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List of Not Going Out episodes

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Not Going Out is a British television sitcom created by, written by and starring Lee Mack as Lee, a man from Lancashire who lives in London. The series premiered on BBC One on 6 October 2006 and has since become the second-longest British sitcom, after Last of the Summer Wine. Supporting cast includes Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart, Katy Wix, and Hugh Dennis. As of 24 December 2023, 100 episodes of Not Going Out have aired, including eleven specials, concluding the thirteenth series.

Series overview

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
166 October 2006 (2006-10-06)10 November 2006 (2006-11-10)
287 September 2007 (2007-09-07)21 December 2007 (2007-12-21)
3830 January 2009 (2009-01-30)23 December 2009 (2009-12-23)
466 January 2011 (2011-01-06)10 February 2011 (2011-02-10)
5613 April 2012 (2012-04-13)18 May 2012 (2012-05-18)
695 April 2013 (2013-04-05)24 December 2013 (2013-12-24)
71117 October 2014 (2014-10-17)24 December 2015 (2015-12-24)
8813 January 2017 (2017-01-13)24 December 2017 (2017-12-24)
988 March 2018 (2018-03-08)21 December 2018 (2018-12-21)
10915 April 2019 (2019-04-15)24 December 2019 (2019-12-24)
11630 December 2020 (2020-12-30)5 February 2021 (2021-02-05)
12723 December 2021 (2021-12-23)29 April 2022 (2022-04-29)
13823 June 2023 (2023-06-23)24 December 2023 (2023-12-24)

Episodes

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The original pilot has not been released; it was directed by Alex Hardcastle and Nick Wood, written by Lee Mack and Andrew Collins, and featured Catherine Tate in the role of Kate.

Series 1 (2006)

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No.
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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11"Serious"Alex Hardcastle & Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins6 October 2006 (2006-10-06)2.8313.9%

Lee starts a job writing jokes for Christmas crackers. He is lodging in publisher Kate's (Megan Dodds) Docklands flat. She is the ex-girlfriend of his best friend Tim Adams (Tim Vine). Kate arranges a dinner date between Lee and author Lucy Moss with the intent to find his serious side, which fails. Whilst Lee is out with Lucy, Tim comes to the flat to apologise to Kate for cheating on her with 23-year-old Emma, but they end up insulting each other. Lee stops seeing Lucy when she overhears him insulting her. He is sacked from his job when one of his funeral jokes is accidentally put in a cracker. Kate starts a course to learn clowning skills, but struggles to find her "inner clown". She is expelled for throwing water over the instructor and sticking a custard pie down her trousers.


First appearance of: Lee, Kate & Tim.
22"Death"Alex Hardcastle & Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins13 October 2006 (2006-10-13)2.9614.1%

Tim's 94-year-old grandmother has died, and as Kate comforts him, the two grow closer. She and Lee accompany him to the funeral. Meanwhile, Lee is encouraged by Kate to visit a therapist (Lorelei King), who quickly begins to suspect that Lee is secretly in love with Kate, and suggests that he talk to her about it. Lee turns up unexpectedly at the funeral with the intention of telling Kate how he feels, but Tim interrupts before he can. Whilst Lee is getting drinks, Tim tries to rekindle his relationship with Kate, but she turns him down, saying that she does not want to get back together. Kate then leaves, and Tim suggests that Lee goes after her, but Lee instead decides to stay at the funeral with Tim. That evening, Kate asks Lee what he was going to tell her, but he says that it can wait.


Guest appearances of: Richard Freeman and Lorelei King.
33"Aussie"Alex Hardcastle & Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins20 October 2006 (2006-10-20)2.8513.8%

Ruth, an Australian friend of Kate's, comes to stay. Kate persuades Lee to pretend to be Tim and explains that Ruth has never met Tim and that she has not told Ruth that they have split up. At the pub, Lee argues with Tim about how easy it is to impersonate a middle-class person, like Tim, but Tim finds it harder to the same with a working-class man, like Lee. When Tim visits the flat, he impersonates Lee badly with a strong Northern accent. Tim tells Ruth who he and Lee actually are. Lee's new job is handing out leaflets at a shopping centre whilst dressed in animal costumes. He is frequently kicked by a local youth and later sacked for throwing the youth in a canal.


Guest appearances of Julia Morris as Ruth, Cordelia Bugeja as Julie and Jamie Borthwick as the youth
44"Stress"Alex Hardcastle & Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins27 October 2006 (2006-10-27)3.2415.6%
Lee is giving Kate driving lessons, but she is an appalling driver and tests Lee's patience to the limit when she crashes the car. Lee is further angered by her suggestion that his stress is about more than just her driving, especially when Tim agrees. To prove a point, Lee agrees to let Kate teach him yoga and meditation, but his impatience and anxiety hinder any progress. Kate books Lee an appointment with an acupuncturist (Miranda Hart), but during the session, he tells the acupuncturist it is a scam, and they fight. Tim takes over Kate's driving lessons and proves to be a much more adept teacher than Lee. Lee acquires some tranquillisers, which are too effective on him. Kate takes Lee and Tim for a drive in the country. When Tim reveals Lee's drug taking to Kate, she speeds up the car in anger and crashes into a tractor. She is delighted when she later passes her driving test.
55"Kid"Alex Hardcastle & Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins3 November 2006 (2006-11-03)3.5716.6%

Kate's friends are attending a wedding in the Caribbean, so their surly 14-year-old goth son Nicky is staying at the flat for a few days. He is hostile to Lee. He takes Nicky to the pub, where they meet Tim. Nicky and Tim share the same taste in heavy metal music. Kate takes her friend's Great Dane to the park, where it kills a swan. Nicky wants Kate and Tim to get back together, but thinks that Lee is attracted to Kate; Lee says that he is not.


Guest appearance of (Rupert Simonian) as Nicky
66"Caretaker"Alex Hardcastle & Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins10 November 2006 (2006-11-10)3.3915.6%

Kate is pressuring Lee to find a permanent job. To prove a point, Lee is offered a job as a caretaker in the same block of flats, which involves moving into a room on the ground floor. He is hesitant to accept the job, but Tim encourages him to do so, claiming that Kate will have more respect for him. Lee accepts the offer and moves out. However, Tim's actual plan is to convince Kate to offer Lee's room to a new female flatmate, removing her from all male attention. Kate advertises the flat, but her first applicant is an intelligent and attractive man who would be a rival to both Lee and Tim. Tim urges Lee to move back in as quickly as he can. Lee puts off Kate's potential new flatmate by telling him that she likes to do something unpleasant involving fish. He asks Kate to move back in with her, which she does. She tells him that she has heard about Lee's fish story, producing one from behind a cushion and whacking him with it.


Final appearance of: Kate

Series 2 (2007)

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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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71"Mortgage"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa & Peter Tilbury7 September 2007 (2007-09-07)3.2915.8%

With Kate having gone back to America, Tim tells Lee he is going to sell the flat and hires Barbara (Miranda Hart) to clean it. Lee tries to get a mortgage so he can buy it, and in the meantime he puts off all the potential buyers, until Lucy (Sally Bretton), who unbeknown to Lee is Tim's sister, arrives saying she will rent the spare room when Lee buys it. Lucy soon decides she wants to buy it herself, and both offer to buy it from Tim. They are visited by a man called Hilary Alison (Stewart Francis), and both assume he is interested in the flat. Lee pretends it is "a burgled former asbestos mill" to put him off. Tim decides to sell it to Lee, but he cannot get a mortgage (Hilary was the surveyor) so Lucy buys it. On Tim's wishes, she rents out the spare room to Lee.


First regular appearance of: Lucy & Barbara
82"Gay"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa14 September 2007 (2007-09-14)3.1915.7%

Lucy persuades Lee to pretend to be gay after she lies to a business acquaintance, Guy (Simon Dutton), a man in his early fifties whom she was told is gay, by telling him she lives with a gay lodger to prove she is not homophobic. However, Guy soon starts to get suspicious and tests Lee's sexual orientation by taking him to a gay bar. Later, Guy overhears Lee saying to Tim, who had started to think Lee was gay, that he is not gay. When Lucy then explains to Guy what happened, he reveals he is not gay and he and Lucy kiss.


First regular appearance of: Guy
93"Librarian"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa & Peter Tilbury21 September 2007 (2007-09-21)3.3616.9%
Lucy and Guy are going out with each other, and Guy is at the flat for a lot of the time. This annoys Lee, who thinks Guy is too old for her. Lee discovers that Guy owns a lap dancing club. At the club, Lee and Tim see Rosie (Thaila Zucchi), a librarian that Tim has been dating, and discovers she is a lap dancer. Tim later dumps her, but then changes his mind. However, Rosie refuses to get back together. Lucy dumps Guy when the discussion of the lap dancing club pops up in conversation, with Lucy sharing some regrettable opinions. They soon get back together but agree to take their relationship more slowly.
104"Baby"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa28 September 2007 (2007-09-28)3.2015.2%

When Guy's daughter Chloe (Cressida Whyte) gets appendicitis, Lee and Tim are left looking after her baby son Dillon while Guy and Lucy visit her. While in their care, Dillon swallows a Subbuteo football and Lee and Tim have problems locating it and try to think of ways to get it out of his body. Using a laxative of coconut milk, they wait to see if the football goes through his system but find nothing. Due to Dillon's surplus waste, they figure that coconut could potentially be harmful to him and go to see Chloe at the hospital. Lee, impersonating a doctor, asks her about Dillon. However, it later turns out Dillon did not swallow it after all but a figurine instead. Lucy spends her day worrying about the age gap between her and Guy, especially when the nurse assumes he is her father.


