The new series proves it’s a comedy dinosaur – how has it lasted 101 episodes and counting?
I’m not sure what it says about the state of television that Lee Mack’s enduring sitcom Not Going Out has refreshed itself for a 14th series by aping techniques more usually seen in prestige drama. The opening episode features a time jump and plays out in real time. What’s next for the (already confirmed) 15th series? A one-shot masterpiece à la Adolescence?
To be fair, this is not the first-time jump for Not Going Out, which took us from Mack’s slacker Lee getting together with the lovely Lucy (Sally Bretton) to them raising a family together between the seventh and eighth series. This latest hop sees the couple into the empty nest stage of life: their kids are at university and they’re looking to move house and start a new chapter.
We join Lee and Lucy being shown around their dream home by owner Will (Mike Wozniak), who is also a koi carp enthusiast keen to flog his precious fish for thousands along with the house. Inevitably, the minor development of Lee asking to use the loo before they leave quickly descends into the kind of old-fashioned farce that Not Going Out excels at. Before long, Lee is posing as the house’s seller to put off another interested buyer, John (Ray Fearon). Naturally, this results in the two of them hiding out in the bathroom while Lucy feigns interest in the extortionate koi carp.
By the end of the half hour – as in most episodes – Lee has got himself into a right old mess, having claimed not only that he is married to Will’s elderly mother but that Lucy is actually his daughter. It’s certainly not cutting-edge comedy, reliant on the kind of misunderstandings and mixed up identities that have tickled funny bones for centuries, but Not Going Out does orchestrate this spiralling of slapstick absurdity well, especially when it comes to an extended riff on a stairlift.
That said, this is not an episode that will win over any new fans. And even old faithfuls might start to find their attention start to drift. While I must confess to not having the highest tolerance for toilet humour, what started as a mildly amusing repeat joke about Lee having a weak bladder takes a turn for gross-out that feels at odds with everything else. The real-time concept just doesn’t sustain a premise this thin. By the time Lee’s lies start to tumble and fall, it feels like it’s all been dragging on for far too long, an overstretched sketch rather than a well-rounded sitcom instalment.
If “mildly amusing” is the benchmark, then Not Going Out does meet it: its humour lies in mining the awkwardness of small talk, the corny pleasures of dad jokes and predictable but satisfying puns. Mack and Bretton know exactly what they’re doing and are both warm, welcome presences in this sort of studio sitcom set-up.
But the fact remains that this is a series where the rhythm is dictated by ensuring big enough pauses are left for the prominent laughter track as much as for the punchlines. While it’s hard to argue with millions of loyal fans, it’s equally hard to argue that it feels relevant in 2025 (although, admittedly, a later episode where Lee and Lucy try to buy Oasis tickets sounds promising).
Near the beginning of this opener, house seller Will comments: “He’s relentless, isn’t he?” about Lee, and Lucy responds, “Oh it never ends. Ever.” It’s a statement that appears to be as true for the character as the comedy he leads. But maybe it’s time to consider putting it to an end.
‘Not Going Out’ continues next Friday at 9pm on BBC One
