Outnumbered star on returning: ‘I cried of happiness’

A decade on from the end of the British sitcom, actors Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez discuss growing up on and off screen, practical jokes and reviving their characters for the Outnumbered Christmas special.

When the child stars of Outnumbered filmed their first episode, they were all 10 years old and under. Now, all in their 20s, they’re very excited to return as the boisterous Brockman siblings.

“When I found out we were going to do the Christmas special, I cried of happiness,” says actor Tyger Drew-Honey, who plays Jake alongside co-stars Daniel Roche (Ben) and Ramona Marquez (Karen).

Outnumbered, which ran from 2007 to 2014, follows mum Sue (played by Claire Skinner) and dad Pete (Hugh Dennis) navigating family life with their kids.

This article contains spoilers for the Outnumbered Christmas special…

The part-improvised comedy won best sitcom at the British Comedy Awards in 2009 and a National Television Award for most popular sitcom in 2012.

In between shooting scenes, the actors fondly recall April Fools’ jokes with the crew, screaming “bloody murder” at their beloved on-set tutor and playing hide and seek in their trailers.

“You wouldn’t think there were that many places to hide but when Ramona was littler, I think she’d been in every cupboard in one of those trailers,” says Drew-Honey, now 28.

The show returned for a one-off Christmas special in 2016 – and it’s now back this Boxing Day.

The new episode sees Sue and Pete host Christmas at their downsized home for their grown-up children.

And there are some additions, including Jake’s new family: partner Rani (Kerena Jagpal) and daughter Zara (Aurora Skarli).

While the show won awards for comedy, the latest episode explores a more serious storyline.

As the parents break some health news to their grown-up kids, it’s revealed that Pete has early-stage prostate cancer.

The storyline calls back to the third series of the show, in which Pete has a cancer scare.

The actors were excited to return to the show as adults and reunite with their on-screen parents.

Drew-Honey says after leaving the show, he “had this arrogance. I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, well, there’s just always going to be a big job coming every year.’”

Following Outnumbered, Drew-Honey went on to star in comedy Cuckoo and documentary series Tyger Takes On. However, he says some years he would only have “two or three” acting jobs “months apart”.

Returning as an adult, he explains: “It was just really nice for us all to be there as professional adults, working with our peers.”

Roche, 25, says “there were obviously a couple of anxieties going into it as an adult, you know, you’re more kind of self-conscious.”

However, he appreciated the “unique experience” of entering an old environment “where almost everything else is largely the same as it used to be, but you’re different now.”

And Roche was better able to relate to his older co-stars: “I was talking to Hugh about politics, finally knowing about it.”

Marquez, 23, says it was interesting returning to the set as an adult. Aged just five when filming the pilot, she would have to take regular welfare breaks.

However, now she explains she can stay and watch others filming, adding “it almost made it more fun.”

She also starred in the Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech and since filming the show she has graduated from the University of Manchester.

You can watch Outnumbered on BBC One at 21:40 GMT on Boxing Day and on BBC iPlayer.