Outnumbered

Outnumbered
Outnumbered
Outnumbered titles.jpg
The title card from the first episode.
Genre Sitcom
Created by Andy Hamilton
Guy Jenkin
Developed by Hat Trick Productions
Directed by Andy Hamilton
Guy Jenkin
Starring Hugh Dennis
Claire Skinner
Tyger Drew-Honey
Daniel Roche
Ramona Marquez
Country of origin United Kingdom
Language(s) English
No. of series 4
No. of episodes 29 (+ 4 shorts) (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Jon Rolph
Producer(s) Andy Hamilton
Guy Jenkin
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run 28 August 2007 (2007-08-28) – present
External links
Website

Outnumbered is a British sitcom. Airing on BBC One since 2007,[1] it stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a father and mother outnumbered by their three children (played by Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez). There have been four series to date: 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Produced by Hat Trick Productions, Outnumbered is written, directed and produced by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, although parts of the show are semi-improvised.[2]

The programme has received critical acclaim for its semi-improvisational scripting and realistic portrayal of children and family life."[3] Ratings have been average for its time slot, but the series has won a number of awards from the Comedy.co.uk awards, the Royal Television Society, the British Comedy Awards and the Broadcasting Press Guild.[4] The first three series are available on DVD and the fourth has been broadcast in 2011. An American adaptation is currently being planned.[5] The series began airing in the US on BBC America as of 30 July 2011.[6]

Contents

Plot

Outnumbered is centred around the Brockmans, a middle class family living in south London, whose two parents are "outnumbered" by their three, somewhat unruly, children. The father, aged 48, Pete (Hugh Dennis), is a history teacher at an inner city school and the mother, aged 45, Sue (Claire Skinner), is a part-time personal assistant.[7] The three children are: Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey), aged 15, whose teenage sarcasm and obsession with girls worries his mother,[8], Ben (Daniel Roche), aged 11, who is a pathological liar, does unusual things, is constantly asking his parents if he is allowed to watch Little Britain, and is always coming up with hypothetical questions like "who would win in a fight between...",[9] and Karen (Ramona Marquez), aged nine, who asks too many questions and who imitates a lot of what she sees on television.[7][10] Other regular characters include Sue's 47 year old new age sister, Angela Morrison (Samantha Bond), and their father Frank (David Ryall), referred to as "Grandad", who is in the early stages of dementia. The writers also use the popular sitcom device of the unseen character in the form of Veronica, Sue's demanding boss in series one. In series two, the device is used again, but in the form of Sue's new boss Tyson, who is revealed to be a conman who absconds in the final episode of the series. Series three introduces Rosalind Ayres as Pete's mum, referred to as "Gran", who is addicted to online gambling and has a growing hatred for Pete's father. Other new characters in Series 3 include Kelly (Anna Skellern), whom Jake has a crush on, Angela's new husband Brick (Douglas Hodge), who is an American therapist, and his daughter Taylor Jean, who wants to live with her mum.[11] Also introduced is a campaigner against council plans to place speed bumps on the road who pesters the family. In the fourth series (the first episode aired on 2 September 2011), Karen is aged nine, Jake is fifteen and Ben is eleven.

Production

Outnumbered was the first collaboration between Hamilton and Jenkin since Drop the Dead Donkey ended in 1998.[7] It was commissioned by BBC controller Lucy Lumsden. The executive producer is Jon Rolph.[12] Originally a 20-minute long pilot was made; this was given to Lumsden, who then commissioned six episodes. The setting for the show is somewhere in South London, with the show being shot on location in Wandsworth.[7] The house used for external shots is in Dempster Road, Wandsworth.[original research?] During the second series, the family receive a final demand for council tax from the fictional "Limebridge Council", sent to the fictional address of 19 Keely Road, London, W4 2CF.[13]

The writers use improvisation in order to achieve convincing performances from the child actors. Dennis commented: "In most sitcoms all the lines for children are written by adults. So they are speaking the words of people 30 years older. And you really want kids to have their own voices, and say their own things."[2] Jenkin added: "You rarely get the feeling that children in sitcoms are real. They tend to be the same type of character – the smartarse who says adult things – and they are rooted to the spot, staring at the camera, because they've been told to stand in one place and say the lines. We decided to attempt to do something that hadn't been tried before, bounced some ideas around and we got very keen on this idea of involving improvisation very quickly."[7]

The main characters in Outnumbered series four. Pete(Hugh Dennis), Sue(Claire Skinner), Jake(Tyger Drew-Honey), Ben(Daniel Roche ) and Karen(Ramona Marquez)

Series four has been filmed and the first episode of the fourth series aired on 2 September 2011 at 9.00 pm on BBC One.[14]

The main characters in Outnumbered series one. From top left, clockwise: Karen, Ben, Jake, Pete and Sue.

