Not Going Out
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''Not Going Out'' is a British television
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
created, written by and starring
Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
. It has aired on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
since 2006 and is the second-longest-running British sitcom, behind ''
Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...
'' (1973–2010). The show's original cast was Mack,
Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter best known for his puns and other one-liners and his role on the TV sitcom '' Not Going Out'' (2006–2012, 2014). He has also released a number of stand- ...
and Megan Dodds, with Sally Bretton replacing Dodds from the second series. As of series 14, Mack and Bretton are the only two main cast members.


Production

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
and Andrew Collins were the initial writers, with
Paul Kerensa Paul Kerensa (born 1979 in Truro, Cornwall) is an English comedy writer and stand-up comedian. Education and career He studied at Royal Grammar School, Guildford and the Guildford School of Acting. In 2002 Kerensa won ITV's 'Take The Mike' ...
, Simon Evans and Daniel Peak joining the team in later series. Mack is the last remaining actor from the original cast, and the only actor to appear in every episode. The show was cancelled by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
in 2009, whilst the third series was still airing, but the decision was later reversed due to a combination of strong
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
sales and an online petition. This led to the show receiving a renewal for a fourth series which aired from 6 January 2011. The eleventh series premiered on 8 January 2021 and concluded on 5 February 2021. The series consists of five episodes and was preceded by a New Year's special, which aired on 30 December 2020. The show had an additional two series commissioned in June 2019, taking the total number of episodes up to 100. The series was renewed for a fourteenth series in May 2024. A six-part fifteenth series was confirmed on 19 May 2025, to air in 2026. In another time-skip, Lee and Lucy, now empty-nesters, move to the countryside. The show currently uses the Chiswick Playhouse to present
pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, video game, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the co ...
script
read-through The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading of the screenplay or script is conducted around a table by the actors with speaking parts. In addition to the ...
s, by the cast, to the public. The show is recorded in front of a live audience at
Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...
, combined with on-location scenes. As of 2025, Not Going Out now holds the title of the UK's longest-running sitcom currently on air and is second only to Last of the Summer Wine in terms of longevity for prime time sitcoms in the UK. Not Going Out will hit its 20th anniversary in 2026 with its fifteenth series.


