Prepare for a lively reunion as the Brockman family returns with their much-anticipated Outnumbered seasonal special! The last time viewers saw the sparky suburban London clan in 2016, parents Pete and Sue (played by real-life couple Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner) were stranded in a pub on Boxing Day with their children Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey), Ben (Daniel Roche), and Karen (Ramona Marquez) after their car ended up in a ditch in Hampshire.
During the characteristically chaotic episode, history teacher Pete noted: “We have a family tradition of difficult Christmases", before going on to accidentally dump his eldest son’s girlfriend Kate (Daisy Edgar Jones, in her first screen credit.)
Now, eight years on everyone is older, slightly wiser, but still disorganized — which is evident as they attempt to spend a traditional Christmas together when the hit comedy returns to BBC One at 9.40 pm on Boxing Day.
Yet chaos reigns thanks to neighbours, hyenas and three of the most dreaded words in the English language), "bus replacement services"...
Here, What to Watch caught up with Tyger, 28, Daniel, 25, and Ramona, 23, who are close friends in real life, to learn what to expect from the topsy-turvy clan…
Tyger, Daniel and Ramona, you were 11, eight and six years old respectively when Outnumbered launched in 2007. What are your earliest memories of meeting each other?
Daniel: “I vaguely remember [show creators] Andy [Hamilton] and Guy [Jenkin] during my audition process and us sitting in a living room of the house we filmed the pilot in, and just being a kid with kid thoughts, absolutely unaware of what was going to occur in the next 15 years!”
Ramona: “I don’t remember us first meeting, but I do remember us being friends straight away and filming the pilot with the nit combing scene and feeling really relaxed because my hair was being combed.”
Tyger: “Yeah I remember shooting the series. I also have a little snapshot in my head of Ramona walking out of her audition and I recall quite clearly being in that living room when Dan turned up and thinking, ‘That kid’s crazy!’, which is obviously why you were so fantastic as Ben.”
You must have been just as excited as fans then, when you learned Guy and Andy had this revival up their sleeves?
Tyger: “Yes! When I found out it was going ahead I was so overjoyed that I was crying with happiness. It was a very joyous and emotional thing for me and I was completely elated.”
Ramona: “I found out through Daniel and Tyger on our group chat and, while it came out of the blue, it was an exciting surprise and I didn’t have to think too much about it! I couldn't wait for people to hear about it.”
Daniel: “We three see each other a lot and our families are friends, but the other cast and crew members that we haven't seen in who knows how long. So another exciting aspect was seeing all these people again. There are people who came out of retirement for this!”
We know the new get together involves bus replacement services, neighbours and, curiously, hyenas, but what else can you tell us?
Tyger: “Jake is now a loving father to his daughter Zara and is very much in love with his partner Rani [played by new cast member Kerena Jagpal - pictured above]. He’s dealing with the usual new parent experiences, especially lack of sleep and his daughter’s tendency to impersonate animals. If I’d to compare her to anyone, I’d say she has a Ben personality! It feels like a really good time to check in with them again.”
Daniel: “All three of us have moved out and the parents have downsized! Ben isn’t quite the liability he used to be, there’s even a bit where he volunteers to help out and everyone's okay with that, which is an indication that they’ve all grown up a bit.”
Ramona: “Yeah, we’ve grown up, but we still have those sibling relationships. Karen’s role is very much the same - she’s still not going to let anything slide past her and always knows what’s going on!”
How are Pete and Sue coping with being grandparents?
Tyger: “Without giving too much away, it's interesting to see them interact with their grandchild, who was younger than even Ramona when she started. Ben and Karen are great with Zara too. I would definitely say it’s a house full of love.”
Famously when you were younger, your scenes were largely improvised. With Jake now a father, do you have unscripted scenes with the young actor who plays Zara?
Ramona: “Yes we did, and she’s only three, so that felt quite full circle. I found it elating and joyous. It’s hard to put into words but once you see the episode that will say it all, because it’s quite wild!”
Tyger: “I got to hang out with her before we started shooting too, just so we could get comfortable, and it was lovely meeting her.”
Finally, what does revisiting the Brockmans mean to you all?
Daniel: “What stuck out to me during filming was just how easy it was to come back into. On my second day, I was sitting on set, thinking about how it felt as if we’d never been away. It felt very poignant when the wrap came.”
Tyger: “It feels like that for me too. We’ve all got very unique relationships with each other. Being an only child, Ramona and Daniel are the closest thing I’ve got to a brother and sister and with Hugh and Claire it’s like having a second set of parents, it’s certainly nice.”
Ramona: “It feels very natural being back together and I always look forward to seeing these guys. It might feel like the world has changed but in Outnumbered the relationships have pretty much stayed the same.”
The Outnumbered Christmas Special airs on BBC One on 26 December 2024 at 9.40 pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer. The previous series are also available to view on iPlayer.
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