Press clippings Page 12

There have been sceptical noises made about the latest series, suggesting that it's lapsing into self-parody and dull convention. However, it remains by a long distance the finest mainstream British sitcom of recent years. Tonight's isn't the strongest episode, mind, revolving around the parents' evening for Ben, who at 11 is emerging as a distinctly unusual boy. Meanwhile, we see Karen undergo a rare moment of hurt. Stick with this series; it ends magnificently.

David Stubbs, The Guardian, 23rd September 2011

It's the usual deal: as the Brockman parents flounder in a mire of uncertainty (largely of their own making), their children find fresh ways to embarrass them.

Occasionally, you wish Sue and Pete would stop being so feeble, but that's the point: they're trapped by their own niceness, forever circling in over-anxious little middle-class loops. So when they get wind of some drug dealing at Jake and Ben's school, they're not sure whether to make an accusation or - given that the tip-off comes courtesy of Ben - ignore it entirely.

Meanwhile, the biggest laughs come from Karen, who either gets the best lines or has a way of delivering them that upstages all-comers. Since her friend became a Catholic (to get into a better school), Karen is wondering if she should do the same. Sue points out that Karen has stopped believing in God. "But I only stopped believing in him because he was annoying me," replies Karen with airy logic, before investigating Catholicism online. "Hmmm, lots of candles and lovely spangly costumes..." She likes what she sees.

David Butcher, Radio Times, 23rd September 2011

This semi-improvised comedy continues to assert itself as top dog of British comedies, delivering more laughs per minute than perhaps any home-grown sitcom of the past decade. A bold claim, perhaps, but week after week Outnumbered brilliantly captures the essence of family life today, in which a generation of middle-class parents are in thrall to their bossy children. We all know a Sue or a Pete (Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis), who tie themselves in knots trying to do right by their impossible offspring.

The programme also packs in a remarkable number of throwaway jokes. Tonight, for example, Pete is late home from work. "Passenger action on the trains," he says. "I think they were lynching the driver." And the children's quirky interpretations of the world are impressively relevant. The flights of fancy from Karen (Ramona Marquez) tend to be the funniest, thanks to the juxtaposition of solemn observation and her adorable voice. Tonight, when Karen is quizzing her mother on terrorism, Sue mentions that when she was young, the terrorism threat came from Ireland. "The Irish? Are you sure?" squeaks Karen. "You mean people like Graham Norton and Jedward?"

Vicki Power, The Telegraph, 22nd September 2011

For once, an eerie calm descends on the Brockman household as all three sprogs are out of the house at the same time. Suddenly, Pete and Sue get a glimpse of an empty nest life as they try to remember what they did before child rearing took over their lives. Pete: "We used to have sex in the afternoon." Sue: "Did we?" Meantime, Jake is hiding something (at least in Sue's estimation), Ben causes mayhem at adventure camp, and Karen is seriously impressed by a friend's abode: "It's much bigger than our house. And much cleaner." Expect Labrador-driven mayhem, too.

Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 16th September 2011

It's eerily quiet in the Brockman household. Karen's staying overnight with her fashion-mad friend Tanya, pretending to be the new Gok Wan; Ben's terrorising the other kids and their teacher at an activity camp; while Jake's out with his band mates, doing whatever teenage boys do. "It's not natural!" whimpers Sue, visualising how empty life will be when it's just her and Pete. Even the prospect that they could have sex during the day isn't helping.

Except that they're not completely alone. Archie is staying with them and although he doesn't argue or answer back or ask impossible questions as the kids do (after all, he is a dog), he's a bit of a comedy star, acting as a wonderfully doleful, four-legged straight man to Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner.

Jane Rackham, Radio Times, 16th September 2011

Pete (Hugh Dennis) and Sue (Claire Skinner) are left home alone when the Brockman children go their various ways for the weekend: Ben to an adventure camp where he takes pride in terrorising the teacher; Karen, who has written UGG on the side of her boots, to her fashion-mad friend Tanya's house; and Jake is out jamming with his bandmates. With all that spare time on their hands, the pair get a taste of what life will be like with an empty nest.

Rachel Ward, The Telegraph, 15th September 2011

Little Karen gets the better of a charity mugger in tonight's episode that also sees Pete and the boys turning their hands to domestic chores while Karen and her mum enjoy some quality mother and daughter time together.

Karen is at that age where she's starting to take an interest in fashion and make-up, thanks to her friends' irritatingly well-groomed and glamorous mum, while Sue is at that age where she really can't be bothered with it at all.

Meanwhile, as Ben prepares dinner for the very first time in his life, you might be struck by how much he looks like a pint-sized Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Needless to say, this similarity doesn't extend to his cooking.

Jane Simon, The Mirror, 9th September 2011

Are Outnumbered's days numbered?

The new series suggests that Outnumbered's grip on realism is slipping. What was once sitcom vérité is slowly becoming My Family.

Bruce Dessau, The Guardian, 9th September 2011

We're now into the fourth series of acclaimed BBC1 series and Outnumbered won't have lost its appeal, even if its semi-improvised element can present problems at time.

Tonight's rambling opening scene - which featured a pause-ridden conversation between the parents and kids in the kitchen - dragged on a bit, but to be honest, most viewers probably didn't care.
Outnumbered's audience is generally forgiving of its tiny flaws, since much of the joy of the series is simply in identifying with the family at its centre: viewers just can't get enough of those beleaguered parents and their wise-cracking kids.

And now that the children are older, there is more scope for the comedy as they become even more adept smart alecs, with even quicker comebacks for their long-suffering parents.

There is also more scope for the drama, as the children begin to confront problems faced by teenagers. In this episode, Ben discussed everything from unemployment to AIDS, while Karen sought advice on girly friendship issues.

As long as the Outnumbered writers can strike the right balance between the family's ad-libbing and the more scripted little gems of dialogue, this is a series that deserves to run and run.

Rachel Tarley, Metro, 9th September 2011

"What the hell has happened in this toilet, it's like a urine tsunami," cries Sue (Claire Skinner), prompting tonight's male/female divide in the Brockman household. The girls hit the shops while the men are forced to tackle household chores. Ben (Daniel Roche) concocts a Heston Blumenthal-style dinner with dire consequences. Meanwhile Karen (Ramona Marquez) has her eye on a pair of leopard-print heels. Now in its fourth series, this acclaimed sitcom still has legs. But as the kids get older, their growing self-awareness strains the programme's naturalistic style.

Toby Dantzic, The Telegraph, 8th September 2011

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