Tim Vine

Tim Vine interview

He's best known as the king of the one-liners and star of the sitcom Not Going Out. Now comic Tim Vine is presenting a new gameshow called Don't Blow The Inheritance in which teams of two from different generations of the same family try to win a big cash prize.

Jeremy and Tim Vine's pretty vacant past

Growing up in Cheam, Surrey, the BBC presenter and his comedian brother formed a pop-punk band called The Flared Generation.

Tonight's episode climaxes (if that's the right word) with Tim Vine and Lee Mack in bed with a Polish sex worker - the culmination of a very shaggy dog story indeed. As Vine sighs, this is what comes of being a friend of Mack, whose sitcom is like a more risqué Men Behaving Badly, with more one-liners. Vine does make one astute observation: "If prostitution's the oldest profession, it must have been the first and only profession. So where was everyone else getting the money to pay for it?"

Lee Mack's sitcom sees his hapless character start training for a fun run tonight and end up becoming embroiled with a prostitute. Its gag-heavy humour isn't to all tastes in this era of observational comedy, and some jokes do fall a bit flat, but most are pretty original - one of tonight's cleverer ones is: "Usain Bolt, I say tomato". The plots are also cleverly constructed, and, above all, Mack and co-star Tim Vine have fantastic comic chemistry. It's a very enjoyable half hour.

The quartet do head out tonight, into the great outdoors, on a camping trip that quickly descends into the usual silly farce that you'll enjoy against your better judgement. Don't miss dopey Daisy (Katy Wix) showing Tim Vine what she's made of.

Bobby Ball returns tonight to stir up more trouble as Lee's dad. This time he's in a wheelchair, covered head to toe with plaster, and in possession of some pain relief that can only be administered where the sun don't shine. That's the source of some obvious gags, but Lee Mack and Tim Vine play out the farce with their usual, splendid verve.

The brilliant Bobby Ball is back as Lee's (Lee Mack) wayward father Frank in this gently amusing sitcom. He turns up on the doorstep unannounced, in a wheelchair and asking to stay. Lee wants rid but Lucy (Sally Bretton) takes pity and invites him in. When Tim (Tim Vine) and his father (Geoffrey Whitehead) drop round to watch the cricket, their relationship inspires Lee and Frank into some father-son bonding.

Tim Vine on how Not Going Out cast kept on laughing

Tickled Tim Vine has revealed how the Not Going Out cast keep laughing during filming.