Outnumbered

Frank Lampard in Outnumbered Sport Relief sketch

Outnumbered's Brockman family are back causing chaos - this time with Dancing On Ice host Christine Bleakley and fiancé Frank Lampard.

OK. It's 8.30. That's Christmas over." It was a dream of sorts, uttered by a woman who knew she was at the sharp end of the wrapping-paper-clearance, greasy-pots end of the annual celebration and, just in case you were wondering, it was half past eight in the morning, as Sue from Outnumbered began the familiar cat-drive involved in getting the family to the airport on time.

This year, she had vowed, it was going to be different. They were going away for a short break in the Canaries after a stressful few months that had included bedding infestation and over-reaction by the social services. This being Outnumbered, of course, several towering hurdles stood between that consummation and the chaotic starting line of Christmas breakfast. For the moment, nobody is going anywhere. Ben is a little disappointed with the contents of The Dangerous Book for Boys ("There's nothing about firework shoes in here. Look. 'Grinding an Italic Nib'. What's dangerous about that?") Karen, the six-year old, is in the bathroom shaving (for some reason not explained) and Sue herself is fretting about whether to leave Grandad in hospital over the festive season. "We need a break from Mum needing a break," pleaded Jake meaningfully when cancellation was mooted.

It must be a little wearing maintaining this level of anxiety and there are some signs that Outnumbered is feeling its age. This is partly because the children themselves are growing up but can't entirely be allowed to do so if the comic balance is to be maintained (if only they were drawn like Bart and Lisa). In fact, now and then, there's a sense that they've become caricatures of themselves, straining for effects that seemed entirely fresh in the first series. Characters in a comedy can't really learn, of course, but the underlying naturalism of Outnumbered (its implicit promise that parenthood really is like this) also results in an odd strain between laughter and credulity. Wouldn't they have packed the night before, you find yourself asking, and perhaps dropped in on Grandad on the way to the airport when everything was sorted? Are they being clueless by design? The answer to the last question is "Yes, idiot, they're made-up", but that isn't what you want to be thinking about in a comedy.

It's still funnier than any other family sitcom, as good at sight gags (Ben marching purposefully past the window with a pickaxe at one point) as it is with dialogue. "Oh, look... there's the Queen doing her Christmas thing," said Grandpa brightly, watching the television in his hospital room. "No, Grandad," replied Jake patiently, "that's John Simpson." And though I don't buy for a second that parents this scarred would have let Ben make the sandwiches for the car journey unsupervised (he offers a choice of treacle and mayonnaise or chocolate and stilton bap), they essentially earned the moment of uplift with which all Christmas programmes are obliged to end - in this case, a family sing-song round Grandad's hospital bed.

When the Brockman family first appeared, the thing that made Outnumbered so special was the apparent spontaneity of the then very, very young children. Over the past few years, the child actors have clearly become a lot more self-aware, and while it's always been enjoyable, it's also been a bit of a bumpy transition.

This Christmas (Eve) special, however, was one of the best episodes I've seen in ages. Putting the emphasis of this comedy-drama squarely on the drama, there were some lovely moments, in particular the usually foot-in-mouth merchant Ben knowing exactly what to say to a man feeling rather lonely this Christmas. I thought Outnumbered had run its course; this episode suggests that doesn't have to be the case.

Xmas special was a true reflection of a British Xmas

Outnumbered may have been outgrown by its child stars, but this only makes it a truer reflection of the dysfunctional British Christmas.

The Brockman household is probably the only one that can match EastEnders when it comes to ghastly family Christmas Days. So, after a dreadfully stressed few months - "Your sister, your dad, the job thing, the bedding infestation, Karen's silly letter... and the over-reaction of social services," lists Pete helpfully - they've decided to get Christmas done and dusted by 8.30am and fly off to the Canary Islands for a break.

Of course, there's a catalogue of disasters before they leave: some are poignant, some laughable and some inevitable, while a few aren't even mentioned (no one noticed Karen shaving her face with an electric razor).

The script touches on many of the worst aspects of Christmas, such as unwanted presents ("Auntie Penny doesn't know about your deep hatred of knitted footwear," explains Sue patiently) and dealing with "all those seasonal walnut shell and toffee-related" emergencies. Still, it's a timely reminder that Christmas in your own home isn't so bad after all.

Sue and Pete (Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis) decide to go on holiday to the Canary Islands... on Christmas Day. Cue a well-worked against-the-clock farce involving a dental emergency, a house-sitting sister whose boyfriend may or may not have a criminal record, and a visit to Sue's father (the excellent David Ryall) in hospital.

After four years and as many series, this sitcom about the daily life of a middle-class family in south London still manages that rare feat of being genuinely funny. Tonight's festive special follows the misadventures of Pete Brockman (Hugh Dennis) and his wife Sue (Claire Skinner) as they take their family to the Canary Islands. They're hoping to spend a sunny, stress-free Christmas - doubtless a prelude to a comic disaster.

Video: The cast and writer of Outnumbered on Christmas

The chaotic Brockman family from the hit comedy series Outnumbered are back for a festive special this weekend.

They've decided to go away for Christmas, but as per usual it's not exactly stress-free.

Two of the stars of the series, Tyger Drew-Honey and Daniel Roche, joined the show's writer Andy Hamilton on the BBC Breakfast sofa to talk about Christmas in the Brockman household.

Sheer affection for the hapless Brockman clan sustains this seasonal episode, which, although perfectly watchable, isn't up to the standard of their last Christmas special. We may even be coming to the end of the line for this excellent series - the children are getting older and seeming more like regular middle-class sitcom kids, rather than the striking, precocious infant improvisers of yore. Tonight, a Premium Bond win has afforded them the opportunity of a Christmas break in the sun. But before the airport dash, there's an emergency trip to the dentist for Karen and a visit to a now ward-bound granddad, lost in a world of sing-song.

Don't forget Outnumbered this Christmas, which sees the Brockmans flying off to Tenerife on Christmas morning. Just time, then, to clean the oven, visit Grandad in his care home (where he is busy mistaking John Simpson for the Queen and singing the theme tune from Bonanza) and take Karen to the dentist, before Mum's emotionally unstable friend Jane arrives to look after the house. Key line: "Dad nearly said the F-word, everybody!"