Outnumbered

Don't listen to that t*** who gave it 1/10 this is an amazing sit-com and it is one of the reasons I am proud to be British. It may be predictable and clichéd but that is part of its charm. Karen and Ben (the younger ones) are the best part their clashes are so funny and their logic is insane. What I mean by that is Karen is so literal and Ben is borderline nuts and thats great. The fourth series is on soon (When this review was posted) and I for one can't wait to see it and if you see this before Friday WATCH IT. Oh and one more thing that guys says it 'depressing' but it's not it deals with issues that any English family would face and I think it is a good mould for parenting you will not believe how much stuff my parents has taken from it (except they don't work cos we know how to get around them)

This is just a terrific series. Why the BBC saw fit to bury it with no fanfare is totally mystifying. It is beautifully put together by the writers, actors and director and works just about as well as it possibly could. Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner are great as the long-suffering parents and are beautifully matched. It is the children though that make this unusual sitcom work. They deliver their lines with fantastic timing and a real sense of reality. Ramona Marquez is just wonderful and so funny - annoying and sweet at the same time - a very difficult thing to pull off. Daniel Roche and Tyger Drew-Honey (what a name!!) are just as good as seasoned professional actors twice their age. I am so glad a laugh track was not added - it makes the action seem so much more real plus it is so funny it does not need one. it needs to be promoted properly and it would achieve a greater status with the viewing public - the BBC are notorious for poor promotion, unless it is another sodding cookery programme!! Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins are to be congratulated on the creation of this marvellous piece of work.

I came across this series by chance, after browsing the BBC I-player site. What a discovery.

The whole thing is so true to life, it's scary. Parents who are so involved in their own world they mostly overlook the gems of information their kids come out with. Kids who actually behave like real life kids rather than the usual spoilt little brats (or worse, sugar sweet fakers) that most shows portray.

For me, the star of the show is Karen. The brilliant Ramona Marquez deserves every TV award going..she steals the show every episode. (Her impression of Fiona Bruce in series 2 is hysterical!!) For someone so young she very clearly understands her character, and makes the most of every scene she is in.

IF you haven't seen this show yet, please please please take the time to watch..and then set aside a whole day to watch the full 2 series as I promise one episode won't be enough.

This is simply the best written sitcom of the year so far, certainly for the BBC, it plays like The Royle Family for the middle class each line is perfectly written and timed to perfection. Hugh Dennis is always good when he looks a little flustered and Claire Skinner is great as harassed mother while Samantha Bond proves their is life after well.. Bond as the ditzy aunt. But its the kids who really should be praised for the most realistic portrayals of children on T.V. ever. Mostly improvising their lines to avoid falling into the clichés - the elder boy is the antithesis of the eleven year old in his first weeks at secondary school keeping his head down, monosyllabic and trying to keep the fact he is being bullied under wraps. The younger boy plays for laughs as the constantly lying middle child he is full of energy and manages to be annoying and likable at the same time. While the little girl is really cute and asking any question that pops into her brain stumping the parents every five minutes. The show is also great with dealing with issues such political correctness, bullying, the class system and the elderly in such a breezy and non-preachy manner. After several years in the wilderness following the success of Drop the Dead Donkey, Guy Jenkins and Andy Hamilton have created another great sitcom which has been buried in the schedules by the BBC and therefore probably won't be noticed by most people who turn the TV off after the 10 o'clock news, this may find cult status on repeat viewing and come back for a second series in a new and improved time slot.

What makes 'Outnumbered' stand out to me is that it's a very realistic portrayal of what life is like for many working parents that are trying to navigate the day to day stresses and challenges that come with it. It's not dressed up or made to look fancy for TV, it's just a family being a family.

Sue and Pete, the parents, are constantly questioning their ability to parent (and what parent doesn't?), trying to do the best for their children whilst simultaneously worrying that they're failing them and all in all are very normal people that could easily be someone's neighbour, family friend or colleague.

Jake, Ben and Karen, the kids, are unique kids with their own personalities that all pose their parents with different challenges. Unlike kids on most other shows, Jake, Ben and Karen are actually allowed to be children. They're not given two or three lines and then told to play quietly in the background, they're central and important characters just as much as Pete and Sue (if not more so). The improvisation aspect of the show really works well with the kids and adds to the realness of the show by allowing the children to say and do what they feel is natural. I also enjoy the positive spin the show puts on the children by taking what would usually be stereotyped as naughtiness or bad behaviour, and instead portraying it as individuality and misunderstanding of character. Ben, who is considered a 'problematic' child in the early seasons proves himself to be a very kind, generous, intelligent young man whose over-zealousness, curiosity and enthusiasm for life causes him to get carried away. Karen, who is a 'diva' or 'brat' is a highly analytical, clever out-spoken and self-assured little girl who is determined to be exactly who she is.

And this is what 'Outnumbered' does so well - it shows that all children are their own people, with their own thoughts, feelings and opinions and although parents are there to guide and discipline their children, it's important to also let them grow into who they're going to be in their own time and in their own way.

Putting this aside, the comedy is subtle and effective, although not necessarily laugh out loud funny. The acting is good, even from the young actors that play the children and the dynamics between the family are extremely effective and feel very representative of a real family.

All in all, 'Outnumbered' has been my go to sitcom for many years when I simply need to switch off and have some relief from the stresses of life.