Outnumbered fans should be prepared for heartbreak on Boxing Day-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

Outnumbered has never shied away from difficult issues affecting families (Picture: BBC/Hat Trick Productions/Adam Lawrence)

*Warning: This contains a spoiler for the Outnumbered Christmas special

The Outnumbered Christmas special 2024 is tackling a health diagnosis that affects millions across the country in a bid to make viewers dealing with the same disease ‘less alone.’

The Boxing Day episode reunites BBC viewers with the Brockman family, helmed by parents Pete (Hugh Dennis) and Sue (Claire Skinner), after eight years.

It follows Pete and Sue as they prepare a festive celebration for their three children Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey), Ben (Daniel Roche) and Karen (Ramona Marquez), now all young adults who have flown the nest.

But along with the Brockman’s signature wry humour, a new adorable family member, an unwanted houseguest and chaotic family fun, Pete also reveals he has been diagnosed with treatable prostate cancer.

At a preview screening and Q&A for Outnumbered at The Charlotte Street Hotel in London, Metro and other press heard from writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin they wanted to end the stigma around the word cancer.

They also wanted to give an ‘honest and funny’ depiction of telling loved ones about a cancer diagnosis in the hope that viewers in the same position feel ‘reassured and comforted.’

Guy explained: ‘People often remember Outnumbered for the delightful children, but it always dealt with with quite serious things: dementia, death, homophobia. We dealt with that through how parents explain it to their children and this is the same except that the children are considerably larger.

‘So Pete has to find a way of explaining that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer – which is something we’ve experienced – but
more importantly, nearly every family in the country has experienced it in similar forms including the Royal family.

‘There’s still a stigma attached to the word cancer and we just wanted to show how very, very normal it is, as well as how the Brockmans dealt with it with warmth, love and especially humour because that’s a very British way of dealing with that sort of stuff.’

Pete tells his three children he has prostate cancer in the Outnumbered Christmas special (Picture: BBC/Hat Trick Productions/Adam Lawrence)

Andy added Outnumbered sought to show how humour is an ‘essential survival skill’ for distressing situations.

He continued: ‘For us, the key to the episode is not so much the cancer or what kind of cancer it is, it’s about the conversation.

‘That’s a conversation millions of homes will be having
up and down the country – we’ve both had experiences of that conversation- and we wanted to depict that in an honest and funny way.’

‘There will probably be millions of cancer patients watching the show and our hope is they find it reassuring or comforting in some way or at least that it gives off the signal that they are not alone.’

The Christmas special also features plenty of laughs including from new character Zara (Picture: BBC)

Hugh also said he was proud to be involved in the storyline as ‘if it means that anybody goes and gets a check that’s a little victory.’

Outnumbered first aired for five series from 2007 until 2014 on BBC One.

A Christmas special then aired on Boxing Day 2016, which attracted an average of seven million viewers and has had fans begging for more ever since.

Outnumbered airs on Boxing Day at 9:40pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More