OUTNUMBERED fans were left in tears as the Brockman family were hit by some terrible cancer news as the family finally made an on-screen comeback after eight years.
Viewers have been waiting for years in order to see the Brockman’s back in action but were left rocked when it was revealed that Pete was suffering from prostate cancer.
As the Christmas special episode kicked off, fans saw how Sue and Pete had been living in a brand new much smaller house since Jake, Ben and Karen had all flown the next.
But it wasn’t just those two living there – with the infamous Jane having spent a total of NINE weeks lodging alongside the couple – much to their obvious chagrin.
As the three kids eventually made their way to the house one-by-one, it was clear that Pete had some news that he needed to get off his chest.
He and Sue had been seen chatting about his ‘secret’ which was eventually revealed to be a heartbreaking health diagnosis – prostate cancer.
As Pete struggled to find the right time to tell his children, the news came tumbling out with Jake and Karen sat on the sofa and Ben via FaceTime with a very dodgy connection.
With Ben on the line, Karen said: “Mum and Dad have something they need to tell us.”
Ben quipped back: “Are they going to stop paying for our mobile phones?”
As Pete brushed off the comment, he went on to confess: “So the good news is that they’ve caught it early and I’m very likely to be fine But I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer.”
In typical Outnumbered-style, Ben was left causing chaos in the moment when he admitted that the line had cut off after “so”.
Ben said: “Sorry I missed that, you broke up after so!”
As Pete said he had cancer a number of times, either Ben’s connection broke-up or the nightmare neighbours from next door were left causing a whole lot of noise.
Amid the laughs, fans took to X to express their shock at Pete being diagnosed with the terrible illness.
One fan said online: “Turned on #Outnumbered to have a laugh. Sitting on my own after losing my husband to prostate cancer and had to turn it off. Who the hell thought that this was a good subject for a comedy? Just NO!!”
Another added: “It’s Christmas; why must everything be sad and depressing?? Whoever wrote this: WHY did you make the CHRISTMAS episode based around cancer? What’s your problem?”
As a third said: “Pete with cancer. It’s not funny anymore.”
Before a fourth wrote: “random cancer storyline that wasnt resolved – happy christmas?”
Elsewhere in the episode, fans got to meet the next generation of Brockman’s for the first time thanks to Jake’s enthusiastic daughter, Zara.
The youngster had fans in stitches thanks to her roleplaying as a hyena throughout her time at grandma Sue and granddad Pete’s house.
Her dinosaur impressions with Pete and Sue also had the family in fits of laughter during the closing moments of the episode.
Prostate cancer affects a small, walnut shaped gland that sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra – the tube carrying pee outside the body.
It usually grows bigger as you get older.
The prostate’s main job is to help make semen – the fluid that carries sperm.
Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any signs or symptoms – that’s why it’s important to know about your risk.
Possible symptoms include:
If you do notice changes in the way you urinate, this is more likely to be a sign of an enlarged prostate, which is very common and non-cancerous.
But it’s still a good idea to get it checked out.
In the UK, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Some factors may mean you’re more likely to get it.
This includes:
If you have any of these risk factors or if you have any symptoms, speak to your GP.
They can talk to you about your risk, and about the tests that are used to diagnose prostate cancer.
Source: Prostate Cancer UK
