We all know one, the relative or neighbour who can’t wait to put a damper on every occasion with some sad news about people we barely know.
They tell you with relish that an old schoolfriend’s husband has died, or a marriage is on the rocks, or somebody’s dog has been run over by a lorry. And you have to make sympathetic noises, while feeling vaguely guilty that you were trying to have a good time in the midst of so much general tragedy.
Auntie Beeb was up to the same tricks with Outnumbered, the family sitcom starring Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis as harassed parents Sue and Pete. They were once a regular part of our lives as we watched their children growing up, but the series ended and we lost touch.
As the show returned for a one-off catch-up, we discovered that Sue and Pete moved away to a smaller house after Jake, Ben and Karen left home. So it’s no surprise we haven’t heard anything from them for so long.
Anyway, you’ll never guess what — Pete’s got cancer. Yes, isn’t it awful? The BBC apparently thought this glum storyline was just what the nation needed at primetime on Boxing Day.
There was no happy ending, no cheerful twist to reveal it was all a terrible misunderstanding: the only bright spot was that the consultant thought he’d ‘caught it early’ and surgery was booked in for January.
It isn’t unrealistic, of course. Millions of families will be coping with cancer or other serious illnesses this Christmas, the Royal Family among them.
But we watch comedies hoping for a bit of light relief, not a bleak reminder that life can be harrowing. There’s enough of that on the news channels.
Undated BBC Handout Photo from Outnumbered. Pictured: Ben (DANIEL ROCHE), Karen (RAMONA MARQUEZ), Dad (HUGH DENNIS), Jake (TYGER DREW HONEY), Mum (CLAIRE SKINNER)
Outnumbered follows the Brockman family through their daily lives with hilarious consequences and ran from 2007 to 2014
After eight years off screen, the new episode is set at Christmas and follows the family as they grapple with the challenges of parenting adult children, all of whom have their own lives and problems to deal with
All the original charm of Outnumbered was focused on its three child stars, Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez.
Once they were adults, the whole point of the show was gone — even the word ‘Outnumbered’ makes sense only when there are more children than adults.
Sue and Pete are grandparents now, but with just the one granddaughter, three-year-old Zara. She was a bit of a handful, but she didn’t appear until halfway through the 45 minutes.
Instead, the beleaguered couple were trying to get rid of a house guest, the appalling Jane (Hattie Morahan), who had overstayed her welcome by about nine weeks. That didn’t ring true, especially when one sharp word from Karen sent her packing.
Perhaps because the writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin were also the directors and producers, many of the one-liners simply didn’t work. A ruthless script editor would have demanded rewrites for many of the quips, such as Pete’s verdict on Jane: ‘She’s like Holly Willoughby crossed with the Provisional IRA.’
Doesn’t really work, does it? Neither did the entire episode. Outnumbered should have stayed out for the count.