Barbara is absent from this episode
115"Art"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa5 October 2007 (2007-10-05)2.5812.3%
After meeting Toby (Kerry Shale) and Fliss (Kika Mirylees), two educated friends of Guy's, Lee pretends that he is an art expert with an Open University degree. Barbara tells him about a Polish artist whom she says is very popular. Lee then tells this to Lucy, who is having an art exhibition. Guy, however, is not fooled by his act and gets annoyed at how he is stringing Lucy on. Toby and Fliss secretly buy the piece later thinking it is the only one in the collection. Impressed, Lucy then buys many pieces of work by this artist, but the art does not sell and Lee discovers the Polish artist is not popular, but one whom Barbara cleans for. Lee goes to the exhibition to try to make the sculptures sell, but Barbara accidentally breaks all but one of them. When Barbara confesses to Lucy, she is angry with Lee knowing her money has practically been wasted. Toby and Fliss return to see if Lucy is doing well and discover the remaining piece left, they then buy it, giving Lucy back most of her lost income. Lucy decides to leave the art business.
126"Dating"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa12 October 2007 (2007-10-12)3.5216.6%

With Guy in Thailand, Lucy has several intimate telephone conversations with him. Lee is annoyed by this, but Lucy and Barbara think that he is jealous because he is not with anyone, and they persuade Lee to go speed dating. At the speed dating, Lee meets Daisy (Katy Wix), an extremely dim, but likeable, hairdresser. He invites her out for a date and then for a dinner with Lucy at his apartment. Meanwhile, Tim offends Barbara by calling her "the help" and invites her out for a drink to make it up to her. The "date" is unsuccessful and Barbara admits that she only agreed to come out with him because she felt sorry for him, and also to keep him away from what is happening at the flat. Tim goes back to the flat and meets Daisy, and they immediately hit it off. After the dinner, Daisy dumps Lee and goes home with Tim.


First regular appearance of: Daisy
137"Gangster"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa & Peter Tilbury19 October 2007 (2007-10-19)3.6116.8%

Guy is taking Lucy on a surprise holiday and buys her many expensive clothes. Lee becomes suspicious when a package is delivered to Guy and assumes that Guy is a gangster. However, when confronted, Guy claims it was only his passport. Lee and Tim break into Guy's office and discover several precious stones in the package. Guy admits that it was not a passport he had delivered, and says that the clear stones are white sapphires, which he is going to make into a necklace for Lucy. Still suspicious, Lee steals one and has it valued at £10,000 and confirms that it is a diamond. The surprise holiday is revealed to be to Sicily. When Guy and Lucy go to the airport, Barbara warns Lee and Tim that Sicily is famous for gangsters, and that Guy is using Lucy to smuggle the diamonds abroad. Lee and Tim run to the airport and confront Guy, but he explains that the sapphires are real and that the diamond is the only one, and has been made into an engagement ring. Guy asks Lucy to marry him, but Lee asks her to say no, saying he may not be a gangster but he is still not right for her. Lee returns to the flat alone, but Lucy later returns, saying she refused Guy as he was too controlling, and their relationship is over.


Final appearance of: Guy
Christmas special
14-"Murder at Christmas"Alex HardcastleLee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa21 December 2007 (2007-12-21)3.7717.0%

Lee decides not to go home for Christmas in the hope that the opportunity will present itself to seduce Lucy. Lucy and Tim's parents Geoffrey (Timothy West) and Wendy (Deborah Grant) invite themselves to the flat for Christmas, and Lucy persuades Barbara to work on Christmas Day for £100. On Christmas Day, Tim brings his girlfriend Daisy. Lee buys a murder mystery game, which they all dress up to play. However, the game ends abruptly when Wendy flirts with Lee and Tim and Geoffrey argue. Lee then manages to bond with Geoffrey, and they finish the game. Lucy (who was to sleep on the sofa whilst her parents had her room) appears to ask Lee to sleep in with her, but Lee realises she means just him, whilst she has his room.


First recurring appearance of: Geoffrey & Wendy

Series 3 (2009)

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No.
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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151"Pregnant"Nick WoodLee Mack30 January 2009 (2009-01-30)3.4515.1%

When Lucy announces to Lee that she is pregnant, he wonders if the father might accidentally be him, as a result of him ejaculating in the bath before she took a bath in it soon afterwards. However, he cannot bring himself to tell Lucy how he thinks it might have happened, but Tim guesses, and he is infuriated at the thought of his friend and his sister together. However, Lee has started to warm to the idea of being a father. Lucy reveals to him that she did not think she was pregnant, and that she made up the story after seeing him masturbate in the bath.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Oliver Dennis, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac & Liam Woodman
162"Winner"Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins6 February 2009 (2009-02-06)3.2613.7%
Lee wins £1,000 in a writing competition and spends the money on a set of football mugs. Lucy finds herself moved to tears when she reads the essay, as she had no idea that he was so sensitive. However, he admits to Tim that he actually downloaded the essay off the internet, and, as the competition was only open to disabled people, he is pretending to be blind. Meanwhile, Tim crashes his car after driving through a red light, and Lee persuades him to pretend the light was green so that he can claim on his insurance, volunteering himself as a witness. When a journalist turns up to interview Lee, she is expecting to meet a man in a wheelchair, as he accidentally ticked the wrong box. He claims that Tim is his brother and threatens to pull out of the insurance scam if Tim does not go along with it. The con also involves pretending that Daisy has amnesia. All goes well until Lucy arrives home, and Lee pretends that she is their sister and has Tourette syndrome. Lucy is furious but grudgingly goes along with it. However, before Dawn leaves, Lucy insists on playing a game that involves breaking all of Lee's mugs.
173"Amy"Nick WoodLee Mack & Darin Henry13 February 2009 (2009-02-13)3.1614.1%

Over-excited by the appearance of Amy (Melanie Gutteridge) and her lesbian partner Alex in their building, Lee and Tim ask them over for dinner, but when the day comes, Amy arrives alone, having split from Alex. When Amy meets Lucy, they instantly connect and begin to spend a lot of time together. Lee is worried that Lucy and Amy may become a couple, and eventually confronts Lucy. Lucy admits that she is having feelings for Amy but tells Lee it is none of his business. She later kisses Amy but realises that she is not interested in her. Tim tracks down a former girlfriend, Lola (Angela McHale), who is now openly gay. He is shocked to see that her online profile says she knew she was gay after one kiss and is convinced that she means him. He meets up with Lola and asks her but is relieved when she tells him she meant the first girl she kissed. However, he becomes worried again when it turns out that the girl was another one of his former girlfriends.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Georgia Pritchett, Dave Cohen, Milton Jones, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac & Liam Woodman
184"Party"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak20 February 2009 (2009-02-20)3.2714.3%

When Tim and Lee try to organise a surprise party for Lucy's 30th birthday, their ideas of what makes a good party differ widely. Tim likes a few games of charades while Lee likes a party with no competitors for Lucy's attention. So when Lucy turns up at the party arm-in-arm with another man (Ed Weeks), Lee makes it his mission to get rid of him... without causing a scene.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Danielle Ward & Liam Woodman
195"Neighbour"Nick WoodLee Mack & Simon Dean27 February 2009 (2009-02-27)3.1914.6%

A new neighbour (Andy Linden) moves in upstairs and his constant loud music drives Lucy to distraction. She begs Lee and Tim to get him to stop but neither of them is man enough. Tim rushes off to join a boxing gym while Lee, in an attempt to impress Lucy, makes the mistake of confronting the man in his own flat, where he finds a creepy psychopath with the eyes of a cold killer.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Stuart Sumner, Milton Jones & Liam Woodman
206"Speech"Nick WoodLee Mack6 March 2009 (2009-03-06)3.5116.2%
Lucy has an important speech to make at a recruitment conference, and when her PA pulls out, Barbara suggests that Lee offer to write it. Tim also offers to, but Lucy clearly prefers Lee's style and chooses him. However, he is frustrated when Lucy becomes increasingly demanding of him. When Lucy pitches her services to a blackcurrant juice company, Lee invites the representatives to watch her speech. She is furious, and Lee angrily resigns. Tim replaces Lee at writing the speech, but his jokes are not as funny as Lee's. Barbara persuades Lee to ask for his job back, and Lucy grudgingly agrees and asks Lee and Tim to pick up her dress from the dry cleaners. Lee and Tim accidentally ruin the dress and have to buy Lucy a new one. She likes the new dress, but it is so clingy she has to wear it without underwear. At the speech, Lucy messes up Lee's jokes and has to use one of Tim's instead, which surprisingly goes down well. However, when she steps out from behind the podium, the bright auditorium lights render her dress see through, and the audience sees her without her underwear. She still manages to secure the contract with the blackcurrant company.
217"Marriage"Nick WoodLee Mack20 March 2009 (2009-03-20)3.5917.4%

Lee is horrified when he hears that Lucy is considering marriage to Pavlov (Aleksander Mikic), a political refugee from the Eastern bloc who is a local mechanic, just so that he can stay in the country. He initially gets Tim, Geoffrey and Wendy on his side, but, as Lucy's family meet Pavlov and hear his tragic tales of life back home, they are each persuaded that he is a perfect match for Lucy. Lucy and Pavlov plan their wedding, but Lee visits the Home Office to discover the questions that they will ask when inspecting the couple. When he warns Lucy of the cryptic questions she will be asked, she has second thoughts about the wedding. Lee goes to visit Pavlov himself, and Pavlov realises that the idea is bad and agrees to return to his home country. However, Lee comes up with the idea for Barbara to marry Pavlov instead, and the two drive off for their honeymoon in India.


Final appearance of Timothy West as Geoffrey Adams

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman & Georgia Pritchett
Christmas special
22-"Absent Father Christmas"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak23 December 2009 (2009-12-23)[1]2.4014.7%

After an unsuccessful Christmas dinner with her parents, Lucy is cross with Lee's behaviour, and Barbara tells him he should make more of an effort with Lucy. He arranges a special dinner for them, and it seems to go well, until his estranged father Frank (Bobby Ball) turns up at the flat unannounced, asking to borrow £500. Lee wants him out of the flat but when Frank announces that he is dying, Lucy tells Lee that if he really has changed, he will make an effort to get to know Frank before his death. Lee offers Frank a day out, and after a visit to a lap dancing club, Frank takes Lee back to the theme park where he once stole Lee a goldfish and later ate it for a bet. On a rollercoaster, Frank admits that he is not really dying, and soon after leaves the flat, giving Barbara a more emotional farewell than Lee. Lucy admits that Lee was right all along, and they share a brief kiss under the mistletoe.


