Filming has begun on a second series of Outnumbered, the comedy from Hat Trick Productions for BBC Two which captures family life in a way not seen before at all its most deliciously chaotic.

The first series was praised by critics and viewers alike for its freshness and its very natural evocation of the daily rollercoaster of family life with small children – a regal six-year-old with a talent for interrogation; an eight-year-old boy with a penchant for lying; and a lovelorn 12-year-old…

Outnumbered is a very recognisable celebration of parental incompetence, as a beleaguered mum and dad attempt to raise their kids with the minimum of emotional damage for all concerned.

The Sunday Times declared: “Outnumbered is very funny indeed … Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin’s script is beautifully observed and under-stated … There is a nicely cluttered, claustrophobic feel to the drama too, and the intimation of something dark and destructive lurking just around the corner … And the whole thing is handled with that rarest of sitcom devices – subtlety. Quite how the directors got the kids to act so naturally is a mystery to me.”

The Daily Telegraph agreed: “A clever, funny, well-observed sitcom … [Outnumbered] gave the most truthful description on record of what it is actually like being a parent … The show was entirely stolen by the three young children, whose acting was awesomely natural.”

And The Daily Express exclaimed: “This new sitcom brilliantly captures the chaos of family life when children think they rule the roost.”