Synopsis

The series focuses on
Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
, who plays a fictional version of himself: an unambitious man, initially in his late thirties living as a lodger in a flat in the
London Docklands London Docklands is an area of London encompassing the city’s former docks. It is located in inner east and southeast London, in the boroughs of London Borough of Southwark, Southwark, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Tower Hamlets, London ...
. Originally from
Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
(which is approximately 20 miles from
Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
, Mack's real-life birthplace), Lee is a negligent, unmotivated layabout. Frequently between jobs, he spends most of his days on his sofa watching television or at the local pub with his best friend, Tim Adams (
Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter best known for his puns and other one-liners and his role on the TV sitcom '' Not Going Out'' (2006–2012, 2014). He has also released a number of stand- ...
), whom he has known for 15 years. Tim is an
accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...
from
Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...
who owns the flat in which Lee is a lodger. Lee is also noted for his cheeky wit and for having a very troubled relationship with his father, with whom he shares many traits and who says that Lee was unplanned and resulted in the end of his marriage. Very often, the only thing that can get Lee off his sofa and active is his efforts to impress the girl of his dreams. In the first series, this girl is Kate ( Megan Dodds), Lee's feisty American landlady, with whom he frequently has conflict but otherwise has a close relationship. Kate is Tim's ex-girlfriend; he left her for a 23-year-old named Emma (whom Lee and Kate frequently suggest looked a lot younger), but he is single again after Emma left him. In Series 2, with Dodds having left the show, Kate moves back to the United States. Lee's affections soon turn to Tim's sister, Lucy ( Sally Bretton), who is a decade younger than Tim. Lucy buys the flat, much to Tim's annoyance, after having spent ten years living in Switzerland. She shares Kate's feisty nature and quick wit, and her interactions with Lee are very similar. Although his frequent laziness annoys her, Lucy sometimes appears to enjoy Lee's presence in the flat, largely because of his company and his willingness to help her out of an awkward situation. Tim soon finds himself drawn into Lee's many schemes to impress Lucy, most of which backfire, fail to impress her or land them in trouble. Often, Lee finds himself confiding in his friend and cleaner, Barbara ( Miranda Hart), about his many problems. Later on in the series, Tim forms a relationship with Daisy (
Katy Wix Katy Victoria J Wix (born 28 February 1980) is a Welsh actress, writer, author and artist. Her television roles include Carole in '' Stath Lets Flats,'' Mary in ''Ghosts'', Barbara in ''Ted Lasso'', and Jules in '' Big Boys''. She has also ap ...
), an incredibly dim-witted, but likeable, young woman. In Series 3, Daisy becomes a regular character. Meanwhile, Lucy considers marrying an
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
an refugee in a
marriage of convenience A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. Cases whe ...
, until he marries Barbara instead. Later on, Lee's father, Frank ( Bobby Ball) returns to try to make amends with his son. In Series 4, Lee continues his antics to impress Lucy. In the series finale, Lee gets hit by a car and falls into a
coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...
. Lee's actions to impress Lucy continue well into Series 5, when they both think they accidentally slept together after drinking potato hooch. In Series 6, after Vine quit the series, Tim was written out of the show. In the opening dialogue of the series, it is explained that he has been given a work placement in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Daisy continues her friendship with Lucy and Lee, and her
naivety Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may ...
often gets them in trouble. With Tim's absence, Lee often finds himself listening to suggestions from Daisy on how to impress Lucy, which include acting as a test subject for her psychology course. This leads to Lee both finding out that he was an unplanned child and held responsible for the breakdown in his parents' marriage, and getting a girlfriend, who develops a ''
Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...
''-esque crush on him. Lee comes close to admitting his feelings to Lucy several times over the course of the series, particularly at the end of episodes ''Therapy'' and ''Play'', but although she is receptive, he changes his mind each time. In Series 7, Lee and Lucy meet new neighbours Anna (
Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Lucy Cruttenden (born 23 March 1968) is an English actress. After beginning her career as a child actress, she went on to play opposite Sean Bean as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series '' Sharp ...
) and Toby (
Hugh Dennis Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist and writer. He was a panellist in every episode of the comedy show ''Mock the Week'' (2005–2022) and is one half ...
). In the final episode of the series, Toby lies to Lee, saying Lucy has had a date, after which Lee tells Lucy that he loves her and asks Lucy to marry him. She agrees and they marry in the Christmas special of the series; Tim Vine makes a brief guest reappearance. In the 2015 Christmas Special, Lucy gives birth to her and Lee's first child. In Series 8, Lee and Lucy have been married for eight years; the series is set seven years after the 2015 Christmas special. They have moved out of the flat and now live in a house in
Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, known locally as Walton, is a market town on the bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, Thames in northwest Surrey, England. It is in the Borough of Elmbridge, about southwest of central London. Walton forms part ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
(Mack lives in the nearby village of
East Molesey East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
in real life). They now have three children, seven-year-old Charlie (Finley Shouthby) and five-year-old twins Benji (Max Pattison) and Molly (Francesca Newman). Daisy is no longer in Lee's and Lucy's lives, but the couple remain friends with Toby and Anna. They are also in touch with Lucy's parents, Geoffrey and Wendy, and with Lee's feckless father, Frank, until his death is confirmed at the beginning of the twelfth series, reflecting the real-life death of Bobby Ball in October 2020.


Cast


Main characters


Recurring characters

* ''Lee and Lucy are played by Thomas Gater and Ruby Stokes during flashbacks to childhood.'' * ''Miranda Hart played an acupuncturist in series one.'' * '' Angela McHale has appeared in seven episodes of the show, each time playing a different character.''