Final appearance of: Barbara. First recurring appearance of: Frank

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Milton Jones & Liam Woodman

^ This episode was first broadcast on Comedy Central Extra on 24 July 2009, as the station had acquired and broadcast series 3 in its entirety; the BBC held back the episode to the intended 23 December broadcast date.[1]

Series 4 (2011)

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No.
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No. in
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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231"Drugs"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak6 January 2011 (2011-01-06)4.7519.4%[2]

After a night out, Tim returns home from a nightclub wearing the wrong coat. After discovering a large quantity of cocaine in a pocket, he panics. When he returns the coat to the wrong person (Frankie McGinty), the real owner of the coat, Larry "The Butcher" Stubbs, sees him with the coat and angrily chases him. Tim and Lee buy what they think is cocaine from a street dealer to give to Larry, while Daisy thinks they have a drug habit after seeing them with the cocaine. They visit Larry, where they discover that what they think is cocaine is in fact washing powder, which Tim spent his £8,000 savings on. Larry hangs Lee and Tim upside down using rope. Daisy arrives with a malfunctioning nail gun which accidentally fires many times, hitting Stubbs and breaking the ropes, enabling Lee and Tim to escape.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones
242"Debbie"Nick WoodLee Mack & Andrew Collins13 January 2011 (2011-01-13)4.1817.4%[3]
Debbie (Laura Aikman), a pretty woman in her early twenties, visits Lee and goes to great lengths to get to know him. He assumes that Debbie is attracted to him, but is shocked when she reveals that she thinks he is her father. He had a one-night stand with her late mother, Karen, at a party at Tim's house in the 1980s. Lee initially tries to avoid Debbie, but Lucy persuades him to get to know her better. Tim is upset to learn Lee and Karen had sex in his bed. However, he then reveals that he not only dated Karen during the same week but lost his virginity to her. Both Lee and Tim are in immediate shock and denial, wondering what it will be like being a father. A DNA test reveals that neither of them is Debbie's father. She is devastated, but Lucy remembers that she was eight years old at the time of the party, and stumbled in on Karen in bed with Terry, an unusually short friend of Lee and Tim's. Lee finds Terry, and he and Debbie meet up.
253"Movie"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak20 January 2011 (2011-01-20)4.0417.4%[4]

Lucy is fed up of Lee treating her flat as if he owns it, especially after he has a barbecue in it. He promises to change but omits to mention that he has already let the flat out to a film director (Mike Wilmot), who is paying Lee £500 to use the flat while Lucy is out at work. It later turns out the film shooting is for a pornographic film, and Lee tries to get them out of the flat before Lucy returns. Tim finds out about the filming when he unexpectedly walks in on it, but Lee persuades him it is a thriller, causing him to ask for a bit part or he will tell Lucy. Tim finds out it is porn and leaves, after which the male lead Rod leaves, causing the director to pressure Lee to play the part. Lucy arrives home while Lee is hanging upside down.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones

Note: The original BBC broadcast of this episode was edited in two places, presumably to remove more explicit sexual references. The DVD version is complete as can be seen when Lee is knelt down with the boom mic and just before he ends up on the floor with Rod.
264"Dancing"Nick WoodLee Mack & Darin Henry27 January 2011 (2011-01-27)4.2418.0%[5]

Lucy and Tim's parents, Geoffrey (Geoffrey Whitehead) and Wendy, are separating because Geoffrey would not let Wendy go ballroom dancing. After an unfortunate heart-to-heart with Geoffrey, Lee unintentionally makes him realise he wants to leave Wendy and he moves into Lucy's flat, banishing Lee to the sofa and causing Lucy to threaten to evict Lee if her parents do not get back together. Lee speaks to Wendy, who tells him that while she wants to dance with another man, what she actually wants is an affair. Lee tells the others about their conversation, using "dance" as a euphemism, but no-one understands and they all think Wendy just wants to dance with someone. They all decide Lee would be the perfect man to dance with her. Lee reluctantly agrees, but when the dance is in full swing, Geoffrey runs in and punches Lee, saying that he realised he could not bear to let Wendy dance with another man. Geoffrey and Wendy reconcile.


First appearance of Geoffrey Whitehead as Geoffrey Adams

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones, Jack Cutting
275"Fireworks"Nick WoodLee Mack3 February 2011 (2011-02-03)3.6715.7%[6]

An old woman, Betty (Vilma Hollingbery), wanders into Lucy's flat and sits next to Lee on the sofa. Betty does not know who or where she is, so Lee throws her out. Lucy makes him bring her back, though she thinks she had sex with him. Betty says that she has a rich son who always pays a reward to the person who brings her home, which Lee intends to use to buy fireworks. Lee and Tim take Betty around the streets to try to find someone who recognises her. A friend of hers (Morris Perry) tells them where she lives, which they discover is a retirement home. Lee is disappointed when he finds out that there is no reward; her son lives abroad and has little contact with her.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones
286"Life on Mars Bars"Nick WoodLee Mack10 February 2011 (2011-02-10)3.7415.6%[7]

Lee invites Lucy to watch greyhound racing with him, but she declines. Shortly after, Lee is hit by a car which places him in a coma. As Lucy, Tim and Daisy gather around his hospital bed, Lee dreams of a life with Lucy, where in quick succession she declares her love for him, they have sex together, she becomes pregnant and puts on a lot of weight, they marry, Lucy gives birth to many children, Lee is forced take a menial job, they split up and Lee haplessly turns the flat into a lap dancing club. Throughout the dream, Lee's father, Frank, re-appears in various costumes. In the hospital room, as Lee shows no signs of recovery, Lucy calls Frank. In the dream, Lee reconciles with Lucy, but just as they are about to get back together, the real Frank arrives at the hospital and Lee wakes up. Delighted by his full recovery, Lucy accepts his racing invitation.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones

Series 5 (2012)

[edit]
EpisodeNumber= 35
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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291"Band"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak13 April 2012 (2012-04-13)5.1819.6%[8]
Tim joins a rock band at work and enters a Battle of the Bands contest. Lee, Lucy and Daisy go, and see Tim's band advance to the final. When Lucy falls for Stretch, the lead guitarist, Lee becomes jealous, and decides that if he cannot beat them, he should join them. Lee convinces Tim to talk to Stretch but instead of being offered a place in the band, Stretch makes Lee their roadie. When he is fetching Stretch's jacket from the van, he is met by Stretch's ex-girlfriend Grace, who throws Lee Stretch's flat keys, and several versions of a song which he has written for other girls. Lee confronts him and shows Lucy the songs. Stretch resigns from the band. Lee takes Stretch's place: they perform, but Lee is hospitalised after jumping off the stage and they do not win. The closing credits feature the cast playing the theme tune with Tim on vocals, Lee on guitar, Daisy playing bass and Lucy on the drums.
302"Dads"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak20 April 2012 (2012-04-20)4.8318.4%[9]

Lee's weekend is wrecked when Frank turns up unexpectedly. Having just come out of the hospital with his legs and arms in plaster, he needs somewhere to stay for the weekend, leaving Lee to care for him. When Lee realises that Frank needs a suppository inserting, he invites Tim, Daisy and Geoffrey round "to watch the cricket", when his actual motive is to get one of them to administer the suppository. Geoffrey eventually agrees to do the deed, but all three of them, plus Lucy, criticise Lee for his lack of care for his dad. Frank suggests he and Lee pretend to like each other in order to impress Lucy, and she is impressed by his new-found attitude. Frank manipulates Lee into agreeing to allow him to stay for longer, but instead reveals that he has been faking his injuries. Despite this, Lucy congratulates Lee on the care he showed for his father.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Dave Cohen, Paul Kerensa, Liam Woodman, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac
313"Camping"Nick WoodLee Mack27 April 2012 (2012-04-27)4.7717.6%[10]
To prove his manliness, Lee joins Tim, Daisy and Lucy on a camping weekend. He bans all gadgets, which Daisy interprets to include torches and satnavs, becoming a problem when they break down in a supposedly haunted wood. Lee takes on the "man's job" to try to repair the car, only to set fire to himself and the engine bay. He then heads into the dense thicket, looking for a man-sized creature Lucy claimed to have seen. A clown and an army of masked people show up surrounding the car, terrifying the foursome, prompting Lee to get out and ring the police, after finding that Daisy had her phone on her all the time, not equating it to a "gadget". Lee attacks the original clown and rips the mask off to discover that he is an old man, who tells Lee that he and his friends had flocked to this spot to watch dogging, since the area they have parked at is well known for this. In the end, Lucy retracts her original comments about Lee not being much of a man as they camp in the living room of the flat.
324"Running"Nick WoodLee Mack4 May 2012 (2012-05-04)4.9319.0%[11]
To impress Lucy, Lee joins her in training for a 10km fun run, but injures himself after only three minutes. To hide the injury from Lucy, he arranges a sports massage from Claudia, whom Lee found from a card in a newsagent's window, only to find out she is a prostitute. She demands £100; Lucy returns when he is paying her. Lee and Tim visit the newsagent, but Claudia's card has gone. They visit Hanover Street, where street prostitutes operate, and meet a young prostitute. For £80, she tells them where Claudia works. The police to turn up as Lee is giving her the money. At the police station, Daisy arrives, then Lucy, who throws Lee out of her flat. After they are released, Lee and Tim visit the brothel Claudia works in. Lucy runs past and is surprised and horrified to see Tim, Claudia and Lee in bed together. During the 10k run, Lee thanks Lucy for taking him back, then runs into a telegraph pole.
335"Examination"Nick WoodLee Mack11 May 2012 (2012-05-11)4.7518.5%[12]

Lucy is working on a government initiative encouraging men to regularly check themselves for testicular lumps. Lee follows the campaign's advice and discovers they are swollen. He talks about it to Tim, who tries to convince him to see his doctor and tell Lucy, but Lee does not and lies to her that everything is fine. After Tim looks at them, Lee visits his doctor but is put off by the fact that she is female. Lee and Tim go to a sauna to look at men's testicles, but it does not go as planned. Lucy convinces Lee to re-visit the doctor after she finds him on a gay porn site when trying to see average testicle sizes, at first thinking he is gay. He agrees but realises the male doctor is one of the men from the sauna. Lee discovers he has a hydrocele.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Liam Woodman, David Isaac, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths
346"Drunk"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak18 May 2012 (2012-05-18)5.3320.9%[13]

Lucy had a kiss with a work colleague whilst drunk and claims to have no memory of the event, which Lee doubts. Lucy suggests that she and Lee embark on an experiment with a bottle of homemade potato hooch to prove that one can remember what happens when drunk. The next day they wake up naked in bed together and think they had sex. They decide not to tell anybody, but it transpires that Tim and Daisy visited and they may have made a sex tape with Tim's video camera. Lee and Lucy check the tape in the camera, but it is a video of Tim and Daisy's Spanish holiday. As Daisy was supposed to have taken this home, Lee and Lucy realise that she has taken the sex tape by accident. Lucy phones Daisy and convinces them to wait until the following day when they can all watch it together. In the middle of the night, Lee and Lucy sneak into her parents' house to steal the sex tape but are caught and her parents decide that they will all watch the tape together. The tape reveals that Lucy set up the premise of having sex together on purpose so that Lee would think that they did, thereby proving her point that one can forget things when drunk. Lee counters that he knew this, as he was sober all along.


