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Not Going Out. Image shows from L to R: Lucy (Sally Bretton), Lee (Lee Mack), Tim (Tim Vine). Image credit: Avalon Television.

Not Going Out

A new series of this comedy is in production.

A fast-paced gag-orientated prime-time BBC One sitcom starring Lee Mack as a lazy slacker and Tim Vine as his uptight best mate

AKA:
NGO
Genre:
Sitcom
Broadcast:
2006 - 2009  (BBC One)
Episodes:
22 (3 series)
Starring:
Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart, Simon Dutton, Megan Dodds, Katy Wix
Writers:
Andrew Collins, Lee Mack, Nick Stacey, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans, Peter Tilbury, Derren Litten, Simon Dean, Darin Henry, Daniel Peak, Dave Cohen
Production:
Avalon Television

Not Going Out is a light-hearted, fast-paced mainstream sitcom based around the life of a man un-burdened by ambition or drive. Lee deflects criticism and bad news with his trademark wit and one-liners but deep down he is looking for love, a steady job and a flat he can call his own.

In the first series Lee stayed in the flat with an American health fanatic called Kate. Their easy-going, comfortable friendship steadily moved onto potentially romantic ground - a situation complicated by the fact that Lee's best mate Tim was Kate's previous boyfriend.

Kate moved back to America before Series Two started. Unable to buy the flat himself due to his enduring inability to earn a steady income, Lee was forced to rent the spare room from the flat's new owner - Tim's ambitious younger sister Lucy. Series Three continued with this premise.

The forthcoming fourth series (filming this autumn) will see Lee, Tim and Lucy get into more adventures.

Our Review: The BBC finally created a Friday night mainstream sitcom that was actually really funny... but then they went and cancelled it - typical! However, wait, for once, the story has a happy ending... the corporation realised they had made a mistake and a fourth series will be filmed this autumn.

The rapid fire delivery of gags in this sitcom is very impressive although, at times, it does make it feel like you're watching a stand-up show rather than a sitcom (but that's not necessarily a major fault considering Vine and Mack's stand-up experience).

A couple of the jokes do fall flat, but when there are more witty lines in a minute of this show than most sitcoms manage in their whole half-hour, who cares?

The second series of NGO did suffer slightly from the introduction of a number of new characters: Barbara the cleaner was not liked by all, and some felt the relationship between Lucy and Guy was a bit 'clunky'. However, this second series was nearly up-to-par with the very strong first, and did still achieve the main objective: delivering more gag-filled half-hours into living rooms.

We suggest that the main strength of this comedy is in the friendship between Lee and Tim and the banter that goes on between them. This marvellous chemistry was watered down a little in Series 3, but is rumoured to be back with more Tim-Lee scenes in Series 4. We can't wait.

Series four will be filmed this autumn. Lee Mack, Tim Vine and Sally Bretton will all be back, but Miranda Hart (Barbara the cleaner) will not appear as she'll be busy filming a second series of Miranda then.