Outnumbered stars are divided: win more or quit while they’re ahead?

Five critically acclaimed and award-winning seasons followed. This year, the family is back for a Christmas special on Boxing Day – but is it really just a one-off event?

After all, this year’s schedule also includes a Gavin & Stacey special, which itself follows a seemingly standalone, decade-long overdue festive episode in 2019.

So could it be that this year’s Outnumbered is following in their footsteps, simply staging another comeback for the Brockmans?

In the new Christmas edition of Radio schedulesinterjects star Hugh Dennis, suggesting that the experience of reuniting for the special “made me hope we could do more… but maybe we should stop while we’re ahead.”

And in another interview, his co-star Claire Skinner was even more emphatic. “I think it’s a one-off catch-up,” she says RT.

However, when RT After meeting the family’s three “kids” — played by Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez — they were more open to the idea.

“I mean, personally, yeah, I totally would be,” said Drew-Honey, 28, who plays eldest son Jake. RT. “I know the question gets asked a lot: Are you dragging something out too long for the sake of it, just so some people can make money?

“But if they contacted us about another series, I certainly wouldn’t say categorically no. I would chat with those two directly and say, ‘What do you think?’ I mean, in theory, I’m very excited.”

“I feel like it could work,” adds Marquez, 22, who plays the younger Karen. “There is always good chemistry between us.

“It’s difficult with Outnumbered, because it was a show about what it’s like to have a family with young kids. And obviously, as we get older, it’s not exactly the same show anymore .

“But I always like to watch things as they change and evolve and move forward. And I think occasional specials would be a really fun way to get a little glimpse without it being too long.”

“I’m in a vaguely similar position, to be honest,” admits Roche, 25, who plays Ben, the middle child.

“I think I would approach all of this with a similar attitude to how I approached this particular special, which is sort of… anxious curiosity. Of course, it’s a wonderful opportunity to be back and spending time with everyone. And I love it. But there is, as Tyger says, this fear of prolonging things too long.

“But then, as I did in this special, and as I would do if the question of a future special came up, I trusted Andy and Guy.

“The day they emailed the script (for this special), I read it immediately and thought, ‘Yes, they did this, in my opinion, perfectly.’ Since I’m no longer a caricature of an eight-year-old running around, I felt like my character was a sort of realistic continuation of Ben in his early twenties.

“You know, he still has some of the same traits, but in a way that you would expect from a young adult.

“Obviously, I’m aware of the risks of continuing a series for too long – but I have a lot of confidence in the writing and directing team.”

In other words, it’s all up to Jenkin and Hamilton – so what do they think about the future of Outnumbered? Well, speaking to RT for an earlier edition of the magazine, the duo told us there were no immediate plans.

“We haven’t really thought about it. I know that seems like a really rude answer, but we’re just living in the moment,” Hamilton tells us.

“We might have another idea and think ‘this is the time’,” adds Jenkin. “But we wanted to make it a really special event. After waiting eight years, I hope everyone will be very curious to see where this family they grew up with has ended up.”

However, they’re not ruling anything out either – in Jenkins’ own words: “You can blame us when we come back next year!”

So if it’s not the end, this new special certainly isn’t a brand new beginning either. For now, fans would do well to enjoy the family reunion they’re getting…but never say never.

Read our full interview with the cast of Outnumbered in the Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.

Learn more:

The Outnumbered Christmas special will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday December 26 at 9.40pm..

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