Outnumbered

Meet the kids: three small children - a regal five year old girl with a talent for interrogation, a seven year old boy who could out-fib Jeffrey Archer and an eleven year old who is gearing up for his scary first day at secondary school.

The celebration of parental incompetence continues, with the problems piling up for Mom and Dad. Their little girl is outwitting them in negotiations about what she will condescend to eat, and seven-year-old Ben is further developing his extraordinary talent for lying. In addition, Dad has strayed into a job-threatening controversy at school, while Mom is starting a turf war with her sister.

Stuck on the highway, Mom tries to keep the peace in a car containing a new-age Auntie, a bewildered Grandfather, three fractious kids and several full bladders. Later at the urban Farm, discussions about death, heaven, racism, bird flu and granddad lead to raised tempers, which boil over in the living hell that is a gift shop.

Ben takes his talent for lying to a whole new level while Dad finds himself being quizzed about his SAS training. Meanwhile, Mum plans for a romantic night in if she can only get rid of Karen’s little friend and the friend’s mother. As their romantic evening recedes into the distance, Jake raises fears about his friend’s parents’ divorce and calls from his form teacher bring more alarming news.

Ben's on the case again - this time he's got a mystery illness and says he is far too ill to go to school. Auntie Angela is dumped by her boyfriend and the family rally round to cheer her up in the best way they know how, sparking off a discussion about Nazis and rat bags. Meanwhile, Dad's problem at the school is becoming public knowledge and he begins to wonder if he might be out of a job.

Preparations are in full swing for a dinner party and as the guests arrive, Ben gets his first taste of gin and Mum gets some unwelcome news from Angela. The drink loosens tongues. Things get said that can never be unsaid. The dinner party becomes a disaster zone - and this time the parents can’t blame any of it on the kids.