Final regular appearance of Tim

EpisodeNumber2=7

CIN Special Wogan

Series 6 (2013)

[edit]
No.
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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351"Rabbit"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak5 April 2013 (2013-04-05)5.0119.1%[14]

When Lucy accidentally runs over a female pet rabbit belonging to Sophie, the daughter of important client Paul, she needs Lee and Daisy to help cover her tracks. Lucy asks Lee to take the blame. When Lee gives the rabbit's body to Paul, he claims it is not Sophie's. It turns out Lucy had hit the rabbit but gave Lee a dead wild rabbit that was nearby which she wrongly assumed was the pet. Lee tries to lighten the situation by jokingly claiming he is a rabbit thief named Warren Burrows, only for Paul to think he is a lunatic and threaten to call the police. Lucy and Lee buy a rabbit from a pet shop to replace it and attempt to place it in the hutch without anyone noticing, but Paul confronts them and realises that it is also not Sophie's, because it is male, forcing Lucy to finally come clean. Meanwhile, Tim has moved to Germany on a work placement.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
362"Skiing"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak12 April 2013 (2013-04-12)4.5216.9%[15]

Lee, Lucy and Daisy are on a skiing holiday in Eastern Europe. Lucy's arms are in plaster, having been broken in an accident with a luggage carousel. On a cable car, Daisy accidentally jams the mechanism with a ski whilst trying to get rid of a bird, and Lee accidentally jams it further with the other ski whilst trying to dislodge the first one. At this point, a heavily pregnant woman on board (Pooky Quesnel) goes into labour. Lee and Daisy successfully calm her down, but this speeds up the labour. As Lucy is unable to move her arms and the woman does not trust Daisy, it is up to Lee to deliver the baby. He eventually manages to deliver it, but she then reveals she is expecting triplets. Fortunately, help arrives before Lee has to deliver the other babies.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
373"Therapy"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak19 April 2013 (2013-04-19)3.6616.0%[16]

When Lucy enrols at night school on a training course in counselling, Lee takes advantage of her new-found skill to try to patch things up with his father Frank. This brings up bad childhood memories for Lee and Frank's revelation that he holds Lee responsible for the breakup of his marriage.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
384"Conference"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak3 May 2013 (2013-05-03)4.1216.2%[17]

Lee attempts to stop Lucy from flirting with male delegates at a three-day annual trade conference, which she does in order to gain contracts. He takes obstructive action by posing as her husband, and then father. This pretence becomes more difficult to sustain when Lucy's mother Wendy, and later Lucy's father Geoffrey, turn up at the conference. Geoffrey accuses Lee of trying to seduce his wife and Lucy. A client whom Lucy invites to her hotel room is punched by Geoffrey when Geoffrey knocks at the door and walks in, seeing Lucy and Wendy in the room.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
395"Rachel"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak10 May 2013 (2013-05-10)4.4417.6%[18]

Lee decides that the best way to get Lucy to become attracted to him is to make her jealous. Daisy sets him up with Rachel (Joanna Bobin), a Fatal Attraction-style psychopath who proceeds to stalk him. Rachel soon discovers Lee's attraction to Lucy and threatens to tell Lucy if he does not go on another date with her very soon. Daisy showcases various superhero and supervillain outfits for an upcoming hen do. After Lee stops dating Rachel, she enters the flat and corners the pair with a large kitchen knife, leaving Daisy to step in and save them.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
406"Play"Nick WoodLee Mack17 May 2013 (2013-05-17)3.9916.9%[19]

When Lucy's first love Scott (Simon Farnaby) reappears after 19 years and asks her to be in a play that he wrote for her, Lee has to fight for her attention, which ends badly. He believes that Scott is after her and created this play to win her over. After Lee is dismissed from the cast for being difficult, he appears on the night of the performance secretively taking back his role and ends the play with a shock that not even the cast knew about when Scott is accidentally dropped through a trap door.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac

Note: This was originally intended to be the final episode of the series. An alternative ending was filmed for this episode.
417"Magic"Nick WoodLee Mack24 May 2013 (2013-05-24)4.2217.4%[20]

Lucy's nine-year-old goddaughter, Nancy, is suddenly dumped on her by Nancy's mother on the night before her birthday party, after a fire at Nancy's house. Lucy and Lee have to arrange entertainment. Despite disliking Nancy, Lee arranges a magic show for Nancy and her twelve friends. He goes to a magic shop to get what he needs. The magician did not receive the cash which Lee sent Daisy to deliver, so he retrieves the equipment just before the show. Daisy placed a successful bet with the money, which Lee uses to take Lucy and Nancy to a JLS concert, where Nancy reveals that she started the fire.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
428"Boat"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak31 May 2013 (2013-05-31)3.8714.7%[21]
Lee's father wins £400 and he spends it on a boat, which he convinces Lee, Lucy and Daisy to join him on. Lucy is hesitant as she has a fear of water, but Lee eventually persuades her. The boat is a wreck, but Lucy appears to be overcoming her fear, whilst Frank bonds with Daisy and teaches her how to tie knots. The boat floats out to sea. Lee sees Frank deliberately destroying the boat, and the whole adventure is revealed to have been an insurance scam - Frank has insured the boat for £4,000 and deliberately let it float away, destroying it and intending to escape, using Lee, Lucy and Daisy as witnesses to the boat's "accidental" sinking. Daisy accidentally lets the dinghy float away, leaving the four deserted on a sinking ship. Lucy floats on the one remaining fragment whilst Lee, Frank and Daisy float alongside her, until by chance they find the dinghy and manage to reach safety.
Christmas special
43-"The House"Ed ByeLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 December 2013 (2013-12-24)5.0022.5%
In an effort to create the perfect Christmas for Lucy, Lee invites her parents to join the two of them and Daisy in a snug old house in the country which used to belong to his dead aunt. But the Christmas spirit is in short supply when Lucy discovers that the house has not been lived in for years and there appears to be a spooky presence. However, the presence turns out to be Lee's dad Frank, who has also turned up to enjoy Christmas in the house with an old flame (Jane Lowe), and in an effort to get rid of the unwanted visitors he pretends the house is haunted by playing old music on a pennywhistle and leaving threatening messages on the cellar wall. In the closing part of the episode, it is revealed that the scary snowman that had been built in the garden was unaccounted for, and a ghost of a young boy (Arlo McKillop, real-life son of Lee Mack) was seen to appear in the rocking chair.

Series 7 (2014–15)

[edit]
No.
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
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441"Mugging"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak17 October 2014 (2014-10-17)4.3916.5%

On the way home from the cinema, Lee and Lucy go down a dark alley and run into three teenage muggers, led by Razor (Joshua Pascoe), who steal Lucy's handbag. To get it back, Lee is to fight with one of them and he is desperate to prove his masculinity to impress her. When the police are no help, he attempts to take up boxing. When Lee has a chance to show how well he is doing, he gets Lucy and Daisy to watch him try fighting someone but ends up against a young girl, who beats him. He once more tries to get the bag back (by bribing Razor with £100) but it ends badly and Razor steals the money without returning the bag. Razor's grandmother (Joan Linder) (who turns out to be the receptionist at the boxing club) takes him to the flat and makes him return the goods to Lucy, but when Lee comes in and sees him handing over the knitting needles, he attacks Razor, thinking that he is threatening Lucy. Razor's grandmother beats Lee up in retaliation.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
452"Christening"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 October 2014 (2014-10-24)4.1415.8%

Finding an appropriate gift for the Christening party for the baby of their new neighbours, Toby (Hugh Dennis) and Anna (Abigail Cruttenden), becomes problematic when their custom-made plate with the baby's footprint unexpectedly depicts six toes. Unaware of the child's real number of toes, they end up taking him out and realise it was a mistake and it was the wrong foot. But when it turns out that again the wrong foot was printed, they turn up to the party in a very awkward situation. Lucy smashes the plate before Toby and Anna are able to see it.


First regular appearance of Toby and Anna.

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
463"Donor"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak31 October 2014 (2014-10-31)3.9715.7%

Lucy is getting more and more desperate for a baby, but instead of waiting for a relationship she decides to look for a sperm donor and become a single mother. Her original choice is a colleague (Timothy Knightley), but after she worries about not knowing him well enough, she chooses Lee instead. Lee feels uncomfortable about the offer but does not want to upset Lucy, so he agrees on the condition that her parents agree. Lucy eventually persuades them, as well as Frank. Lee turns up at the clinic in a nervous state ready for his donation, but when he puts the porn DVD on, he keeps imagining faces of people he knows speaking to him as the performer on the video, which puts him under more pressure. He then anxiously gives up and lies to Lucy that he has a problem and is unable to do the donation. Then it leaves Lee and Lucy with no choice but to have sex, but Lee ejaculates prematurely. Lucy ultimately accepts that it is not time yet, and she will wait until she is in a relationship.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
474"Anna"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak7 November 2014 (2014-11-07)4.6017.5%

When Lucy lies to impress and befriend Toby and Anna, the new neighbours, Lee has to do the same. So he organises a meal at the flat for them all and pretends he works at a bank and is quite rich. Then Anna invites Lee and Lucy to a night out at a posh restaurant with live music. The group go out for the meal, but Lee is acting strange about his fake job as a rich bank worker when Anna continues to ask questions. Then he becomes too drunk and admits he does not really have a job and is not rich.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
485"Pointless"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak21 November 2014 (2014-11-21)4.0913.7%

Daisy signs up to be on the quiz show Pointless and is accepted. So she chooses Lucy to be her partner, but then she is tricked by Lee into allowing him to be her partner on the quiz show after he pretends to have a lot of knowledge. The pair appear on the show but are eliminated in the first round. On their second chance, Lee follows Richard Osman into his dressing room and finds the answer cards laying on the table, so Daisy and Lee memorise the answers. Lee and Daisy make it to the final but Alexander Armstrong and Richard are certain that they must be cheating, so they give the pair a question about Shakespeare (which Alexander earlier found out was a weakness of Lee's) in the final round, which leaves them both in an awkward situation.


