Outnumbered-Series Five (2014)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Bonus Episode Deleted Scenes Outtakes
Rating
Year Of Production	2014
Running Time	212
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Andy Hamilton
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Hugh Dennis Claire Skinner Daniel Roche Tyger Drew-Honey Ramona Marquez
Case	Slip Case
RPI	?	Music	Philip Pope

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Outnumbered is one of the best comedies of recent years, especially if you are a parent with young children but it is certainly very funny even if you aren't. The title refers to a middle class family in Britain where the parents are outnumbered by their three children. The long suffering parents are Pete (Hugh Dennis), a history teacher at a notoriously tough secondary school, and Sue (Claire Skinner) who works part time as an Office Manager. The children are Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey) now 17 but started the series at 12 and just entering high school, Ben (Daniel Roche) now 13 and finally Karen (Ramona Marquez) who is now 11. The series is partially improvised by the cast but is written and directed by long time English comedy stalwarts Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton whose careers include shows like Drop the Dead Donkey, Not the Nine O'Clock News and Spitting Image. I have been watching this show since it began and this is expected to be the final season as the kids are getting a little too old now. Unfortunately, this is the first time we have been able to review the local release of any season.

     One of the great things about this series is that it revolves around everyday family issues like getting out the door to go to school, looking after elderly parents, family outings, problems at school, behaviour issues, accidents, arguments and sibling rivalry amongst others. These situations are all very recognisable to a parent and are mostly very believable. Obviously, for comedy effect these things are sometimes emphasised or amped-up but all are certainly in the realms of possibility. Another key strength of the show is that the characters refer to things that have occurred previously which sound highly amusing but you are never given the detail, leaving the viewer to fill in the gaps. It is great that a show chooses not to do too much exposition.

     The characters and characterisations are wonderful, developing over the years of the show. Ben is a bit crazy and somewhat impulsive coming up with mad schemes and ideas. He is also well known for lying or stretching the truth. Karen on the other hand is manipulative and a bit of a primadonna, always wanting her own way and finding a seemingly logical argument for why it should be the right way to proceed. Jake is the most sensible one of the three children.

     You do not need to have seen earlier seasons to enjoy this one, although your understanding of the characters will improve the more you watch the show. The season contains 6 episodes which are all on the first disc. The second disc contains the 2012 Christmas special as an extra.

     An absolutely hilarious show from the BBC which is a must see.

Video

     The video quality is very good but not without issue.

     The series is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was quite clear and sharp throughout. Shadow detail is very good.

     The colour is pretty good but certainly a little dull.

     There was some minor aliasing from time to time and a little motion blur.

     There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired which were clear and easy to read.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is good.

     The disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0. The soundtrack does the job without setting the world on fire.

     Dialogue was generally clear and easy to understand although very occasionally it was a little hard to understand.

     The music is sparse suiting the natural nature of the show.

     The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     Some great extras.

Menu

     The menu featured music and dialogue.

Disc 1

Deleted Scenes (22:25)

     Very funny stuff including some alternate and extended scenes. Great extra.

Bloopers (1:18)

     More funny stuff.

Disc 2

2012 Christmas Special (39:01)

     A truly hilarious episode. Sue decides to have a drinks party for the neighbours and Pete's mum drops by. A vomiting bug is going around. Hilarity ensues.

    This set is very similar to the UK one and there is no equivalent in the US to date. Buy Local.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall