Britain's longest-running sitcom, "Not Going Out," is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marked by a one-off documentary titled "20 Years Of Not Going Out." Creator and star Lee Mack dives into the show's history, revealing insights into its creation, cast changes, and significant plot developments.
The BBC show, which premiered in 2006, initially followed the unambitious Lee (Mack) and his friend's sister Lucy (Sally Bretton), who is also his landlady. A developing romance between the pair culminated in their marriage in the seventh season finale. The show then leaped forward eight years, focusing on their family life with three children, a format that has continued for 15 seasons.
Mack shared that the initial concept for the show stemmed from his 1999 sketch show, "Lee Mack's Bits," performed at the Edinburgh Festival with Catherine Tate and Dan Antopolski. Jokes that didn't fit the sketch format were saved, eventually forming the basis for the sitcom. The BBC commissioned a pilot script, which was never aired.
In that unaired pilot, Catherine Tate was cast as the female lead. However, she withdrew to focus on her own sketch show. Mack stated there were no hard feelings, acknowledging Tate's success. Her brief involvement, however, led to a significant change: the show's working title, "Number 17," was altered to "Not Going Out." Mack explained that when some viewers didn't believe he and Tate were a couple, he decided to redefine their relationship as landlady and tenant, and if anyone questioned their relationship, they could simply state, "well, we're not," hence the title.
American actress Megan Dodds took over the role of Lucy for the first series, with Sally Bretton assuming the part from the second series onward. The series has also seen other cast departures. Tim Vine, who played Lucy's brother, left the show, which Mack described as a cause for a fallout, though they have since reconciled. Vine's character was written out with a simple explanation that he had moved to Germany for work, and Hugh Dennis joined the cast as Pete. Miranda Hart, who played an acupuncturist and later a cleaner, also departed to pursue her own program, "Miranda," with Katy Wix stepping in as Daisy.
"Not Going Out" faced cancellation midway through its third season by the BBC, prompting fan outcry and strong DVD sales, which led the network to reverse its decision and commission two more series. Mack admitted that he worried the show's premise of a man pining for his landlady might become stale or even "creepy" as the characters aged.
To address this, Mack decided to resolve the central romance. The seventh season saw Lee confess his feelings and marry Lucy. Mack considered this a potential end for the show, noting that the finale depicted them driving off into the distance on the back of a van, which could have served as a conclusion. However, he also saw an opportunity to evolve the series into a family sitcom. He decided against exploring the newlywed phase, opting instead to fast-forward to the family dynamics, beginning with the birth of their first child and then jumping seven years ahead.
Tragedy struck the production in 2020 when Bobby Ball, who played Lee's father, Frank, died at age 76 from COVID-19. Mack revealed that a funeral episode was filmed but deemed too sad to air. Instead, the show produced a humorous tribute episode where Lee's mother-in-law, Wendy (Deborah Grant), painted an unflattering portrait of Frank a year after his death.
Now in its 15th season, "Not Going Out" is the second longest-running sitcom in British television history, following "Last of the Summer Wine." Mack reflected on the show's longevity, acknowledging that the idea of continuing for another 20 years seemed improbable but also acknowledging that it felt that way 20 years ago. He expressed pride in the show, describing it as a mix of "highs and lows, hard work, good laughs, screaming and shouting" and all sorts of emotions.