Guest appearances of Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman as themselves.

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
496"Alcohol"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak28 November 2014 (2014-11-28)3.5912.6%

When Lee and Lucy confront Lee's father, Frank about his alcohol consumption, he returns the sentiment. Frank invites Lee and Lucy to go to Frank's club where people confront their alcoholism, after Frank gives them the impression that they might be alcoholics themselves.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
507"Surprise"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak5 December 2014 (2014-12-05)3.6312.5%

Lucy organises a surprise party for her parents' wedding anniversary, and she insists it must remain a secret. Lee struggles to keep Geoffrey away from the flat while a party planner called Mario is organising the arrangements with Lucy. Lee cannot hide it any longer and tells Geoffrey about the surprise party, and he insists that it is cancelled. Lee tries to stop the surprise party from taking place and things become awkward.


Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
518"Plane"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak12 December 2014 (2014-12-12)4.1816.5%

Lee, Lucy and Daisy are all going abroad together. However, Lee's fear of flying is causing him to overreact to various situations, earning him the disapproval of Olga, the stern air stewardess, before the plane has even taken off. Lee's paranoia gets worse when he notices a passenger who he suspects of being a terrorist due to his nervous disposition and refusal to let go of his bag, even taking it to the toilet with him. When confronting the passenger, Lee notices that he has a box in his bag labelled "Cartridges" and reports this to Olga, who investigates and reports back. Later, when Lee is trying to steal a drink from the fridge, he overhears the passenger having a private conversation with Olga about a secret plan and reflecting on the fact that they managed to shake off Lee's suspicions. Lee spots a gun in the passenger's bag, but accidentally alerts the pair to his presence and has to return to his seat. He alerts Lucy and Daisy to the fact that Olga appears to be in on the terrorist threat together, and they hatch a plan for Lee to steal the man's bag whilst Lucy and Daisy distract him. The bag in hand, Lee runs to the cockpit to warn the captain but only succeeds in appearing to be a terrorist himself. When the suspicious passenger comes to confront him, Lee attempts to reveal the gun, only to pull a banana out of the bag instead. The passenger draws the real gun and appears about to shoot Lee before it is revealed that he is, in fact, a member of the Secret Service who is on board the plane in response to the terror threats, and it is Lee who has come across as a terrorist. With everything cleared up, the Air Marshal punches Lee in anger. The episode ends with Lee and Lucy returning to the flat, Lucy and Daisy having spent the whole holiday being looked after by the British ambassador whilst Lee was in custody.

In real life, Lee Mack has a fear of flying, and travels by car to overseas holiday destinations.[22]


Hugh Dennis, who plays Toby, voices the unseen pilot, Captain Morris.
529"Lucy"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak19 December 2014 (2014-12-19)3.7912.5%
Lucy tells Lee that she is going for a job interview for an important and well-paid position, and implies that if she gets the job she will spend a lot less time in the flat with him. After she leaves for the interview, Toby tells Lee that Lucy is actually meeting his cousin Carl, whom she has been getting serious with on social media for several months. He speculates why Lucy may not have told Lee about Carl, causing Lee to affirm his feelings toward her. Toby offers to text Carl and ask him to back off (admitting that Carl suspects that there is someone else on the scene and has asked him to find out for him) but only agrees to dissuade Carl if Lee actually intends to act on his feelings. Lee appears ready, but gets cold feet at the idea of marriage and kids, eventually telling Toby to tell Carl to go ahead with his plan to invite Lucy to Naples. Lucy returns, saying that the restaurant is very interested in her and have invited her to Naples to finalise the deal. On the spur of the moment, Lee admits to Lucy that he is in love with her and asks her to marry him, and a delighted Lucy accepts. However, when the restaurant's female manager arrives to return a contract Lucy had left behind, Toby admits that it had always been a business meeting and that he had made Carl up in order to give Lee an incentive to act on his feelings for Lucy, which had been obvious to everyone for ages.
Christmas specials
5310"The Wedding"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 December 2014 (2014-12-24)4.1013.9%

After being pressured by Frank, Lee gets drunk on the night before his and Lucy's wedding, and both he and Frank end up in a police cell. With no other options, they ring Geoffrey, but it turns out that, although they were arrested for their drunken misdemeanours, the police uncover that the family ring that Geoffrey had given Lee for Lucy is extremely valuable and was stolen many years earlier. Geoffrey joins them in the cell and after Lee realises that it must have been stolen by Geoffrey's father, Geoffrey eventually agrees to tell the police, despite fearing it will bring shame on his family. Meanwhile, Lucy is having her own "bad hair day". They all make it to the church just in time for Lee and Lucy's wedding service.


Final cameo appearance of Tim.

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac

Note: The title of this episode was withheld from listings in order to maintain the surprise outcome of the previous episode. BBC iPlayer has listed this episode as a Christmas special.[23] This episode also features a number of characters from previous episodes.
54-"Christmas Shopping"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 December 2015 (2015-12-24)2.9219.2%

One year on from the wedding, it is Christmas Eve and a heavily pregnant Lucy is three days overdue with their first baby. Lee is excited about being a father, but worries about his ability to do a better job than his own father. Lee and Lucy arrive at a department store where Frank is working as an elf to pick up Daisy, with whom they are planning to spend Christmas. Lucy had intended to wait in the car but has to go into the store when Lee refuses to buy her Vagisil. Whilst there, they bump into Toby and Anna, who are doing their Christmas shopping whilst baby Jack is in Lapland with his grandparents. Frank invites them all to join him for a drink, even though the store is about to close, as he has an arrangement with the security guards, Bill and Mike. Unbeknownst to the group, a robber wearing a Father Christmas latex mask has taken the security guards hostage.


Final appearance of Daisy

This episode was not filmed in front of a live studio audience, but the audience is added in as sound effects

Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac.

Series 8 (2017)

[edit]
No.
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No. in
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
Share
551"Romance"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak13 January 2017 (2017-01-13)5.5219.3%[24]

After eight years of marriage, Lee and Lucy disagree over how to keep the romance alive.


First recurring appearance of Charlie, Benji and Molly.
562"Babysitting"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak20 January 2017 (2017-01-20)4.4715.9%[25]

Reluctantly, Lucy allows Lee's father, Frank, to babysit and, surprisingly, he does a good job, until Lucy and Lee believe that he swore in front of Benji, who repeats it outspokenly to Anna. Lucy then wishes she had not had Frank round to babysit and asks Lee to confront Frank with using that language in front of the kids, but Lee does not. Later, Frank returns to the house to thank Lee and Lucy but when Lucy thought that Lee had told Frank about the concern, he denies swearing. Geoffrey and Wendy also arrive, and Benji tells the family that it was Geoffrey whom he heard say it. Toby and Anna arrive, and Lucy rants and swears at all of them, not realising that the kids are standing behind her.


First recurring appearance of Jack.
573"Car"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak3 February 2017 (2017-02-03)4.7019.2%[26]

Lucy's cousin is marrying in France so the family set off in the car to catch a ferry with plenty of time to spare, or so they think until the traffic slows things down and the satnav says they will miss the last check-in if they do not find another route.


Guest starring the voice of Rob Brydon as George.
584"Hot Tub"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak10 February 2017 (2017-02-10)4.4917.7%[27]

Lee and Lucy play Hot Tub Fantasy Date with their best friends Anna and Toby, with Lee and Toby visiting Emma Bunton for a charity campaign. Lee tries to make Lucy jealous by getting close to Bunton, while Lucy tries to make Lee jealous by flirting with her local dentist (Jack Chissick). Then Toby, Lee and Emma end up in a hot tub together.


Guest appearances of Emma Bunton and Susie Dent as themselves.
595"Charlie"Nick WoodLee Mack & Sarah Morgan17 February 2017 (2017-02-17)4.5917.3%[28]

Lee is worried that Charlie is getting a reputation at school for being the class clown. So Lee and Lucy organise a meeting with Miss Anstis. But after managing to stop Charlie from being the class clown he writes a story which is really boring and never-ending. Unfortunately, Miss Anstis chooses him to read his story in front of the school and parents in a bid to win a trip to LegoLand. Lee is desperate to not let Charlie humiliate himself in front of the school with the boring story and has an idea.


First appearance of Miss Anstis
606"Marriage Guidance"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 February 2017 (2017-02-24)3.9415.1%[29]
After Anna tells Lucy that she is doing marriage counselling, she advises Lucy to do marriage counselling with Lee to sort out their relationship problems. After their first session, they admit it is helping but do not want to tell Lucy's parents, Wendy and Geoffrey. Lee then organises a meal with Wendy and Geoffrey to prove he is a thoughtful, kind-hearted man. Then afterwards, Toby and Anna pop in to say hello and talk about the counselling while Wendy and Geoffrey are in the other room, but unfortunately, they overhear Lee and Lucy talking about it and show up unexpectedly to hear their conversation. This leaves the family in an awkward situation.
617"Enough"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak3 March 2017 (2017-03-03)3.92TBA
Lee and Lucy have a discussion about whether they should have another child but Lee totally disagrees. Lucy asks Anna for advice and comes up with a plan to trick Lee into having sex. But when Lee, Lucy, Anna and Toby have a meal at the house, Anna and Lucy's idea does not go as planned. When Lucy, Toby, Lee and Anna meet at the park, Lee and Lucy finally witness what having four kids would really be like and decide against it.
Christmas special
62-"The True Meaning of Christmas"[30]Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 December 2017 (2017-12-24)5.63TBA

It is Christmas Eve, and Lee and Lucy face a possible yuletide disaster when they discover the perfect present they have bought for their children has already been given to them by their grandparents.


