Outnumbered viewers point out same problem with Christmas special
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Many viewers have shared their dissatisfaction with the Christmas special of the show, describing it as "terrible" and "too melancholic" for the holiday season.
The popular sitcom aired for six seasons from 2007 to 2014. However, a recent episode from the BBC has returned to follow the busy Brockman family, with Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner reprising their roles as parents, eight years after the last special episode.
Fans were especially thrilled to see Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche, and Ramona Marquez, who portray the mischievous siblings Jake, Ben, and Karen. When the series first started, they were just 11, seven, and six years old, but now they are all in their twenties.
While the sitcom Gavin & Stacey was met with enthusiastic praise from audiences, the reaction to Outnumbered's comeback was not as warm following its airing on Boxing Day (December 26).
This was mainly because the children were considered too mature for the original idea to be effective.
A viewer expressed: “It's unfortunate that Outnumbered didn't quite hit the mark… I truly wanted to like it, but the brilliance of the original was all the unpredictability.”
Another person added, "This only worked when the kids were younger, unlike Gavin & Stacey where the characters' ages don't really matter. The humor came from the kids' naturally blunt and candid behavior."
"I really appreciate everything in the Outnumbered movie universe, but I believe the show's greatness came from its lack of a formal script and the fact that the kids were simply being themselves. Now that they've grown up, it just doesn't hold the same appeal," one commenter shared in agreement.
Nick Hilton, the TV critic for The Independent, echoed this sentiment, noting that the younger members of the cast seem to have diminished the natural comedic talent they showed when they were kids.
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He remarked, "The lively turmoil of the Brockman home has transformed into a softness that might easily be seen as dullness."
*Caution: spoilers ahead – proceed at your own risk!*
In the Christmas special, parents Pete and Sue face challenges as they try to adapt to their smaller home while managing their three adult children. The episode also discloses that Dennis's character, Pete, is battling cancer, which led some viewers to express dissatisfaction, feeling that the tone of the episode was too bleak.
One person commented, “I tuned into the Outnumbered special looking forward to a good laugh, but instead ended up with the most heartbreaking episode I've ever seen.”
"I decided to watch #Outnumbered for some entertainment. I'm alone after losing my husband to prostate cancer, and I had to switch it off. Who in their right mind thought this topic was suitable for a comedy? Absolutely not!" another person commented, even though some appreciated the show's realistic portrayal of how illness impacts family life.
This involved a cancer awareness group that emphasized the importance of men getting their prostates checked in light of the episode.
Following the airing of the episode, Dennis featured in a video posted by Prostate Cancer UK on X/Twitter, encouraging men to undergo screenings.
The article said: “Did you see the Christmas special of #Outnumbered on BBC? If you did, you might have noticed Hugh Dennis’ character, Pete, discussing his personal battle with prostate cancer. We believe this will motivate more men to assess their risk for the disease.”
