this reminds me of my house! my dad always trys to 'fix' things without calling out pros lol

Tonight's is much better than last week.

agreed. I liked the way they dealt with karen being that bit older now and getting interested in lipstick etc.

Yes, last week she still seemed to be behaving like a 6 year old even though she's now nine, but this week she was behaving like a nine year old.

Not being invited to Miranda's** birthday outing - shame.



(**I think it was MIranda)

Ack - I'm really sorry to say this, but it's losing me.

I loved the first three series, but I'm starting to feel a bit like the kids are too... self-aware, perhaps? It's not the kids' fault, they're just trying to the best job they can, and they're acting their little socks off, but that's almost precisely the problem. It can't be helped, but because they know what's up, it feels all a little too precise and premeditated. When Ben played with the toys I used to get the impression he was doing it 'cause the actor felt like playing with some toys. Now it looks like he's sucking up the keys 'cause the audience are gonna go "oooohhh!!"

Similarly, there was a little line towards the end - "it's got loads of dents in it. like someone's beaten it. with a hammer," where she described precisely what had been going on off-screen. The joke was a little bit laboured - "look, this is what happened!" - which I'm not criticising (the fantastic!) Ramona Marquez for, but it's a side-effect of knowing "this is where a joke goes" but not yet being a comedy expert.

It looks like the kids - as they inevitably would - get why they're funny, now, which has the unfortunate side-effect of making it feel less authentic. And the veneer of authenticity was what lifted it from being an okay sitcom into that sweet spot. Now it's back to being an okay sitcom again. Which is always welcome! I can think of much worse things to fill the half hour spot with. But it's not the best start to a series.

Yes I agree with the above post - it definitely feels like they're straining for laughs now. The whole business with Karen having 'No' written on one hand and 'I said No' on the other was a typically contrived visual gag which didn't quite ring true. There also seems to be dearth of new ideas - the bit with Karen and the chugger was pretty much a retread of Ben and the vicar in the wedding episode. That said, I still thought there were some nice touches - I liked the little sting in the tail with Karen's trip to the shopping centre

I think the same. I haven't found this series so far or even the previous series as funny.

still as funny as ever to me.

I still thinks it's the funniest thing on TV by far but I agree it's in danger of dragging the joke out too far if it goes on much longer. It needs to either finish on a high at the end of this series or come up with some new ideas. At the beginning of the first series, most of its charm lay in the naivety of the child stars. They totally lacked that sense self awareness that makes other child stars, like those in the overly produced My Family so cheesy. Now that the children are getting older, are less cute and less raw, it's not working so wel

I agree that it's still good - over time all shows get a bit well worn, but I still enjoy this - I have to say though, I agree with what others have said in that it's becoming a bit too obvious that Karen is aware she's acting.

It's not her fault; as kids grow up they do go through phases of being really self aware, as someone commented earlier...and it takes away some of the spark she had in earlier episodes - the writers haven't helped by giving her clunking gags like the writing on her hand, imo.

I want to slap the parents for not correcting their precocious offspring. Karen was funny when she was five, she's not funny now, she's just downright rude. Ben is something that I can't find the words to describe, what parent would allow him to load a washing machine or prepare a meal without supervision? None that I can think of and then we have Jake, he's going to be a hearbreaker in a few more years, he seems to have more sense than his dopey parents.

Discipline seems very lacking in their whacky household. I get angry more than entertained by this new series, it should have been shelved after the last one.

I think that is the whole point...its meant to show how the parents are "outnumbered" by the kids and maybe haven't got the power to control them?

Be a bit boring if each time they were told to go upstairs to thier room and that was it!

However it did seem to show Pete as a lazy husband as well!

Only a programme..but I am sure kids do behave like that everyday TBH if you are talking about Karen being lippy and Ben doing what he likes...

Working in a shop I see many examples of kids trying to their own way and its not usually by trying to be funny either.

I think you are confused. It is not a documentary.

Sad but inevitable. I liked Outnumbered, still do, but "out of the mouths of babes" was one of the pillars. There is far less exclusive (from Ben) comic potential for Karen the nine year old, and perhaps only so much mileage in the "girly" side of that territory.

As a parent with a roughly contemporaneous daughter (now 8yo) it used to resonate strongly, and some of my responses to the sharper observations were "Ouch!". Less so now..

My favourite moment was when mum told Karen that the mean girl's mum's coat was real leopard with an evil glint in her eye. She knew exactly what torment she was unleashing on the mean girl when Karen got back to school having given her the ammunition for revenge.

i loved the toilet bit with the mum moaning about the males and their habits, so so true

Yep definitely feels different from previous series.. but it's still hilarious. I reckon they can squeeze one more series out of it

I also think that the kids are now too self aware. When the programme first started, I believe the kids the kids weren't given actual lines to say but were just given general directions by the writers and directors and told to say what they wanted. As a result, there was an element of believeability to the kids actions and this was part of the reason it was funny. Now I believe the kids understand the joke and strain to be "funny". As a result, it becomes a bit laboured and unnatural.

I think you're confused,do you think you're watching Supernanny?

Thora Birch's parents are porn stars and she turned out okay as well.

Maybe it's like Saffy in Ab Fab and you rebel by being serious and conservative.

Just watched last nights episode & thought is was alot better than last weeks.I thought there were more lol moments in last nights episode.

For me it has gone from wonderful to ok

If this were an American comedy they would adopt a five year old before the end of the series

Is the series being aired out of the writer's intended order? This very much felt more like an "episode 1" than last week's - especially as the dad mentions how he is doing supply teaching work and Karen is annoyed by her mum's full time work - yet at the end of last week that whole plot was resolved. Seems odd

Maybe typical BBC scheduling, all out of order, they did the same with My Family, episodes went out, out of order, any (slim) continuity there was, went out the window