This episode was the final television appearance of Keith Barron and featured a dedication to his memory.

Series 9 (2018)

[edit]
No.
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No. in
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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
631"Home Improvements"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak8 March 2018 (2018-03-08)5.27
Lucy's father reluctantly allows Lee to help Lucy clear up the builder's mess in their new kitchen extension. Unfortunately, things do not go according to plan, when a misunderstanding regarding Lucy's parents' house having a new artificial back lawn results in having to replace Geoffrey's new CCTV system in order to absolve themselves. Lee accidentally torches the entire lawn when he spills petrol on it and smokes one of Geoffrey's cigars. Lee and Lucy then must spend the money that was to be spent on their holiday on a replacement lawn, and Geoffrey finds the footage of Lee mowing the artificial lawn.
642"Escape Room"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak15 March 2018 (2018-03-15)5.17

As a surprise for Lee's birthday, Lucy invites Geoffrey and Wendy, Toby and Anna, and Lee's dad Frank to join them in an escape room. This proves to be something none of them will easily forget, with Lee being handcuffed to a bomb, a "traitor" in the room, and Toby's work life called into question. Geoffrey and Frank argue over class superiority and intelligence, even though Frank solves most of the clues in the room. It appears that the bomb is about to explode; when it does not, Lee reveals that he set it all up. Everyone leaves the escape room afterwards, except Lee, who Lucy refuses to release from his handcuffs.


The children are absent from this episode for the first time since they first appeared.
653"Stolen"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak22 March 2018 (2018-03-22)4.58

Anna brings Charlie back to Lucy and Lee's house, having taken him to a party. Charlie is delighted with his prize for having won the party's ugly face competition. When it goes missing, Lee and Lucy think that Toby and Anna's son Jack stole it, and go to their house to accuse him. Jack says that he did not steal it, and his parents support him. Lee goes into Jack's bedroom and takes an identical key ring from there. Anna calls at Lee and Lucy's house, where she tells Lucy that she bought an identical key ring for Jack, that it is now missing, and that she thinks that Lee stole it. After Anna leaves, Lee admits to Lucy that he did steal it, assuming it was Charlie's. Lee and Lucy sneak into Toby and Anna's house using their spare key whilst the house is empty and plant the key ring in their bedroom. Toby and Anna come home early from their date, so Lee and Lucy hide under the bed. Toby and Anna have sex. Toby and Anna look under the bed and see Lee and Lucy there. Back home, Lee notices that he accidentally brought Anna's knickers home.


664"Pets"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak29 March 2018 (2018-03-29)4.24
To teach the children to be more responsible, Lee and Lucy get a family pet. They decide to pick up a rabbit from a rescue centre, but soon after the family arrive, the kids change their minds and choose a hairless rat instead. After they do not look after it properly, Lee takes it back. He changes his mind and tries to retrieve it, but is turned away. He falsely claims that it died, and the family have a funeral in their back garden for it, burying a cardboard box containing golf balls in a sock. Toby, unaware of Lee's lie, arrives in the garden to give Lee the rat, which he picked up from the centre in a cardboard box. Lee says that he does not want it, then Lucy opens the box, revealing that the box is empty and has a hole a few inches long in a corner. The rat climbs out of the grave in front of the family. Lee tells the kids that he mistakenly thought the rat had died when it was asleep.
675"Pants on Fire"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak5 April 2018 (2018-04-05)4.29
Lee and Lucy cancel their planned dinner with Toby and Anna at Toby and Anna's house on the day so that they can watch Norwegian crime series The Oslo Murders on Netflix, before anyone else can spoil the end of the series for them. They falsely claim to Toby and Anna that they had to stay home with their daughter Molly because she is ill. Toby and Anna come round, with Toby, a doctor, suggesting that he examine her. Molly comes downstairs and is clearly not ill, revealing Lee and Lucy to be lying. Lee and Lucy then pretend that the real reason that they cancelled is that they had a row about Lee having revealed to Lucy the identity of the killer in The Oslo Murders. Lee then tells various lies about suspected affairs of Lucy and Anna, after which Toby and Anna said that they knew all along that Lee and Lucy were lying, and pushed them into telling a string of lies as revenge on them for cancelling dinner. Lee and Lucy finish watching the series afterwards, but not before Lee accidentally reads a text from one of his colleagues who spoils the ending of the series.
686"Lollipop Man"Nick WoodLee Mack & Sarah Morgan12 April 2018 (2018-04-12)4.59
Lucy objects to octogenarian Fred, the school lollipop man, handing out lollipops to the kids. Lee reluctantly assists her in making a complaint, which causes Fred to be suspended for a week. Lee and Lucy give him a cake which they made. Fred has an allergic reaction to the almond flour in it and is hospitalised. Lee is hit by a van while crossing the road, breaking his right leg.
697"Bust Up"Nick WoodLee Mack & Sarah Morgan19 April 2018 (2018-04-19)3.72

After a comment from a saleswoman in a clothes shop, Lucy expresses to Lee her unhappiness with her sagging breasts. After talking to Anna, who tells her that she had a breast augmentation after Jack was born, Lucy contemplates having her breasts surgically improved.


The children are absent from this episode
Christmas special
70-"Not Going Out Live: Ding Dong Merrily On Live"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak21 December 2018 (2018-12-21)5.05

For the first time, Not Going Out is broadcast live on BBC One, in a festive special where Lee and Lucy participate in a local Christmas variety show, entitled "Ding Dong Merrily On Live". Lee and Lucy book famed knife thrower Juan as an act, but when Juan flirts with Lucy, whom he plans to make his assistant during his segment of the show, Lee writes fake bad reviews to damage Juan's popularity. During the show, Toby and Anna reluctantly perform the elements song, but cannot remember the words, make many mistakes and become angry with each other. When Juan discovers Lee was behind the fake reviews, he quits the show, and Lee is forced to take his place and throw knives at Lucy without any experience.


The children are absent from this episode

Series 10 (2019)

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
series
Title [31]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [31]UK viewers
(millions)
711"Parachute"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)3.69

Toby has pressured Lee, Lucy, Anna, Frank, Geoffrey and Wendy into taking part in a sponsored skydive with him to raise money for their local children's hospital, despite most of them being terrified at the prospect. However, when they discover just before the jump that one parachute has gone missing, they each try to make a convincing case for why they should or should not take part. The power struggle escalates when Lee revealed he did it all on purpose. Wendy, Toby, Anna and Lucy jump individually. The pilot says that the plane is going to crash. Frank jumps, and Geoffrey lets Lee use the remaining parachute. The pilot and instructor reveal to Geoffrey that there was no problem with the plane and that it was a ploy to make them jump. Geoffrey is pleased that he will seem heroic and will not need to jump. The pilot gives Geoffrey his parachute.


The children are absent from this episode
722"Holiday Share"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak22 April 2019 (2019-04-22)[32]3.27

Lee and Lucy have gone on what is supposed to be a relaxed weekend away in a countryside cottage with Toby and Anna, but the couples are very unsuited to holidaying together. When they start trying too hard to get their way, followed by acting too nice to make up for it, Lee and Lucy decide to play them at their own game, framed by a series of lies about their relationship. Lies have never treated Lee and Lucy well, however, and it is not long before the facts begin to unravel.


The children are absent from this episode
733"Facts of Life"Nick WoodLee Mack & Sarah Morgan29 April 2019 (2019-04-29)[33][32]3.27

Lee is outraged to find out that the twins have already started sex education in school and so, despite the urgings of Lucy and their teacher, he determines to teach them what he knows about the subject instead. His attempts fail due to his lack of knowledge and discomfort at telling them, causing the twins to repeat misleading things from Lee at school. Lucy tells him she is disappointed with his sexual performance with her, so he studies the subject. When the twins walk in on the couple during sex without the couple realising until afterwards, it is discovered that they have assumed that their parents' sexual roleplay is a usual part of sex.


Anna and Charlie are absent from this episode
744"Schooling"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak6 May 2019 (2019-05-06)3.34
When Lucy hears a rumour that Charlie's school may be downgraded on its upcoming Ofsted report, she begins to think of new schools to send him to. Anna raises the possibility of private schooling, but Lee and Lucy are not fully convinced until Lucy's parents offer to pay the fees. However, when the school turns out to be a Christian faith school, the non-religious Lee and Lucy need to arrange for Charlie to be christened very soon. The headmistress of the faith school, who is also a reverend, offers to perform the christening, but when the date arrives, she refuses to do so after overhearing Lucy say that they are only having it done as a means to get Charlie into the school. At home, Lucy finds out that Charlie's school had an improved rating, negating the need to find Charlie a place in a better school.
755"Memory"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak13 May 2019 (2019-05-13)3.27

When Lee sits down with Lucy to join in watching a TV programme she enjoys, she is quickly driven mad by his constant talking. However, Lee is most concerned about how he cannot remember the name of one of the actors, and his initial concern turns to genuine panic when Lucy mentions a history of dementia in his family.


Lee and Lucy are the only characters in this episode, other than Wendy, who Lucy speaks to on the phone at the start of the episode. However she does not appear on screen and Deborah Grant is not credited.
766"Whodunnit?"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak20 May 2019 (2019-05-20)2.98

Lee is accused by Lucy of breaking a vase which was given to her by Geoffrey's mother. Lee invites Anna, Toby, Frank, Geoffrey and Wendy round to find the real culprit. As Lee questions them, various revelations are uncovered about each of their associations with the vase, discovering from Geoffrey that he substituted it for one of similar appearance which he bought for £8.99. Toby reveals that he broke the vase that Geoffrey bought. Lucy and Toby reveal that she was going to sell the original vase to a friend of Toby's for £3,000. Lee is relieved and pleased at finding out the truth, until seconds later he accidentally knocks the vase to the ground, shattering it.


