Outnumbered
Episode synopses
Episode one (Tuesday 28 August, 10.35pm, ±«Óãtv One)
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Outnumbered is a new comedy written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Drop The Dead Donkey) about the daily rollercoaster of life with small children.
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Three small children, in fact – a regal five-year-old girl with a talent for interrogation and an interest in nits, a seven-year-old boy with a penchant for lying and an 11-year-old who is gearing up for his scary first day at secondary school.
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Starring Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis (Mock The Week) and containing strong elements of improvisation, this comedy portrays raw family chaos in a way that you will not have seen before on TV.
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Episode two (Wednesday 29 August, 10.40pm, ±«Óãtv One)
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The celebration of parental incompetence continues, with the problems piling up for mum and dad.
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Their little girl is outwitting them in the endless negotiations about what she will eat, and seven-year-old Ben is further developing his extraordinary talent for lying.
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In addition, dad has strayed into job-threatening controversy at school, while mum starts a turf war with her sister. Samantha Bond joins the cast as Auntie Angela.
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Episode three (Thursday 30 August, 10.35pm, ±«Óãtv One)
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Stuck on the A3, mum tries to keep the peace in a car containing a new-age auntie, a bewildered grandfather, three fractious kids and several full bladders.
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Meanwhile, dad waits outside the headmaster's office, following an ill-judged joke involving obesity and Ramadan.
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Later at the urban farm, discussions about death, heaven, racism, bird flu and granddad lead to raised tempers, which boil over in the living hell that is a gift shop.
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As a hectic day draws to an end, mum and dad look fondly at their sleeping kids in the back of the car and have a brief moment of contentment – until they notice that Ben's acquired a new friend.
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Episode four (Monday 3 September, 10.35pm, ±«Óãtv One)
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Ben's fibbing goes to a whole new level as parents at a school football match begin to compliment dad on his friendship with Gordon Brown and his SAS training.
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Later, a romantic night in for mum and dad doesn't quite go to plan, as Karen has a friend round whose mum is over an hour late picking her up. When she does finally arrive, she insists on pouring her heart out over a very long cup of tea.
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As their romantic evening recedes into the distance, Jake raises fears about his friend's parents' divorce, and calls from his form teacher bring more alarming news.
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Episode five (Tuesday 4 September, 10.35pm, ±«Óãtv One)
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Ben's on the case again – this time he's got a mystery illness and is far too sick to go to school, or so he says.
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Auntie Angela's been dumped by her boyfriend, so the family rally round to cheer her up in the best way they know how – sparking off a jolly discussion about Nazis and rat bags.
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Meanwhile, dad's little problem at school becomes public knowledge and he begins to wonder if he might be out of a job. Mum's job is safe, however, or is it?
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Episode six (Wednesday 5 September, 10.40pm, ±«Óãtv One)
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Five-year-old Karen decides she's had enough of mum's nagging and announces that she's leaving home to go to Spain, or possibly Greenland.
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Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for a dinner party, and dad agrees to let Ben crack some eggs – which is a huge mistake.
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As the guests arrive, Ben gets his first taste of gin and mum gets some unwelcome news from Angela.
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The drink soon loosens some tongues, and things are said that can never be taken back. The dinner party becomes a disaster zone, and, this time, the parents can't blame any of it on the kids.
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