Lee Mack

Radio Times review

Slacker Lee, in pyjama bottoms, slumped in front of the telly, eating cereal straight from the box, is at the eye of a big festive occasion. But his pint-sized Death Star, his dad Frank (the peerless Bobby Ball) looms large. Or, rather, small.

Inevitably, this means the pair of them get drunk, and their night on the tiles is encapsulated in a brilliant montage of increasing degradation. It's a classic Not Going Out sequence in an episode that's surprisingly poignant. Maybe it's something to do with the time of year.

There are loads of great gags from Lee Mack, the human joke-rocket-launcher, while the stately Geoffrey Whitehead, as Lucy's fridge-freezer father, steals every scene. And watch out for some special guests...

Lee Mack: Christmas episode could be the last

Lee Mack has hinted that Not Going Out is coming to an end after eight years.

Not every Christmas special needs a change of scene. Would I Lie To You? at Christmas was much like any other episode of the show, save for a few snowflake decorations, yet it still felt festive. It's at Christmas that this cosy parlour game comes into its own. Something else that hadn't changed was the gender imbalance. It's not unusual for a panel show, of course, but the fact that WILTY? can muster only one woman out of seven participants is still a shocker.

Judged by any other standard, however, this was a strong line-up. On Lee Mack's team, the lone woman, Countdown's co-presenter Rachel Riley, got in a good yarn about a cake-baking super-fan and David Mitchell's team, featuring actor Ray Winstone and The Last Leg's Josh Widdicombe, was balanced in other ways. "It looks like Ray's on charge for something, Dave is his flustered barrister and Josh is the child they're fighting for custody over," commented host Rob Brydon.

Winstone proved himself a formidable fibber, but the most spurious story of all came from Lee Mack: "I can write so well with my foot that to save time writing Christmas cards I simultaneously write one card with my hand and one card with my foot." Naturally, a demonstration was in order.

DVD review: Lee Mack, Hit The Road Mack

Self styled banter merchant Lee Mack isn't for everyone. His fast paced performances can feel a bit old fashioned at times; to the extent that you half expect him to be rounded up and carted back to the 1970s variety show he must have escaped from - or possibly the branch of Pontins where he used to work as a bluecoat. Nevertheless, this DVD shows him at his best and fans of Mack won't be disappointed.

Radio Times review

A peach of a series finale, running in real time with Lee Mack in his favourite spot at the bar throughout. Lucy (Sally Bretton) is on her way to a restaurant for a job interview, and if she gets the role she'll be leaving for good. So Lee and Toby (Hugh Dennis) ponder life for Lee without Lucy. Should he run next door and hammer on the window, like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate? Can he even admit he loves her?

The show's detractors say it's just a heap of puns with no soul. Not tonight. The underlying theme of the lackadaisical joker using silliness as a defence mechanism is blown open. Yet the gags - and there are many brilliant ones - never, ever stop.

Lee Mack and Daniel Peak's sitcom mainstay lands itself an extended Christmas slot to close off the current series, providing ample time for Lee and Lucy to encounter some supersized escapades. Lee is dragged along for a boisterous night out with his boozehound of a dad, leading to predictably calamitous consequences, not to mention some surprisingly sensuous sashaying to Whitney Houston's finest three minutes. If that's not enough, a compilation of outtakes from the series goes out at 11.05pm on Saturday.

Live comedy DVDs roundup

Featuring Lee Mack, Richard Herring, Al Murray, Jon Richardson, Jim Davidson and Harry Hill.

Review: Lee Mack

Without his constant impressions of hardened Mancunians, it's difficult to imagine how he pads this show out in other cities.

DVD review: Lee Mack - Hit The Road Mack

Lee Mack's brand of comedy feels so old school at times I'm surprised he has brought out a DVD. His demographic would probably prefer it to be on VHS. That's a good joke but maybe a little unfair.

Review: Lee Mack

The encore was simply to invite questions from the floor. A risky strategy but the good folk of Queen of the Midlands delivered - and gave him the perfect material to round off a busy night.