The children are absent from this episode
777"Builder"Nick WoodLee Mack, Sarah Morgan & Daniel Peak27 May 2019 (2019-05-27)3.05

Lucy and the kids are staying at Geoffrey and Wendy's house whilst Lee is left in the house with Dave (Steve Oram), a builder whom Lee and Lucy have hired to refit their kitchen. However, Dave is lazy and it is clear that the job will not be completed in time. Lee's attempts to persuade Dave to speed up fail. Lee persuades Anna to pose as Lucy. Anna pressures Dave to speed up his work, which Dave reacts to by quitting. Lee and Toby finish the job themselves, but due to their severe lack of building skills many things in the kitchen collapse shortly after Lucy arrives home.


The children are absent from this episode
Specials
78-"Halloween Special"[34]Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak30 October 2019 (2019-10-30)3.61

Lee loses his phone when out trick-or-treating with his family and goes back alone, dressed as a zombie, in the middle of the night, to retrieve it. However, when Lee ends up locked in the imposing old manor house, in which a mysterious old woman (guest star Marcia Warren) lives alone, he quickly realises that not only could he be mistaken for a burglar, but the slightest shock could kill her. Frank arrives and becomes trapped alongside him. As they are about to leave, the two men see two burglars in the house. After a confrontation between them, the police arrive and arrest the burglars.


This episode was not filmed in front of a live audience
79-"Driving Home for Christmas"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 December 2019 (2019-12-24)4.05
Lee and Lucy go Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, whilst Geoffrey and Wendy stay at home with the children. In a department store, a bag is stolen from Lee and Lucy which contains her purse and mobile phone as well as an inflatable Santa which they bought for the kids. They follow the thief on foot, then him and his accomplice by car. One of the thieves returns their Santa, then steals their car, after which the couple hitch a ride with a lorry driver. He ejects them, but they climb into the back of it in order to retrieve the Santa. The lorry has boarded a ferry, so the couple jump from it, using the Santa to float on, arriving home to find that Frank has bought them a Santa which the kids prefer.

Series 11 (2020–21)

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
series
Title [31]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [31]UK viewers
(millions)
New Year special
80-"Resolutions"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak30 December 2020 (2020-12-30)4.43

A New Year's Eve party at Lee and Lucy's turns sour, as, under threat of the traditional celebration trifle being turned into a weapon, and in an attempt to start the new year without conflict, everyone is encouraged to come up with resolutions, but for each other.


The closing credits feature a tribute to Bobby Ball, who died weeks after filming. The children are absent from this episode.

This episode was filmed in entirely one location (the living room).
Series
811"Small Package"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak8 January 2021 (2021-01-08)Unknown[a]

Lee accidentally opens a package for one of his neighbours and finds a penis enlarger inside instead of the mobile phone he was expecting. The simple task of uniting the package with its rightful owner becomes increasingly difficult as his guilt and embarrassment get the better of him. Soon, Lee is lying that Lucy has a twin sister, only to end up with his hands full when he orders a replacement item to pretend he had not opened the first one.


Anna, Charlie and Benji are absent from this episode. Molly can be seen in the window, and Francesca Newman is credited in the cast list at the end of the episode. However, she does not speak.

First appearance of Stuart
822"Pub Quiz"Nick WoodLee Mack & Sarah Morgan15 January 2021 (2021-01-15)Unknown[a]

To celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, Lee and Lucy take part in a pub quiz with Toby and Anna, but the foursome splits into rival teams: Lee and Anna versus Lucy and Toby. Lee is desperate to prove his intelligence, which he does by cheating using his mobile phone to find the answers on the internet. Lucy and Anna want to humiliate their husbands. Toby deliberately gives wrong answers to avoid Anna hitting him, until Lucy threatens to tell everyone in the pub that Toby routinely chooses to play badly against Anna in games. The two teams end as joint winners, until Lee's cheating is revealed when his phone loudly vibrates and moves across the table.


The children are absent from this episode.

The entire episode takes place in the pub.
833"Carol"Nick WoodLee Mack & Neil Webster22 January 2021 (2021-01-22)Unknown[a]

Frank visits; he tells Lee and Lucy that for several months he has been dating Carol (guest star Susie Blake), whom he met through a dating site for older people. Frank tells them that Carol suggested they become engaged, which Lee is baffled by. Finding it difficult to believe that Carol would want a relationship with Frank, Lee tries to find out what is wrong with her. When the couple visit Lee and Lucy, Lee is surprised that she is attractive, intelligent, well-spoken, kind, caring, thoughtful and rich, everything Frank is not, which makes him suspicious of her. Lee follows her and discovers she meets many other men. Lee suspects that she is a confidence trickster or is cheating. He has Lucy's friend Emma, a local prosthetics artis, to make him look 79, ready for his date with Carol to uncover the truth. He discovers that Carol talked Frank into agreeing for her to find another man for them to have a threesome with. Frank changes his mind and ends the relationship.


Anna, Toby and the children are absent from this episode.
844"Old Acquaintance"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak29 January 2021 (2021-01-29)4.16

At Lucy's suggestion, Lee joins Facebook for the first time. Karen, (guest star Katy Cavanagh), who was Lee's girlfriend for 18 months when he was about 19, contacts him. Lucy is angry and jealous, so she takes Ben, whom she had a relationship with when they were at university together, to the same restaurant at the same time as Lee and Karen are there. Both dates quickly walk away from them; Lee and Lucy go home together.


The children are absent from this episode.
855"War"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak5 February 2021 (2021-02-05)Unknown[a]

As the family prepares to leave for a visit to the World War Two war graves in Normandy, their true family history comes out. Wendy reveals to the family that she was born in March 1945 rather than 1947 as she claimed. She also reveals that her father Jack, who was a prisoner of war in Colditz for years, did not, as she and he had claimed, escape. Her March 1945 birth date means that he could not have been her father, as he was not released until after then. She tells them that she was the result of her mother's one-night stand with an American soldier. Frank then tells them that his father was a German airman with whom his mother had an affair whilst he was a prisoner of war.


Anna and Toby are absent from this episode. Final appearance of Frank. A tribute to Bobby Ball and a montage of clips featuring Frank is shown after the closing credits. This episode was filmed in entirely one location (the living room).

Series 12 (2021–22)

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
series
Title [35]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [31]UK viewers
(millions)
Christmas special
86-"Panto"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak23 December 2021 (2021-12-23)Unknown[a]

A few days before Christmas, Lee is in the bad books for not doing any work for his family Christmas party. When he complains that Lucy has booked tickets to the Christmas Eve pantomime purely to see her teenage crush, Jason Donovan, his attitude comes back to haunt him when he wakes up trapped in a performance of Cinderella as Buttons, with his family and friends in all the other roles.


Guest stars: Jason Donovan and Rick Astley as themselves. The children are absent from this episode.
Series
871"Painting"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak25 March 2022 (2022-03-25)Unknown[a]

It has been over a year since Lee's father Frank died, so Wendy and Geoffrey give Lee a gift to remember him by. Wendy, who has recently reacquired her love for oil painting, paints Lee a horrible picture of Frank. Lucy and Lee have to pretend they like it as to not hurt Wendy's feelings. Wendy suggests they should hang it on a blank wall, but Lee says he should put it in the shed. When Wendy isn't around, Geoffrey admits he hates it as well. After they had gone, Lee takes the photo down and puts it in Molly's room. When Geoffrey and Wendy return the next day, Lee tells them where the painting is and how much it means to Molly. Obviously hating it, Molly screams from upstairs and Lee pretends she has accidentally ruined it when instead she was screaming about how hideous it was. Lee draws some glasses and a beard on it to make it look like Molly had done it, so Wendy goes to get it repaired where she decides to keep it at her house instead. She and Geoffrey give Lee and Lucy another oil painting, but this time it is a picture of Geoffrey and Wendy naked.


Anna, Toby, Charlie and Benji are absent from this episode.
882"Text"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak1 April 2022 (2022-04-01)Unknown[a]

Lee accidentally sends Anna an offensive message about her meant for Lucy, so he and Lucy are on a mission to delete the message before Anna reads it. They steal her phone and attempt to delete the message, but Anna finds out. Lucy tells her that Lee had accidentally sent her a picture of his penis. Anna says the message must have been sent to her on her other phone, so Lee goes round her house to try and delete it. He deletes the message and takes a picture of his penis to make it look like nothing had happened. Anna catches him half-naked in her bedroom. Lee then accidentally sends the picture of his penis to Lucy's mum Wendy.


Toby and the children are absent from this episode.
893"Friend"Nick WoodLee Mack8 April 2022 (2022-04-08)Unknown[a]

Lee promises Lucy he will make more of an effort to chat to parents in the school playground. When Lee is picking up Molly the next day, he meets a man called Keith (Joe Wilkinson), a taxi driver, and makes an effort to chat to him. He then meets him for a coffee the next day where Keith orders a hot chocolate with marshmallows, and he subsequently takes them all out with a wooden stick. Lucy is annoyed that Lee did not even find out his name and makes him go on another meet-up to learn more about him. He learns that Keith's wife works at an abattoir and her name is Pauline. Later, Keith goes to see Lee back at the house to give him his driving license which he dropped in the cafe. Lucy is suspicious because she had not seem him in the playground before, and then they find out Keith is not a parent, he was just there to pick up somebody in his taxi. Lee talks to Toby in the cafe and Keith finds him there. He said he hated Lee's small talk and that he found it a bit peculiar. Another man comes to sit next to Lee and tries talking to him, but Lee just tells him to "sod off".


Anna, Charlie and Benji are absent from this episode.
904"Front Window"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak15 April 2022 (2022-04-15)Unknown[a]

Recovering from knee surgery, Lee is confined to a wheelchair and is staring out the window at everyone through a pair of binoculars to pass the time. He begins to think his neighbour, Stuart, has a killed a local cat called Mr Snuffles belonging to an elderly woman living in the street because of his hate for him, such as chucking water at him when he was urinating on his flowerbed. He consults a local police community support officer (guest star Jocelyn Jee Esien), but she is no help. Lee goes out in the middle of the night to dig up Stuart's garden, thinking he might have buried Mr Snuffles there, and he finds the cat's body. He is nearly caught by Stuart. Stuart comes round the next day and tells him it was his cat and accuses Lee of killing him, when it was actually the elderly woman (also Stuart's mother-in-law), who ran him over with her mobility scooter. This episode is a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.


