20 Years Of Not Going Out | Preview (BBC One)

Celebrating a modern comedy classic. It’s the 20th anniversary of Not Going Out, the sitcom created, written and starring the brilliant Lee Mack. In this very special half-hour documentary, he invites us to hear the inside story of how the series came to be and why it’s stood the test of time.

It’s the longest-running British sitcom still in production, and there is exclusive access behind closed studio doors to see exactly how the show is made.

From the initial spark in a writers’ meeting, through theatre read-throughs where, uniquely, scripts are tested on an audience to intensive rehearsals and finally the studio recording, cameras follow Lee, the cast and crew as they bring together a brand new series coinciding with the show’s milestone birthday.

In an in-depth interview, Lee shares the story of the show from his own perspective, with plenty of fascinating details and funny anecdotes along the way.

Fellow stars Sally Bretton, Tim Vine, Hugh Dennis, Abigail Cruttenden, Deborah Grant and Geoffrey Whitehead reflect on its phenomenal success, alongside guest stars Chris McCausland and Jocelyn Jee Esien, as well as producer Jamie Rix and director Nick Wood. Classic clips and rarely seen footage add extra context, insight and, of course, lots of laughs.

Epsiode 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.

Not Going Out returns Wednesday 23rd September on BBC One and iPlayer.