Outnumbered's creator has hit back after the Christmas special was branded "depressing" by some disgruntled viewers after the Brockman family returned to the BBC
18:27, 27 Dec 2024Updated 18:40, 27 Dec 2024
Outnumbered's creator has clapped back at fans who labelled the Christmas special "depressing" after its broadcast. In a blast from the past, the original cast of Outnumbered returned to our screens for a one-off festive reunion episode.
Fast forward to the present, and we peeked into the lives of Sue and Pete Brockman years on, with Claire Skinner reprising her role as Sue and Hugh Dennis dusting off his character Pete. The kids – Jake, Ben, and Karen, played by Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche, and Ramona Marquez – have grown up but brought their same old charm.
The grandparents, Sue and Pete, grappled with more than just parenthood this time around. Penned and helmed by creators Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, the one-off special didn't shy away from weighty issues, delving into Pete's prostate cancer diagnosis.
Underneath the trademark wit was the palpable concern about breaking the tough news to his children. Amidst travel chaos, Ben found out over a video call, leaving the audience hanging until he finally joined the family humour, much to Pete's relief.
Despite the show's blend of laughter and sombre realities, viewers voiced their disillusionment, deeming the special a downer for Boxing Day. Critics on social media didn't hold back, with pointed comments like, "Pete having cancer, I f***ing hate this," and inquiries such as, "Why did they bring it back though just for it to have a depressing storyline on boxing day," reports the Mirror.
One viewer expressed: "I wasn't expecting Pete to have c*ncer. They seriously put that in the Christmas special?! And all the stuff with Jane being depressed and Jake being so tired he can barely function and the neighbours being noisy... This isn't Christmasy at all."
The show's creator, Guy Jenkin, has since explained why they chose to incorporate the cancer storyline into the special episode. Discussing their decision, Guy stated: "People often remember Outnumbered for the delightful children, but it always dealt with quite serious things: dementia, death, homophobia. We dealt with that through how parents explain it to their children and this is the same except that the children are considerably larger."
He further added: "There's still a stigma attached to the word cancer, and we just wanted to show how very, very normal it is, as well as how the Brockmans dealt with it with warmth, love, and especially humour, because that's a very British way of dealing with that sort of stuff."
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