Episodes


Series 1–7: ''Docklands era''

Lee is a juvenile and lazy
slacker A slacker is someone who habitually work aversion, avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term "slacker" dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the UK, British Gezira Sche ...
, who goes from one job to another, living off the good graces of his
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
n landlady Kate ( Megan Dodds), with whom he shares a flat in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. It is not long before they find that their friendship is changing into something more. The situation is somewhat complicated by the fact that Lee's best friend Timothy Gladstone Adams (
Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter best known for his puns and other one-liners and his role on the TV sitcom '' Not Going Out'' (2006–2012, 2014). He has also released a number of stand- ...
), an
accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...
from Henley, is Kate's ex-boyfriend (they broke up when he cheated on her with 23-year-old Emma) and he wants to repair their relationship. Lee is torn between pursuing his romantic feelings for Kate and remaining loyal to his increasingly paranoid best friend. Kate has gone back to America in series two, leaving Tim with a flat and lodger he cannot afford to keep. Tim's sister Lucy Adams ( Sally Bretton), a head hunter recently back from ten years abroad, buys the flat and becomes the new landlady and flatmate to Lee. Tim also hires a cleaner, Barbara ( Miranda Hart), to clean the flat. In ''Gay'', the series' second episode, 51-year-old Guy first appears and he soon becomes Lucy's boyfriend. Lee, now an ice-cream seller, later appears to fall for Lucy. In the last episode, Tim and Lee are convinced Guy is a gangster and has been smuggling diamonds, but it turns out that he was having a diamond engagement ring made for Lucy planning to propose on a romantic holiday. Lee leaves the airport thinking Lucy has said yes to Guy, but she returns saying that she was too young to get married and that she had split up with Guy. There was also a Christmas Special in 2007 which introduced Tim and Lucy's parents - Wendy (
Deborah Grant Deborah Grant (born Deborah Jane Snelling; 22 February 1947) is an English actress. Between 1981 and 1991, she played Deborah Bergerac in the BBC television detective series '' Bergerac''. From 2007 to 2023, she appeared in the sitcom ''Not Go ...
) and Geoffrey (
Geoffrey Whitehead Geoffrey Whitehead (born 1 October 1939) is an English actor. He has appeared in a range of television, film and radio roles. Early life Whitehead was born on 1 October 1939 in Grenoside, Sheffield. After his father was killed in the Second Wo ...
) - for the first time. In episode 6, Lee meets a ditzy woman called Daisy at speed dating, who later appeared to fall for Tim. Although at the time it seems that she will be a one-time character, she reappears in the Christmas special as Tim's girlfriend and returns in series three. The third series sees Lee trying to pursue Lucy. Usually encouraged by Barbara, he invariably ends up making things worse for himself. We also witness Lucy questioning her sexuality, which worries Lee. Daisy also becomes more of a fixture in series three. In the last episode, Lucy is about to marry Pavlov, a mechanic, so he can stay in the country. However, she realises that she's made a mistake, and Lee gets Barbara to marry Pavlov instead; the last scene is of them driving off together for their honeymoon in India. Barbara is seen back in the flat, wanting to go off with Lee's dad, Frank, who is seen in the last episode, which was broadcast as a Christmas Special on 23 December 2009. Lucy and Lee kiss under the mistletoe. A fourth series of six episodes was filmed from late September to early November 2010. Miranda Hart did not return as Barbara, as filming of the second series of her own sitcom '' Miranda'' was also taking place. The series began airing on 6 January 2011. The series sees Lee and Tim thrown into a drugs deal after Tim accidentally takes someone else's coat in a nightclub, Lee and Tim discovering that either one of them could have a long-lost daughter, Lee accidentally agreeing to let a porn film be shot in his and Lucy's flat, Lee having to organise a fireworks display and return an elderly woman to her son, and Tim and Lucy's parents' rough patch in their 40-year marriage. The series finishes with a near death experience for Lee, who later organises a date with Lucy. The fifth series, consisting of six episodes, was filmed between November and 22 December 2011 and aired on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