Episodes

Reception

Ratings

The first episode received 4.1 million viewers (25.5% of the audience share) when it began and finished with 2.8 million (19.5%) at the end, which is larger than the average 2.2 million (14%) normally attracted by television shows in its particular time slot.[15] The audience for the second episode fell by half a million viewers, while still being the highest ranking show in its time slot, with 18% of the audience share.[16] However, it maintained a constant audience throughout the first series, with the fourth episode attracting 2.7 million viewers (20% audience share).[17]

Critical reception

The show initially received a mixed reception, though after the second season reviews have gradually shifted towards a fairly positive tone. The Daily Mirror found the mundane settings to be similar to the American sitcom Seinfeld, saying that "compared to the ridiculous carry-on of My Family, it's much more low-key and realistic. In fact it's so low-key, nothing actually happens, which could well be a nod to Seinfeld – the touchstone of all great sitcoms. The getting ready for school chaos is like Supernanny: The Movie only with nicer children. It's also taken a leaf out of Curb Your Enthusiasm's book with large chunks of improvisation – although the strongest language you'll find here is "ponk"."[18]

Kevin Maher of The Times dismissed the programme, saying it was not funny or dramatic enough. He wrote, "Outnumbered was at its most meretricious. For every exchange between adult and child was hijacked by a crass sitcommy need for sotto voce punchlines and knowing winks to the wings. A protracted scene in which 45-year-old dad (Hugh Dennis) was unable to wrestle a live power drill from the hands of 7-year-old son Ben (Daniel Roche), and instead had to, ho-ho, pay him £5 for the privilege, was emblematic of the show's dubious capacity for fake pay-offs."[19]

Rod Liddle, writing in The Sunday Times, praised the show, although he was somewhat surprised, saying, "An exquisitely middle-class, middle-aged domestic situation comedy set in West London – and starring one of those bloody stand-up comics who now festoons every network, it really should be hated before it is even seen. Start liking this sort of programme and you are an ace away from enjoying Terry and June and having a house that smells faintly of weak tea, Murray Mints and urine. So, maybe it's just me, but Outnumbered is very funny indeed: despite its current bout of self-flagellation, the BBC still knows how to make people laugh. Comedy may be the very last thing the corporation does well."[20]

James Walton wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the domestic setting and more mundane storylines were a virtue, saying, "All of this feels both carefully observed and suspiciously heartfelt. More unusually, it's not contrived. Outnumbered sticks firmly with the mundane, yet manages to be funny about it. It doesn't avoid the sheer dullness involved in family life either – but, happily, depicts it with a winning mixture of exasperation and affection."[21] He did, however, criticise the scheduling of the programme saying, "Despite the very specific London setting, the series (shown in two batches of three, this week and next) will surely appeal to the parents of young children everywhere. As long, that is, as they're not asleep by 10.35pm."[21]

In 2008 review in The Times, Bryan Appleyard described Outnumbered as "the best British sitcom in years and among the best ever", adding: "As a portrait of a dysfunctional household redeemed by love and the acceptance of our fallibility, it bears comparison with The Simpsons. And, like The Simpsons, it consoles."[3]

Awards

Outnumbered was nominated for the 2008 "Broadcast Award" for "Best Comedy Programme",[22] but lost the award to The Thick of It.[23]

The show was given the "British Comedy Guide Editors' Award" in The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2007[24] and the "Best Returning British TV Sitcom" in The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2008, beating Peep Show by six votes.[25]

In 2009, it won the Royal Television Society Award for "Scripted Comedy",[26] and two Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in the same year: "Best Comedy/Entertainment" and the "Writer's Award".[27] Outnumbered also won 3 awards at the 2009 British Comedy Awards: Best Sitcom, Best British Comedy and Best Female Newcomer for Ramona Marquez.

U.S. version

Fox has announced plans to make an American version of Outnumbered, created by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. Larry Levin will act as both writer and executive producer. Bryan Gordon will be the director.[28]

"Larry wrote a fantastic script", said MRC TV topper Keith Samples. "Everything fell into place; it had a karmic feel to it. Kevin loved the original and loved what Larry did with the adaptation." An unbroadcast pilot has been made and further scripts have been written.[29] The pilot will be broadcast, but a date has yet to be given.[30]

DVD releases

The first three series and the Christmas special are available to buy on DVD. They have been published by 2 Entertain.