Anna, Toby and the children are absent from this episode.
915"Jury"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak22 April 2022 (2022-04-22)2.73

Lee takes part in jury service, which leads to an investigation about who scratched his car and resulting a bunch of arguments about whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. He accuses the other eleven jurors of scratching his car, which inevitably leads to tensions, especially when the foreman (guest star Colin McFarlane) says the verdict is to be unanimous, and Lee is initially the only one who votes not guilty. In the end, a note from the defendant reveals that his crime (stealing 200 tins of food) was well intentioned as he was going to donate them to a food bank; consequently, the jury find him not guilty. However, the note makes Lee realise that the defendant was in fact responsible for damaging his car.


Lee is the only main character in this episode. This is the only episode Lucy is absent from since her first appearance in Series 2, Episode 1. The whole episode takes place at the courthouse. Anna, Toby and the children are also absent from this episode. Jocelyn Jee Esien reprises her role as the police community support officer from the previous episode, as a juror. The episode contains multiple references, and is similar in concept, to Twelve Angry Men.
926"Tent"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak29 April 2022 (2022-04-29)Unknown[a]

Lee, Lucy, Wendy, Geoffrey, Toby, Anna, Molly, Benji, Charlie and Jack go on a camping trip in the woods together, but the bad weather threatens to interrupt their fun. However, things get worse when Lee and Lucy find a bone in the woods and then they find a knife and a suspicious-looking bag the next day. They take the bag back to the tent and find out it belongs to a tree surgeon. When Lee is relieving himself in the woods, he finds a man chasing after him with the same knife they found earlier. They then find out it was Geoffrey; the medication he had earlier to treat the pain of his twisted ankle had an effect on him.


This is Charlie's and Benji's first appearance since Series 11 Episode 6. This is also Jack's first appearance since Series 9 Episode 3.

Series 13 (2023)

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
series
Title [36]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [b]UK viewers
(millions)
931"Italian Lessons"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak23 June 2023 (2023-06-23)2.63

When Lee and Lucy are asked to cover for Anna on more than one occasion, so that she can go out at night and have secret Italian lessons, they suspect that she is having an affair. Lee decides that it is up to him to tell Toby that his marriage is in jeopardy and sets about finding the evidence.


The children are absent from this episode.
942"Hospital"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak30 June 2023 (2023-06-30)2.64

Lee's sedentary lifestyle catches up on him and he is forced to wait on a hospital ward for routine surgery on his gallbladder until his blood pressure comes down. But visits from the parents-in-law and Anna and Toby, who arrive to ask him a question he does not want to hear, ensure that his stress levels remain dangerously high.


The children are absent from this episode. The entire episode takes place at the hospital.
953"Day Out"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak7 July 2023 (2023-07-07)Unknown[a]

To take advantage of three free tickets to Adventure Canyon Theme Park, Lee takes his daughter Molly out of school for a day and gets into trouble from Miss Anstis, who has since been promoted to head teacher of Molly's secondary school. Now all he has to do is think of an excuse to justify Molly's absence, and what could be simpler than a trip to the dentist?


This episode was shown on BBC Two due to coverage of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships being shown on BBC One at the same time.

Anna and Toby are absent from this episode.
964"Coffin"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak14 July 2023 (2023-07-14)2.50

Lee wakes up inside a coffin and cannot remember how he got there, until a phone call from Lucy reminds him what he had been doing that afternoon. Now all he needs to do is keep Lucy in the dark as to his exact location and work out how to escape.


Anna, Toby, Benji and Molly are absent from this episode.
975"Train"Nick WoodLee Mack, Daniel Peak & Chris McCausland21 July 2023 (2023-07-21)2.61

It is Lucy's birthday. To celebrate, Geoffrey and Wendy take Lee, Lucy, Toby and Anna for a trip on a vintage steam train. But Lee decides to play Poirot when a stranger turns up unannounced in their carriage and Lucy's special day is ruined.


The children are absent from this episode. Guest starring Chris McCausland.
986"Beep"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak28 July 2023 (2023-07-28)2.75

Lucy has cooked a special meal so that she and Lee can spend an evening in without distractions, talking about the state of their marriage. But Lee is obsessed with a beeping noise in the house that he cannot find and the food is soon forgotten.


Anna, Toby, Charlie and Benji are absent from this episode.
997"Football"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak4 August 2023 (2023-08-04)2.38

When Lee goes to watch his son Benji playing football for a local Under-13s team, he is unable to restrain himself on the touchline and becomes the competitive dad that all the other parents avoid. Undaunted by the disapproval of Toby, who coaches the team, Lee sets about rigging the vote for the Player of the Year.


Anna is absent from this episode. Guest starring Melvyn Hayes.
Christmas special
1008"Wilfred"Nick WoodLee Mack & Daniel Peak24 December 2023 (2023-12-24)3.86
Lee and Lucy invite a lonely old pensioner from the nearby care home to join them for Christmas dinner, only to discover that Wilfred is not allowed to drink alcohol.

Ratings

[edit]
Not Going Out : UK viewers per episode (millions)
Audience measurement performed by Broadcasters' Audience Research Board[citation needed]

Miscellaneous

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
Share
"Children in Need - Wogan"Ed ByeLee Mack16 November 2012 (2012-11-16)8.0632.7%
Lee, Lucy and Daisy are desperately trying to think of a way to convince Mr. Namasaki (Akie Kotabe), a Japanese client of Lucy's, that they did not poison his prize carp. Unexpectedly, Terry Wogan arrives and asks for a donation for Children in Need or else he will send Pudsey the Bear round to keep an "eye" on them. Lee then quickly runs through the audience with the donation bucket and gets them to donate.
"The Outtakes"Alex Hardcastle and Nick WoodLee Mack27 December 2014 (2014-12-27)N/AN/A
A compilation of outtakes from the series broadcast on BBC One in conjunction with the seventh series.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k This episode did not make it into the top 50 most viewed programmes of the week. Therefore full figures are not available.
  2. ^ With the series premiere, all 7 episodes were made available on iPlayer.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 3 - Absent Father Christmas - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  2. ^ Andrew Laughlin (7 January 2011). "'Not Going Out' returns with 4.7m". Digital Spy.
  3. ^ Andrew Laughlin (14 January 2011). "BBC explores 'Human Planet' with 5.6m". Digital Spy.
  4. ^ Andrew Laughlin (21 January 2011). "'10 O'Clock Live' rolls out with 1.4m". Digital Spy.
  5. ^ Andrew Laughlin (28 January 2011). "New 'Skins' series entertains 820k". Digital Spy.
  6. ^ Andrew Laughlin (4 February 2011). "ITV's 'Marchlands' enchants more than 6m". Digital Spy.
  7. ^ Andrew Laughlin (11 February 2011). "Sky1's 'Mad Dogs' entertains 960k". Digital Spy.
  8. ^ Paul Millar (14 April 2012). "Ian Hislop, 'Have I Got News For You' trumps Piers Morgan in ratings". Digital Spy.
  9. ^ Paul Millar (22 April 2012). "'Have I Got News For You' still ahead of 'Piers Morgan's Life Stories'". Digital Spy.
  10. ^ Paul Millar (28 April 2012). "'Piers Morgan's Life Stories' closes in on 'Have I Got News For You'". Digital Spy.
  11. ^ Paul Millar (7 May 2012). "Graham Norton nearly matches Piers Morgan in Friday night ratings". Digital Spy.
  12. ^ Paul Millar (13 May 2012). "Matt LeBlanc's 'Episodes' returns to BBC Two with 1.2m". Digital Spy.
  13. ^ Paul Millar (19 May 2012). "Lee Mack's 'Not Going Out' enjoys late surge in ratings". Digital Spy.
  14. ^ Tom Eames (7 April 2013). "'Not Going Out', 'HIGNFY' return to decent ratings for BBC One". Digital Spy.
  15. ^ Beth Hilton (13 April 2013). "Caroline Aherne's 'The Security Men' attracts 4.8m on ITV". Digital Spy.
  16. ^ Beth Hilton (20 April 2013). "'The Ice Cream Girls' debuts with 4.9m on ITV". Digital Spy.
  17. ^ Beth Hilton (4 May 2013). "'The Ice Cream Girls' concludes with 4.23m for ITV". Digital Spy.
  18. ^ Beth Hilton (11 May 2013). "'Life of Crime' debuts on ITV with 3.9m". Digital Spy.
  19. ^ Beth Hilton (18 May 2013). "'Life of Crime' continues with 3.2m on ITV". Digital Spy.
  20. ^ Beth Hilton (25 May 2013). "'Life of Crime' down to 2.9m for final episode". Digital Spy.
  21. ^ Beth Hilton (1 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' latest semi-final scores 8m on ITV". Digital Spy.
  22. ^ "Lee Mack scared of flying he sends wife and kids on plane and drives to holidays". 26 January 2021.
  23. ^ "BBC iPlayer - Not Going Out - Series 7: 10. Christmas Special". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  24. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 8, Episode 1 - Romance - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  25. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 8, Episode 2 - Babysitting - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  26. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 8, Episode 3 - Car - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  27. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 8, Episode 4 - Hot Tub - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  28. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 8, Episode 5 - Charlie - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  29. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Not Going Out Series 8, Episode 6 - Marriage Guidance - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide.
  30. ^ "Not Going Out = The True Meaning of Christmas". 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  31. ^ a b c d e "Not Going Out Series 10 episode guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  32. ^ a b "BBC One - Not Going Out - Available now".
  33. ^ "Not Going Out viewers baffled as BBC pulls scheduled episode". Entertainment Daily. 23 April 2019.
  34. ^ "NOT GOING OUT".
  35. ^ "Not Going Out Series 12 episodes guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Not Going Out Series 13 episodes guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
[edit]