Family sitcom Outnumbered returned to the BBC for the first time in eight years, with patriarch Pete revealing he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The hit series about the Brockman family ran from 2007 to 2014 on BBC One, returning in 2016 for a Christmas special.
The latest festive episode opened with Pete and his wife Sue preparing to welcome their three children to the new family home for Christmas, before he revealed he will be undergoing a prostatectomy – a surgery which removes the prostate gland.
Did you catch the BBC's #Outnumbered Christmas special? 📺
— Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) December 26, 2024
If so, you'd have seen Hugh Dennis' character (Pete) share his own prostate cancer diagnosis, which we're confident will encourage more men to check their risk of the disease.
➡️ Check your risk: https://t.co/zb5WPGEqDd pic.twitter.com/HFrTbT0uLo
“The good news is that they’ve caught it early and I’m fairly likely to be fine, but I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” he said.
It comes after the character had a cancer scare in the third series of the show.
In a video shared by Prostate Cancer UK after the episode aired, Hugh Dennis said: “The earlier you find prostate cancer the easier it is to treat, so check your risk of prostate cancer in just 30 seconds.”
Acclaimed for its realistic depiction of modern-day parenting, Outnumbered was among the most popular comedies on BBC One, as Dennis and Claire Skinner starred as harassed parents to Karen (Ramona Marquez), Ben (Daniel Roche) and Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey).
All three former child actors returned for the festive special, with new additions to the family including Jake’s new partner Rani (Kerena Jagpal) and their three-year-old daughter Zara (Aurora Skarli).
