Hugh Dennis reveals how Outnumbered could return following his big Mock the Week comeback

Comedian and actor Hugh Dennis makes his return to Mock the Week this weekend and has also teased how hit sitcom Outnumbered could return.

Dennis, who also returned to Channel 4's thriller The Couple Next Door last year, starred in every episode of Mock the Week when it aired on the BBC between 2005 and 2022. The satirical panel show was revived earlier this year by TLC, with Dara Ó Briain resuming his role as host, but without Dennis.

Radio Times spoke exclusively to Dennis backstage after he filmed his first episode since 2022, and asked how his return felt. "It felt weird for the first five minutes and then I thought, 'No, this is good. I like this.' I've always enjoyed it," said the Not Going Out star.

"The show has had this evolution over the years, where it’s gone from a sort of bear pit to actually a very nice show where everybody listens and nobody's trying to jump in."

Despite starring in almost 200 episodes of the topical news comedy, Dennis did admit to pre-recording nerves: "Before I went on, I was nervous, but I think I'm always nervous. I never understand people who aren’t nervous, because you think, ‘That's mad’. There are people out there and they might not laugh. It's very exposing. You'd be mad not to be nervous."

Since the show’s return on TLC, fans have asked why Dennis was no longer a series regular. "Essentially, when the last series ended, you say to yourself, ‘Okay, so that’s that done’, and you start doing lots of other things.

"I said I was only going to do a couple, because I'm doing lots of other stuff. Three weeks ago I finished five months in the West End and I'm writing something, so I said I could only do two episodes."

However, post-filming, Dennis admitted he was rethinking that decision: "But now, I'm clearly thinking I should probably have said I could do more."

When asked if he missed the show more than he expected, Dennis shared how intense the show can be: "Possibly, but there’s also a lot of stress involved because you have to hold a lot of material in your head. This isn’t a terribly relaxing thing to do. The production company is called Angst, and that is for a very, very good reason."

After returning to one comedy fixture on television, Dennis considered how he might return to another - the semi-improvised sitcom Outnumbered. "My standard response is twofold, one of which is that kids don't leave home until they're 40, so it's possible.

"But, it has to be about something. What was good about Outnumbered is it was always about something and you always recognised the situation. You’d say, 'Oh, that’s us, isn’t it?'"

Mock the Week continues on Sunday 22 February at 9pm on TLC.

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