from 13 April 2012. A short
Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
special featuring
Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...
followed later in 2012 which was filmed in the recording block for series 6. The sixth series began airing on 5 April and ended on 31 May 2013. This was the first series since the departure of Tim. In this series, Lucy accidentally kills two rabbits. Other episodes show Lee, Lucy and Daisy ending up stuck in a ski lift with a heavily pregnant woman, Lee getting stalked, Lucy and Lee hosting a children's party, and the main characters find themselves in another of Frank's schemes as he deliberately sinks a boat for insurance purposes. A Christmas special aired on 24 December 2013, with Mack's real-life son making a cameo appearance as a ghost. On 5 April 2013, whilst promoting the sixth series of ''Not Going Out'' on ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
'', Lee Mack confirmed that a seventh series had been commissioned. Filming for this series began 23 May 2014, and later finished on 25 July 2014. The seventh series aired from 17 October 2014 to 24 December 2014 and consisted of ten episodes, making it the longest series to date. Lee Mack, Sally Bretton, Katy Wix, Bobby Ball, Geoffrey Whitehead and Deborah Grant all reprise their roles as Lee, Lucy, Daisy, Frank, Geoffrey and Wendy respectively, whilst
Hugh Dennis Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist and writer. He was a panellist in every episode of the comedy show ''Mock the Week'' (2005–2022) and is one half ...
and
Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Lucy Cruttenden (born 23 March 1968) is an English actress. After beginning her career as a child actress, she went on to play opposite Sean Bean as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series '' Sharp ...
join the cast as new neighbours Toby and Anna, who soon struggle to share a building with Lee and Lucy. Lee and Lucy are mugged, attend a dinner party and try to conceive a baby together. In episode 5, Lee and Daisy go on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
,
Pointless ''Pointless'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British television quiz show produced by Banijay Entertainment subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode, four teams of two contestan ...
. Hosts
Alexander Armstrong Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong (born 2 March 1970) is an English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter, singer and farmer. He is the host of the BBC One game show ''Pointless'', and is a weekday morning-show presenter on C ...
and
Richard Osman Richard Osman (born 28 November 1970) is an English television presenter, producer, and novelist. He is the creator and former co-presenter of the BBC One television quiz show ''Pointless''. He has presented the BBC Two quiz shows ''Two Tribes ( ...
make appearances throughout the episode. In episode 9, Lee finally reveals his love for Lucy and asks her to marry him. She says, "Yes". Episode 10 features their wedding day, with Lee, Frank, and Lucy's dad, Geoffrey all ending up in jail after a drunken stag night. There are guest appearances from
Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter best known for his puns and other one-liners and his role on the TV sitcom '' Not Going Out'' (2006–2012, 2014). He has also released a number of stand- ...
(who came back for this episode), and Bobby Ball's comedy partner, Tommy Cannon as the vicar. An outtakes episode aired 27 December 2014. Hosted by Mack, Sally Bretton and Katy Wix. Lee Mack announced on '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' that there would be a Christmas Special in 2015 and possibly another series in 2016. Talking to ''
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
'', Mack gave an outline of the special; it follows on from the marriage of Lucy and Lee in " The Wedding", the most recent episode, and involved a gun. Mack also announced that the special would not be filmed before a studio audience, unlike past episodes, and that he had written its first scenes. The Christmas special aired on 24 December 2015, where the regular cast were involved in an armed robbery in a department store. Frank was working as an elf in the Christmas department, when Lee, Lucy and Daisy were with Toby and Anna, who had sent their son away over Christmas. The two security guards were attacked by the armed robber who locked them all in the security room, and Lee had a showdown with the armed robber. The episode ended with Lucy giving birth to Charlie, the couple's first child.


