Lee Mack

Lee Mack not surprised if comics came from broken homes

Not Going Out returns for its eighth series this month, which makes the will-they-won't-they tale of a feckless man's passion for his landlady the longest-running BBC sitcom still on air.

Lee Mack's comedy has bounded forward seven years: Lee and Lucy now have three kids and a classic family sitcom set-up - stairs at the back, front door on the left, through-kitchen on the right - and jokes about how annoyed they are by each other's habits. As they spar over who's responsible for the lost romance, the relentless wisecracking style makes the ensuing screwball battle veer close to unpleasant bitterness. Still plenty of great gags, though.

Interview: Lee Mack on Not Going Out

Lee Mack confesses he's reached the age where he can usually be found beavering away in his garden shed. But you won't find him, like a lot of men approaching 50, repotting the begonias or pretending to tinker with the lawn mower. Mack's shed is where he spends hours writing the BBC1 sitcom Not Going Out, which returns on Friday for its eighth series in ten years.

Not Going Out series 8 preview

Not Going Out isn't the sort of emotive, appointment-to-view comedy that so many artistically motivated comics are making. But the rarity of being a light sitcom that's dependably funny thanks to script and character - not the dated, grating extravagance of the likes of Citizen Khan or Mrs Brown's Boys - is quite the achievement. No wonder it's future is assured. The day Not Going Out is not going out on TV is a long way off.

TV preview: Not Going Out, BBC1

Has Lee Mack become a time traveller? In the new series of Not Going Out he suddenly has three children, all around primary/infant school age, whereas a year ago he had only just become a father for the first time. Apparently the new series of Not Going Out is set seven years on. But don't expect any hoverboards or meals served in pill form. This is about as traditional and old-fashioned as sitcoms get.

Not Going Out Series 8 preview

Same music. Same cast. Same title. Yet there's something noticeably different about the eighth series of Not Going Out.

Lee Mack returns with a full house

Lee Mack explains why and how they've advanced hit sitcom Not Going Out from having a baby in the last show to three children now.

How Everybody Loves Raymond inspired Not Going Out

Lee Mack has revealed that he's taken inspiration for the new series of Not Going Out from an unexpected source: Everybody Loves Raymond. "His rules were that someone it the writers' room had to say, 'Yeah, that happened to me.' So I decided that was going to be the rule this year."

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