Outnumbered Christmas special slammed as 'unwatchable' by disappointed BBC viewers

The Outnumbered Christmas special hasn't gone down too well with viewers, with some fans of the beloved BBC sitcom branding the festive offering as "forced" and "unwatchable".

Unlike the Gavin and Stacey special, which received rave reviews and achieved historic Christmas Day rating figures, Outbumbered's return to our screens on Boxing Day was panned by critics on social media thanks to a "bleak" storyline and awkward moments.

The family sitcom returned to the BBC for the first time in eight years, with patriarch Pete revealing he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The hit series about the Brockman family ran from 2007 to 2014 on BBC One, returning in 2016 for a Christmas special.

The latest festive episode opened on Thursday with Pete and his wife Sue preparing to welcome their three children to the new family home for Christmas, before he revealed he will be undergoing a prostatectomy – a surgery which removes the prostate gland.

The Outnumbered kids being adults was a little jarring for some BBC viewers (Image:BBC/Hat Trick Productions/Adam Lawrence)

"The good news is that they’ve caught it early and I’m fairly likely to be fine, but I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer,”" he said. It comes after the character had a cancer scare in the third series of the show. In a video shared by Prostate Cancer UK after the episode aired, Hugh Dennis said: "The earlier you find prostate cancer the easier it is to treat, so check your risk of prostate cancer in just 30 seconds."

Acclaimed for its realistic depiction of modern-day parenting, Outnumbered was among the most popular comedies on BBC One, as Dennis and Claire Skinner starred as harassed parents to Karen (Ramona Marquez), Ben (Daniel Roche) and Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey). All three former child actors returned for the festive special, with new additions to the family including Jake’s new partner Rani (Kerena Jagpal) and their three-year-old daughter Zara (Aurora Skarli).

But the on-screen reunion didn't hit all the right notes with viewers. "Expecting an all timer for #Outnumbered but there’s a new house and a random cancer storyline and not one funny moment," one wrote on Twitter, known formally as X, as the 2024 special began on Boxing Day.

Karen's life as a lesbian protestor was a hit storyline with many viewers (Image:BBC/Hat Trick Productions/Adam Lawrence)

"My family watching the #Outnumbered special after my Dad (who had prostate cancer) died last year. seriously wtf was that we're all sad now," another added, with a third writing: "Omg it was nice to see all the characters again but aw man that was kinda disappointing #Outnumbered."

"It’s not just the story either, the line delivery is so stunted. It’s like watching a bad parody #Outnumbered," one disappointed fan added to the wave of negative tweets on Thursday. "safe to say after that Christmas special the show only worked when the kids were younger… #outnumbered," another concluded.

However, some did enjoy the one-off update from the Brockman family - mainly thanks to Karen. "How people can watch that #Outnumbered special and think it's bad?! Karen's fucking Gay and a protestor. The queen has risen," one penned on Twitter. "It was also f***ing hilarious and amazing. It was classic Outnumbered. It was amazing!"

Others also loved Karen's stint as a Just Stop Oil protestor, with one fan declaring: "karen being a lesbian who got arrested at a just stop oil protest was kinda written in the stars #Outnumbered." Another happy viewer added: "Karen getting arrested for calling a police officer a "Primark Nazi" is perfection #Outnumbered."

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