Series 8–13: ''Walton-on-Thames era''

On 24 August 2016, it was confirmed that there would be an eighth series in 2017. It is set seven years after the events of the 2015 Christmas special, and shows how Lee and Lucy cope with being parents to three young children. The series began airing on 13 January 2017, and ended on 3 March 2017. ''Not Going Out'' reached its highest ever audience in the opening episode, with a total of 5.52 million viewers. On 14 November 2017, it was confirmed that a Christmas Special would air in 2017. The episode featured Lee and Lucy facing a possible yuletide disaster when they discover the perfect present they have bought for their children has already been bought by grandparents. On 4 December 2017, it was confirmed that the Christmas Special would air on 24 December 2017. At a press screening event for series 8 on 14 December 2016, it was confirmed that a ninth and tenth series had been ordered by the BBC. The ninth series of ''Not Going Out'' began on 8 March 2018. In series 9, two episodes were classically farcical: in ''Stolen'', Lee and Lucy, having broken into their best friends' house, are forced to hide under their bed when their friends return unexpectedly early – and head straight for the bedroom; in ''Pants on Fire'', lies build upon lies, and embarrassment soars to a crescendo. In the episodes - ''Pets'' and ''Lollipop Man'', they deal with common parents' dilemmas, and in ''Home Improvements'' and ''Escape Room'' they interact more with their parents – with, naturally, disastrous consequences. In ''Bust Up'', Lucy contemplates having
breast augmentation In medicine, breast augmentation and augmentation mammoplasty are terms that describe a cosmetic surgery procedure that uses either a Breast implant, breast implant or a fat-graft to realise a mammoplasty to increase the size, change the shape ...
. On 21 December at 9pm on BBC1 the first live episode of the show was broadcast. The premise was that Lee and Lucy were organising a Christmas show for their children's school, and involved Toby and Anna beginning
Tom Lehrer Thomas Andrew Lehrer (; born April 9, 1928) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, who later taught mathematics and musical theater. He recorded pithy and humorous, often Music and politics, political songs that ...
's ''Elements'', but veering off as they "forgot" it into lists of supposed ideas, and building into a row. Replacing the supposedly offended knife thrower as a finale, Lee threw genuine knives at Lucy – on a rotating wheel for the final one. It was judged a great success with high reviews. Series 10 began broadcasting on 15 April 2019 on BBC One, moving to Monday nights as opposed to its usual Friday night slot. An eleventh series was announced in 2019 for 2020; however, it was postponed until 2021. A further two series were also announced (Series twelve and thirteen) for 2021 and 2022. The eleventh series was the last series to feature Bobby Ball as Frank following Ball's death in October 2020. A New Year's Eve special aired on 30 December 2020 and the regular series began on 8 January 2021, consisting of five episodes (and a Christmas special on 23 December 2021). Mack had previously said that the twelfth series (airing early 2022) of ''Not Going Out'' could begin with a funeral for Bobby Ball. He has also said that Tommy Cannon (Ball's famous comedy double act partner in Cannon and Ball) could play the vicar. Cannon had previously played the vicar at Lee and Lucy's wedding. Mack said it would be a "marvellous thing to do" considering the fact that Ball's real funeral venue was limited, due to Covid-19 restrictions and the limited number of people who could attend. This idea did not go ahead, as the first episode took place over a year after Frank's death; however, series 12 episode 1 was still a tribute to Ball. In 2022, Bretton was absent in the episode 'Jury'. This is her only absence from the series since her first appearance in Series 2, Episode 1. The thirteenth series began airing weekly from 23 June 2023, with all episodes available on iPlayer hours before the first episode aired. Series 13 saw the final appearances of Charlie, Benji, Molly, Anna, Toby, Geoffrey and Wendy following the time jump in the next series.


Series 14–present: ''Countryside era''

The show was renewed for a fourteenth series in May 2024. However, prior to this announcement, Mack stated that since the 2023 Christmas special was the 100th episode, he considered bringing the show to an end as he had no plans to work on the series until early 2025. Series 14 is set 6 years ahead of the 2023 Christmad special with Lucy and Lee moving to a new house in the countryside, with their children now away at university. It is the first series to not feature Anna, Toby, Geoffrey, Wendy, Charlie, Benji and Molly. The fourteenth series began airing weekly from 13 June 2025, same as with the thirteenth series all episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on 13 June hours before the first episode aired. Prior to the fourteenth series airing, the BBC announced that Not Going Out had been renewed for a 6x30 minute fifteen series set to air in 2026. Series 15 will also see the show celebrate its 20th anniversary.


