BBC viewers got an early Christmas present this weekend when they shared a surprise trailer for the upcoming Outnumbered special.
The sitcom ran for five seasons from 2007 to 2014 and followed the Brockmans – a middle-class family living in Chiswick, West London.
Parents Pete (Hugh Dennis) and Sue (Claire Skinner) were ‘outnumbered’ by their three children – Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey), Ben (Daniel Roche) and Karen (Ramona Marquez), with the show praised for its realistic portrayal of family life.
After eight years off-screen, the new episode is set at Christmas and follows the family as they grapple with the challenges of raising adult children, all of whom have their own lives and issues to deal with.
The trailer starts with a look back at the previous Christmas specials, playing clips from the 2009, 2012 and 2016 episodes.
Written and directed by creators Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, Sue and Pete try to bring their children together for a traditional family Christmas and there’s an unexpected new family member.
BBC viewers got an early Christmas present this weekend when they shared a surprise trailer for the upcoming Outnumbered special
After eight years off-screen, the new episode is set at Christmas and follows the family as they grapple with the challenges of raising adult children, all of whom have their own lives and issues to deal with.
The BBC teased: ‘In a moment of adversity, Sue and Pete gather all their descendants (including one grandchild) to try to celebrate a traditional family Christmas and share unwelcome news with their children. But fate, neighbors, hyenas and bus replacement services stand in their way’.
In the first clip, from 2009, Sue despondently says it’s “lovely to be surrounded by children at Christmas” as she holds a wine glass and her husband looks tense as a child can be heard screaming in the background.
In the next, from 2012, Pete tries to encourage his family to ‘do something festive’, but to no avail.
Then, in a clip from the upcoming special, he is picked up before a young girl, believed to be the couple’s granddaughter, arrives at the family’s home.
Meanwhile, a now adult Jake (the girl’s father) is seen begging for rest as he explains how exhausted he is.
The episode, which airs on Boxing Day, will feature all five original cast members.
It comes after Tyger, 28, opened up about how Jake is finding fatherhood, explaining he’s having some trouble navigating parenting a three-year-old.
He said: ‘Jake absolutely adores his child and is very much in love with the mother of his child, but he is struggling with fatherhood, as all parents of small children can relate… Especially the lack of sleep and his daughter’s tendency to to pretend to be animals.
“If I had to compare her personality to Karen or Ben when they were younger, I’d say she has more of a Ben personality. She has some of the genes that Ben and I got from Dad.”
Written and directed by creators Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, Sue and Pete try to bring their children together for a traditional Christmas and there was an unexpected new family member.
All the stars return for the special, with Hugh Dennis returning as father Pete, Claire Skinner as mother Sue, Tyger Drew-Honey as eldest son Jake, Daniel Roche as middle child Ben and Ramona Marquez as daughter, Karen
The stars of Outnumbered previously teased what viewers can expect from the upcoming Christmas special, eight years after the beloved comedy last aired (pictured in the special)
On what it felt like to be back with his TV family, Tyger said, “We all have a very unique relationship with each other. Being an only child, Ramona and Daniel are the closest I have to a brother and sister, and with Hugh and Claire it’s like having a second set of parents, which is certainly nice.”
While Ramona, 23, added: ‘To me it’s like being back with really good friends that you’ve known for years and just hanging out. It feels very natural to be together again and I’m looking forward to seeing these guys.”
Claire said: “I said this morning that it’s been really fun hanging out with Tyger, Ramona and Daniel as adults, and getting to know the adult versions of them, it’s been really fun.”
And proud dad Hugh said: ‘I also thought if Claire and I were your real parents I would think we did really well,’ as Claire agreed: ‘Yes, you are such lovely people.’
The award-winning show was watched by 9.4 million viewers at its peak and ran for five series between 2007 and 2014, with a one-off Christmas special in 2016.
Viewers watched Tyger, Daniel and Ramona grow up on screen, starting the show at just 10, six and five years old respectively.
Reflecting on starring in such a hit show at such a young age, Daniel admitted, “For me and Ramona, we were young and didn’t really have anything to compare it to.
“Filming this special has really made me appreciate the opportunity that Outnumbered gave us and how inextricably linked it is to our lives, and I am very grateful.”
Ramona reiterated, “I agree that we don’t really have a point of comparison, it always felt very normal and natural to us. Everyone at Outnumbered was always so caring and made sure we were having a good time.”
Tyger said: “Work-wise, I consider Outnumbered to be a great achievement and I feel privileged to have been cast in the show.
The award-winning show was watched by 9.4 million viewers at its peak and ran for five series between 2007 and 2014, with a one-off Christmas special in 2016.
Viewers watched Tyger, Daniel and Ramona grow up on screen, starting the show at just 10, six and five years old respectively (pictured this year)
‘It’s given me a career that I might not have realized I wanted if I hadn’t done Outnumbered. Knowing that people love the show as much as I love making it is amazing and I feel very lucky.”
Reflecting on the show’s start in 2007, he said: ‘I was 10 and I was just excited. I had no idea what it could be, I was just excited and thought I was going to be on television and that was cool.
“I never thought we’d still be doing this eighteen years later.”
The show followed the chaotic attempts of teacher Pete and personal assistant Sue as they tried to balance their careers with their unruly children in London.
And in 2018, Hugh and Claire shocked fans when they revealed they had had a real-life romance, following the breakdown of their marriage.
The pair opened up about their romance to The Mail On Sunday and spoke about their happiness in real life after it emerged they have been dating since 2017.
Comedian Hugh said at the time that he was ‘very happy’ after finding love with his on-screen wife, saying: ‘I’m very, very happy, we are so very happy. It’s fun and yes, it’s so beautiful’.
While Claire broke her silence on their relationship the following year, calling their romance a “beautiful little life surprise.”
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine in September, she said: ‘We are [together]. It’s a nice little life surprise, isn’t it? It’s a beautiful thing.’
In 2018, Hugh and Claire shocked fans when they revealed they had had a real-life romance, following the breakdown of their marriage (pictured)
And earlier this year, Tyger, Daniel and Ramona told The Sun about the surreal moment they discovered their fake parents had really fallen in love.
And earlier this year, Tyger, Daniel and Ramona told The Sun about the surreal moment they discovered their fake parents had really fallen in love.
Daniel said: “It was great news, to be honest. We’ve known them both for a long time. You can imagine that we are on a set with three children and they are the only two adult actors for much of the time.
‘We had separate green rooms. They get along so well, the chemistry is so real. So happy for them.’
While Ramona joked, “My mom said, ‘Can’t they adopt you and now you can be a real outnumbered family?’
The Outnumbered Christmas special airs on Thursday December 26 at 9.40pm on BBC One and iPlayer.