LEE AND LUCY BECOME EMPTY NESTERS AND MOVE HOUSE
Lee Mack’s critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning studio sitcom will return for a new series on the BBC in June. The UK’s longest running UK sitcom currently on air, and newest member to the elite group of sitcom centenarians (when the 100th episode aired during the BBC’s 2023 Christmas schedule), will see the story of wise-cracking Lee and long-suffering wife Lucy enter a new chapter.
First going out in 2006, the show introduced us to Lee, a juvenile and lazy slacker drifting from one job to another – a man unburdened by ambition or drive, living off the good graces of his Californian landlady. That was before Lee’s best friend’s sister Lucy (Sally Bretton) bought the flat he lived in, setting in motion a will-they-won’t-they chain of events that led to the unlikely couple marrying in a highly emotional series seven finale and Lucy having a baby shortly after. Next in Lee and Lucy’s lives, series eight jumped forward eight years into their marriage and into the midst of a chaotic family life with three children. Series 14 now rolls the story on several years again, with the couple moving away from their suburban ‘empty nest’ and finding plenty of time to focus on each other… what could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: quite a lot!).
The sitcom is now the UK’s all-time second longest running by number of series (and fifth by number of episodes), stars Lee Mack (as Lee) and Sally Bretton (as Lucy). Over 13 series regular cast have included: Bobby Ball, Abigail Cruttenden, Hugh Dennis, Megan Dodds, Deborah Grant, Miranda Hart, Tim Vine, Timothy West, Geoffrey Whitehead and Katy Wix.
Not Going Out continues to be an important show for the BBC and, when it was last on air, it was in the top two most watched comedies on iPlayer alongside Ghosts, with audiences in 2025 still watching the back catalogue (13.2m viewer hours in the last year) without any new episodes. The last episode, the series 13 Christmas Special (and 100th episode) averaged 4.6 million viewers. The BBC have recommissioned the show for a further six episodes (series 15) in 2026.
Not Going Out (6 x 30) is produced by Avalon for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The producer is Jamie Rix, the director is Nick Wood and the writers are Lee Mack and Daniel Peak. The executive producers for Avalon are Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, Lee Mack and Jon Thoday. The commissioning editor for the BBC is Ben Caudell.
About series 14
Download first look photos here
As the show heads into episode 101 and beyond… In HOUSE MOVE Lee and Lucy decide to move house and view the home of their dreams when Lee asks to use the loo, causing unwanted tension with the vendor; in DOLL Lee brings a battered box back from the tip and gets a shock when he opens it in front of Lucy to reveal a sex doll… but doesn’t realise what he’s actually dealing with; in CAMPERVAN Lee borrows a dilapidated campervan from his cousin to take Lucy away for the weekend. She is not impressed by either the accommodation or the location. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere, they can’t escape the strange woman who knocks at their door…; in OASIS some might say that Lee and Lucy were foolish to have tried to buy tickets to see Oasis in concert, because when they lose their place in the long online queue, they start to blame each other; in DRAGON CASTLE Lee and Lucy are extras on the set of a famous TV mini-series. Unfortunately, Lee gets ideas above his station and sets his sights on an acting role; and in HOTEL ROOM when Lee uses his collection of free discount vouchers to stay overnight in a mid-range hotel, he makes sure that he takes advantage of all the hotel’s complimentary services.
What the press said about series 13…
“I’ve watched all seven episodes of this new run and it’s in cracking form, with a couple of potential all-time greats amongst the seven… a platform for the cast to fire out the gags at a rate of almost three a minute, with Mack throwing in the odd bit of slapstick for good measure. It’s difficult to pick a favourite gag” – Ian Hyland, The Mirror
“Mack and his cast, as always, appear to be having a whale of a time and it’s infectious. Amid the mirth, there are also some sweetly affecting moments.” – Michael Hogan, The Radio Times
“As Lee Mack’s long-running sitcom Not Going Out returned, I counted 84 one-liners, sight gags and punchlines in 30 minutes. Every one was honed to a razor edge. Most comedies can’t cram that many funnies into a full series.” – Christopher Stevens, The Daily Mail
“so unapologetically old- school – harking back not just to the gag-heavy comedies of the 70s, but also to the theatrical farces of earlier decades. Indeed, each episode is a self-contained farce, the audience barely able to catch its breath between the jokes… And given the quantity of jokes, it is impressive how many of them land.” – Gerard Gilbert, The i Newspaper
“zinger-stuffed sitcom.” – Graeme Virtue, The Guardian
“Lee Mack’s brilliant sitcom ends its current run on BBC1 very shortly. But on the iPlayer you can already binge the lot (plus every other episode ever made, right back to 2006, when the show was very different but no less funny)” – Mike Ward, The Daily Star
“Perfecting the sitcom formula is no easy feat… That’s why Not Going Out is such a joy to watch, with the cast clearly at ease from working together for so long and the jokes flowing fast” – Emma Noble, The Sun
“these tiny suburban farces escalate with expert velocity” – Victoria Segal, The Sunday Times
“SMALL JOYS OF TV: Lee Mack’s gag ratio on Not Going Out.” – Gary Bushell, The Daily Star on Sunday
★★★★ – Mike Mulvihill, The Daily Mail
“It’s all a vehicle for a delightful barrage of one-liners from Lee Mack.” – Sara Wallis, The Mirror
“Lee Mack’s triumphant Friday-night sitcom … Silly in the absolute best way.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Series 13 of the comedy mainstay and Lee Mack’s one-man joke machine shows no sign of spluttering in the exhaust” – James Jackson, The Times
“It has undergone cancellation, revival, change of cast and new settings, but millions of viewers have stuck with it every step of the way.” – The Daily Mail
“it’s as smartly put together as ever.” – Gabriel Tate, The Daily Telegraph
For more information contact:
Dan Lloyd or Lucy Plosker at Avalon: [email protected] or [email protected]