DVD Title No. of discs Year No. of episodes DVD release dates DVD extras
Region 2 Region 4
Complete Series 1 1 2007 6 17 November 2008 1 July 2010 Interviews with the cast and writers
Complete Series 2 2 2008 7 16 November 2009 2 September 2010 The Comic Relief special, out-takes and deleted scenes
Christmas Special 2009 1 2009 1 18 January 2010
Complete Series 3 1 2010 6 15 November 2010 11 February 2011 The Sport Relief special and documentary
Complete Series 4 TBA 2011 TBA 21 November 2011
Christmas Special 2011 1 2011 1 26 December 2011[31]
Complete Series 1 & 2 3 2007 & 2008 13 16 November 2009 Same as individual releases
Complete Series 1–3 6 2007–2010 20 15 November 2010 5 April 2011 Same as individual releases
Complete Series 1–4 TBA 2007–2011 TBA 21 November 2011 Same as individual releases

References

  1. ^ "Outnumbered: Overview". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.org.uk/guide/tv/outnumbered/. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  2. ^ a b Tyers, Alan (2007-08-16). "Hugh not reading the script". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/264779/Hugh-not-reading-the-script.html. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  3. ^ a b Appleyard, Bryan (2008-11-30). "Outnumbered the British sitcom grows up". The Times (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5247325.ece. 
  4. ^ "Awards". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1086191/awards. Retrieved 2011-01-16. 
  5. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (2009-02-09). "Fox to air US remake of Outnumbered". London: Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/09/fox-air-us-remake-outnumbered. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 
  6. ^ "Outnumbered on BBC America". http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/441/index.jsp. Retrieved 2011-08-04. 
  7. ^ a b c d e "Press Office: Outnumbered". BBC. 2007-08-17. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/08_august/17/outnumbered_production.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  8. ^ "Episode 6". Outnumbered. 2007-08-28.
  9. ^ "Episode 4". Outnumbered. 2007-09-03.
  10. ^ "Press Office: Outnumbered Episode Synopsis". BBC. 2007-08-17. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/08_august/17/outnumbered_episode.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  11. ^ "Outnumbered Characters". British Comedy Guide. 2007-08-28. http://www.comedy.org.uk/guide/tv/outnumbered/characters/. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  12. ^ "Press Office: Outnumbered Introduction". BBC. 2007-08-17. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/08_august/17/outnumbered.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  13. ^ "Series 2, Episode 5". Outnumbered. 2008-12-13. No. 5, season 2.
  14. ^ "Outnumbered Episode Guide". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/outnumbered/episodes/4/. 
  15. ^ "News - Outnumbered starts with great ratings". British Sitcom Guide. 29 August 2007. http://www.sitcom.co.uk/news/news.php?story=000249. Retrieved 2007-08-29. 
  16. ^ Dowell, Ben (2007-08-30). "Supernanny and Silent Witness take lion's share". London: Guardian. http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2159092,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
  17. ^ Dowell, Ben (2007-09-05). "Hell's Kitchen goes off boil". London: The Guardian. http://media.guardian.co.uk/overnights/story/0,,2162827,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
  18. ^ "Outnumbered". Daily Mirror. 28 August 2007. http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/tv/todaystv/2007/08/28/outnumbered-89520-19696750/. Retrieved 2007-08-29. 
  19. ^ Maher, Kevin (2007-08-29). "Last night's TV". London: The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2341795.ece. Retrieved 2007-08-29. 
  20. ^ Liddle, Rod (2007-09-02). "The cheap laughs are the best". The Sunday Times (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2350447.ece. Retrieved 2007-09-02. 
  21. ^ a b Walton, James (29 August 2007). "Last night on television: Silent Witness (BBC1)/Outnumbered (BBC1)". London: Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/08/29/nosplit/bvtv29last.xml. Retrieved 2007-08-29. 
  22. ^ "News - Broadcast Awards 2008 shortlist revealed". British Sitcom Guide. 2007-12-10. http://www.sitcom.co.uk/news/news.php?story=000347. Retrieved 2007-12-11. 
  23. ^ "Broadcast Awards 2008 - Shortlist". Broadcast Awards. http://www2.broadcastnow.co.uk/awards/frames.asp?. Retrieved 2008-01-15. 
  24. ^ "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2007". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.co.uk/awards/2007/. 
  25. ^ "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2008". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.co.uk/awards/2008/. 
  26. ^ "RTS Programme Awards winners 2009 in full". London: Guardian. 2009-03-18. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/18/rts-awards-winners. Retrieved 2009-03-18. 
  27. ^ "Broadcasting Press Guild award winners". London: Guardian. 2009-03-27. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/27/broadcasting-pres-guild-winners. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  28. ^ Schneider, Michael (2008-02-28). "Fox importing two British sitcoms". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981630.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&query=outnumbered. Retrieved 2008-02-29. 
  29. ^ Hamilton, Andy (2008-09-18). ""I blame Piers Morgan…": Andy Hamilton Q&A". Chortle.co.uk. http://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2008/09/18/7441/i_blame_piers_morgan.... Retrieved 2008-09-19. 
  30. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (2009-02-09). "Fox to air US remake of Outnumbered". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/09/fox-air-us-remake-outnumbered. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 
  31. ^ "Outnumbered Series 4 - Christmas Special [DVD"]. Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005RVF5J8/. Retrieved 8 November 2011. 

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