LEE MACK'S NOT GOING OUT RENEWED FOR SIXTEENTH SERIES ON BBC ONE, HIT COMEDY TO RETURN IN 2027
Hit studio comedy Not Going Out will return to BBC One and iPlayer in 2027 for its sixteenth series, creator Lee Mack has confirmed.
Not Going Out is the longest‑running British sitcom currently on air, with 112 episodes (and counting), beloved for its quick‑fire gags, inventive set‑pieces and unforgettable characters.
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 finale and Lucy having a baby shortly after.
Next in Lee and Lucy’s lives, the show jumped forward eight years into their marriage and into the midst of a chaotic family life with three children. Last series rolled the story on several years again, with the couple moving away from their suburban ‘empty nest’.
The sitcom is now the UK’s all-time second longest running by number of series (and fifth by number of episodes). It stars Lee Mack (as Lee) and Sally Bretton (as Lucy). Over the 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.
SERIES 15 EPISODE GUIDE
Episode 1: When Lucy’s goddaughter Ella has her 20th birthday party in their house, Lucy forbids Lee from leaving the bedroom to check that everything’s OK in case he ruins Ella’s big day. But when Lee hears someone playing his precious special edition Frankie Goes to Hollywood LP, he can’t stop himself from rushing downstairs to save it.
Episode 2: When a beauty treatment goes horribly wrong, Lucy refuses to show her face in public. This creates an embarrassing headache for Lee because Anna and Toby are due to arrive at any moment for a long-awaited weekend visit. Lee spins all sorts of lies to stop them discovering the truth.
Episode 3: After receiving a Cameo birthday message from one of his comedy heroes, Nigel Planer, Lee does not realise that Lucy has paid for it. So, when he sees Nigel in a packed restaurant, he rushes over to introduce himself, assuming that they must now be best friends. This is news to Nigel.
Episode 4: When two women from the local church turn up on the doorstep to offer spiritual guidance, Lee and Lucy invite them in to referee an argument that they are having about money. Unfortunately, Lee and Lucy learn the hard way that the love of money is the root of all evil.
Episode 5: Lee is sceptical about all the witchy woo-woo stuff on display at an alternative craft fair where Lucy is trying to sell her badly made dream catchers. Unfortunately, his attitude irritates everyone at the fair and ensures that Lucy can’t sell any of her stock.
Episode 6: Lee finds an undiscovered Banksy and attempts to steal the artwork in a foolhardy quest for fame and fortune. When he is collared by a security guard, however, he panics and hints that he might be Banksy to get away. Now, he finds himself at the centre of a blackmail plot.
Not Going Out is available now on BBC iPlayer.
