Lee Mack reveals the shocking truth behind Not Going Out’s lost season

Lee Mack, the creator and star of Not Going Out, reveals the long‑unfolding secrets of the show in a one‑off documentary that airs this week. The program celebrates the sitcom’s 20th anniversary after 106 episodes and 15 seasons that have spanned two decades.

Fans will get classic clips, never‑before‑seen outtakes and exclusive archive material that shed light on the series’ enduring appeal.

The series debuted in 2006 and followed hapless Lee (Mack) and his best friend’s sister Lucy (Sally Bretton), who is also the landlady of his London flatshare. A will‑they‑won’t‑they romance ran through the early seasons before the couple married in the season seven finale.

The eighth series jumped eight years forward, turning the show into a family sitcom with three children.

The 20 Years Of Not Going Out documentary premiered Wednesday, September 23 at 9PM on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with the season 15 launch episode following at 9:30PM. The film offers an inside look that Mack says is “warts and all.”

## Background & Context

Lee Mack first conceived the idea during a 1999 sketch show, Lee Mack’s Bits, performed at Edinburgh Festival with Catherine Tate and Dan Antopolski. He wrote jokes that didn’t fit skits but kept them for future use. When the BBC commissioned a sitcom script, those ideas landed in Not Going Out’s pilot, which never aired.

In that unaired pilot, Catherine Tate was cast as the female lead. She dropped out to focus on her own sketch show, leading Mack to replace her first with American actress Megan Dodds for series 1 and later Sally Bretton as Lucy from series 2 onward.

The show’s working title, Number 17, was changed to Not Going Out after Tate’s withdrawal, a move Mack said kept the show “not a couple” in the title.

Not Going Out has seen a rotating cast including Hugh Dennis, Miranda Hart, Timothy West, Bobby Ball, Abigail Cruttenden, Deborah Grant, Tim Vine and Katy Wix.

The series was abruptly cancelled midway through season 3 by the BBC, leaving fans shocked and sparking an online campaign that boosted DVD sales until the network reversed its decision nine months later.

Tim Vine quit during the run, which caused a fallout with Mack, but the role was written out with a brief reference to his character moving to Germany for work. Hugh Dennis was then cast, unaware it would be the final season at the time. Miranda Hart left in 2009 after being offered her own programme, paving the way for Katy Wix’s Daisy.

## What Fans and Cast Heard in the Documentary

Mack explained, “After 20 years of Not Going Out we are delighted to finally give a warts and all peep behind the curtain of how it's made.” He added, “Thankfully we have hoovered behind that curtain, but unfortunately the warts have not cleared up.”

He said Catherine was “really successful” and wanted to do her own thing, adding that there were no hard feelings about her withdrawal. Mack also noted that his brief partnership with Tate led to a name change: “If people say 'I don't believe you're a couple,' we can say 'well, we're not,' hence the name, Not Going Out.”

Tim Vine recalled, “I fancied a change really and it's not really a great reason perhaps.” He continued, “We've made up about it now, me and Lee.

It came as a shock to the system when I first said it to him.” Hugh Dennis said the role was presented to him as the last series of Not Going Out, and that he had “no clue the show would still be going.”

When Bobby Ball died in 2020 at 76 after testing positive for Covid, Mack said, “After Bobby died we did an episode where it was his funeral. We just couldn't find a way of not making it really sad. So we said, you know what, we've never done this before, let's just drop the whole thing.”

Mack reflected that “The idea of me doing it 20 years on from now, when I'd be 77, seems like insanity,” but he added that the show’s longevity was a source of pride.

## Future of the Show

Not Going Out is now in its 15th season, making it Britain’s second longest‑running sitcom after Last Of The Summer Wine. The BBC has committed to continue airing new episodes and the documentary's airing underscores that commitment.

Mack expressed confidence that fans still enjoy the format, despite his concerns about the will‑they‑won’t‑they storyline becoming stale. He noted that after the couple married in season 7, the show moved into a new era with children and family chaos, which keeps the narrative fresh.

With two decades of laughs and a devoted fan base, Not Going Out’s celebration offers a rare look at the mechanics of a long‑running sitcom. The documentary and upcoming season remind viewers that even after 20 years, the show still has room to grow.