Production

Most of each episode was shot on set in front of an audience at
Teddington Studios Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky One and others. The complex also prov ...
. There are two main sets: the flat/house and the bar/coffee shop that Lee frequently visits. Outdoor shots and real indoor location shots have also been used on occasion. The fourth and fifth series were shot at the
BBC Television Centre Television Centre (TVC), formerly known as BBC Television Centre, is a building complex in White City, London, White City, West London, which was the headquarters of BBC Television from 1960 to 2013, when BBC Television moved to Broadcasting H ...
. The sixth and seventh series saw filming return to
Teddington Studios Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky One and others. The complex also prov ...
. International distribution is handled by Avalon who also produce the series. From Series 5 onwards, ''Not Going Out'' was produced in association with Lee Mack's own company, Arlo Productions (named after his son). The 2015 Christmas special was filmed on location in
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
, in a department store, and was screened in London to record the laugh track. After Teddington Studios closed, series 8 was filmed at BBC Elstree Centre and series 9-14 were filmed at
Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...
. It is unknown where series 15 will be filmed as the Pinewood TV department will be shut down in 2025. In series 6, for the episode entitled Boat, production visited the Port of Ramsgate in
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
to film part of the episode where Lee's dad, Frank ( Bobby Ball), has bought a boat and invites Lee and his friends down to
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
for the weekend. When they arrive, the boat is not what everyone expected. The show is filmed in
HDTV High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...
and, since series 4, airs simultaneously on
BBC One HD BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
. Previous to this, the show was not
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
on
BBC HD BBC HD was a high-definition television channel owned by the BBC. The channel was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 25 March 2013. It broadcast only during ...
, but shown on
BBC HD BBC HD was a high-definition television channel owned by the BBC. The channel was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 25 March 2013. It broadcast only during ...
30 minutes after the BBC One airing. A lot of the humour is based on
word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...
and double entendres delivered in a
deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...
manner. This is a comedy style Mack and Vine have used both in stand-up and in ''
The Sketch Show ''The Sketch Show'' is a British television sketch comedy programme, featuring British comedians. It aired on ITV between 2001 and 2004. The show was first commissioned in 2001 and was co-produced by a company owned by Steve Coogan. Despite t ...
'', to the extent that an occasional one-liner from their solo performances is slipped in. This is mostly one-sided, with Kate and later Lucy typically being the victims of the joke. Sight gags are also frequently used, while verbal gags and witticisms are incorporated into almost every line of script. For the first series, episodes were written by Mack and Andrew Collins, with members of the cast credited for additional material. Because the eight episodes of the second series had to be written and filmed in a short space of time, Avalon Television brought in Nick Stacey, Paul Kerensa and Simon Evans to join the writing team. Mack, Collins and Stacey concentrated on writing the main body of the episodes whilst Kerensa and Evans were involved in storylining, rewriting and 'gagging up' the episodes. The third series saw the writing team expanded, with Darin Henry, Daniel Peak, and Simon Dean contributing to the main episodes (all co-written with Mack). The "gag writing" team was also expanded, from two members to as many as eight, not counting the main writers, on a single episode. Milton Jones was among the additional writers of the show. In the original pilot of the series, which has not been aired, the part of Kate was played by
Catherine Tate Catherine Tate (born Catherine Jane Ford, 5 December 1969) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC Two, BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), as well as bein ...
. However, due to the success of '' The Catherine Tate Show'', the American actress Megan Dodds was cast in the role and the character developed accordingly. The theme song is performed by
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
impersonator Stephen Triffitt. The flat in which Lee and Kate/Lucy lived from 2006 to 2015 is No. 17. In a DVD commentary for the first series, it was mentioned that "Number 17" was originally considered as a title for the series, before the name "Not Going Out" was decided upon.


DVD releases

Although filmed and broadcast in HD, no Blu-rays have been released to date. All episodes up to the end of Series 4 feature different video post-production to the broadcast versions, giving them a US-style 'filmlook' effect, however this was dropped from the Series 5 DVD onwards. The episodes ''Movie'' and ''Drunk'' are slightly extended for DVD, featuring shots and lines cut or censored for their original
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
transmission. Some music tracks are replaced by soundalikes for release. *''Not Going Out 6'' does not include the 2013 Christmas Special, "The House". It is however included on ''The Christmas Specials'' and ''The Complete Series 1–7''.


Notes


References


External links

* * * *{{epguides, NotGoingOut 2006 British television series debuts 2000s British romantic comedy television series 2000s British multi-camera sitcoms 2000s British satirical television series 2010s British romantic comedy television series 2010s British multi-camera sitcoms 2010s British satirical television series 2020s British romantic comedy television series 2020s British multi-camera sitcoms 2020s British satirical television series BBC romance television shows BBC television sitcoms British surreal comedy television series British television series revived after cancellation British English-language television shows Television series about dysfunctional families Television series about marriage Television series about siblings Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in London Television series by Little Brother Productions Television shows shot at BBC Elstree Centre Television shows shot at Teddington Studios Television shows filmed at Pinewood Studios