Outnumbered: The Christmas Special

It would be easy to assume that Outnumbered’s days are, well, numbered. Soon enough, the plotless episodes will begin demanding plots, and the three supremely talented kids will begin to cotton on to just how talented they are and start trying some actual ‘acting’ in order to make themselves even better. That day might come, but it hasn’t come yet.

The day, in fact, is Boxing Day, which is a clever bit of plotting: while this is a Christmas special, and a great deal of the conversations have a yuletide theme, this feels like a real family Christmas: and we’re not talking about friends, relations, and sparkling decorations. There are mutterings about insurance claims and marriage break ups. There’s a bit of tinsel hanging forlornly in the background, and rather than a Delia-inspired table heaving with goodies, the table is actually weighed down with newspapers, broken toys and bills. This has the neat trick of making it feel like a genuine December 26th, and also ensures that you won’t feel too odd watching it at the height of summer.

It’s pointless picking out the strengths of this show, as everyone’s working on full cylinders - the aforementioned children are all great and crucially (apart from a dialogue that has a go at the bankers) it’s near impossible to tell where the scripted feed lines end and the child actors’ improvised riffs begin, particularly in the sequence where youngest child Ramona Marquez, concerned that nobody cares that her hamster might be missing, asks for confirmation on how important a living thing has to be before it’s rescued from under the floorboards, be it her own brother (‘Well, we did, didn’t we?’), a puppy, or, more prosaically, a porpoise.

Of course, the adults (Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner) fare very well here, too, and it’s a testament to both them and Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins’ script (the parts that actually are scripted) that typical sit-com stereotypes (annoying best friend, dotty grandfather) are treated with real respect, leading to some genuinely moving moments that, as in real life, are quickly moved on from rather than drenched in syrup.

Quickly, one more series before everyone grows up and becomes too clever for their own good. Because it’s true: the kids are alright.



Released on DVD on 18th January 2010 by 2entertain.

Written by Andrew Allen.