Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton’s semi-improv comedy about a family perennially in crisis starring Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner joins the final Gavin & Stacey in what could be one of the BBC’s most-anticipated Christmas comedy lineups for years.The news has been unveiled at the BBC Comedy Festival in Glasgow in the past few minutes by comedy boss Jon Petrie, who also announced second seasons of The Power of Parker and Mammoth, along with new shows Smoggie Queens and Funboys.The stars of the original Outnumbered will return for the special including Dennis as dad Pete, Skinner as mum Sue, Tyger Drew-Honey as eldest son Jake, Daniel Roche as the middle child Ben, and Ramona Marquez as daughter Karen.The kids have now grown up, and the Christmas ep will focus on the chaos of a downsized home grappling with the challenges of parenting kids who are now adults, with their own lives to lead.Hat Trick Productions’ Outnumbered ran from 2007 to 2014 on the BBC along with a 2016 Christmas special. Shot on location in London, the four-time BAFTA nominated series has been warmly received by critics for its semi-improv scripting and realistic portrayal of kids and family life. The show has aired on PBS and BBC America in the U.S. There were plans to make an American version but they never materialized.“Outnumbered is one of the crown jewels of British sitcoms,” Petrie said. “We’re so grateful to Guy, Andy, Hat Trick, and the cast for dusting it off and putting it back on display.”Elsewhere, there are recommissions of Sian Gibson and Paul Coleman’s 1990s-set sitcom The Power of Parker and Mammoth, a show about a PE teacher frozen in 1979 and brought back to life in 2024. Both speak to Petrie’s desire to commission more sitcoms.New series Smoggie Queens from Phil Dunning, also produced by Hat Trick, is about a gang of friends who are fiercely proud of their North Eastern town of Middlesbrough and their small pocket of the LGBTQ+ community. It tells the story of volatile Dickie (Dunning) along with drag queen Mam (Mark Benton), self-styled hun Lucinda (Alexandra Mardell), awkward Sal (Patsy Lowe) and newcomer Stewart (Elijah Young) as they navigate love, life and their pride for a town that feels neglected.Funboys, meanwhile, started life as a comedy short film and is about three emotionally-unassembled young men in a small town in Northern Ireland.Finally, the BBC has once again recommissioned the longest-running British sitcom on air, Lee Mack’s Not Going Out.
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