BBC1 orders semi-improv sitcom

Six episodes of Outnumbered, starring Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as the parents of three children, will air later this year.

Hamilton told MediaGuardian: ‘It is scripted but there is this element of improvisation. This will hopefully make it more real, giving a sense of the stuff small kids do come up with.

‘We feel there hasn't been a show before which really captures life with small children, and where it has happened they have been sitcoms that have felt a bit manufactured and false at times.’

The series has been tipped for a 10.30pm slot, which Hamilton said was ‘for people who don't want to go to bed but want to watch something quite fun that isn't depressing’.

Filming begins next month on location in a house in Wandsworth, South London.

Published: 13 Apr 2007