown jewels of British sitcoms"

The BBC has announced that Outnumbered is due to return this Christmas for a new special.

It will be the first new episode of the hit sitcom since a similar festive one-off in 2016.

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, [producers] Hat Trick, and the cast for dusting it off and putting it back on display."

Jimmy Mulville, executive producer at 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."

The 40 minute episode will be on BBC One this Christmas.

This news was announced at the BBC Comedy Festival in Glasgow. The BBC also confirmed Series 14 of Not Going Out will be broadcast in 2025, The Power Of Parker Series 2, Series 2 of Mammoth, LGBTQ+ chosen family sitcom Smoggie Queens and a series for Funboys, a former BBC Comedy Short Film.

In a speech to producers, Jon Petrie called for the TV industry to "save our sitcoms" with a focus on "protecting homegrown storytelling and creating the next generation of classics". He added: "Mainstream comedy is what viewers love best. It's written right through our comedy heritage and is so close to our hearts. It can tell our stories and bring us together like nothing else. That's why audiences and critics feel so passionately about it and have such a strong sense of ownership. We want producers to take risks and create the next generation of classic sitcoms and immortal characters that audiences will keep returning to for decades to come."