Not Going Out

Few and far between in the last decade; a British comedy that is funny. Lee Mack on top form, Tim Vine, less frenetic compared to his stand up but excellent nonetheless and Megan Dodds playing the role of the straight man(woman) perfectly. Anyone who has seen or heard Lee Mack will know that when he plays restrained in this he could be about to explode with even funnier lines. Ditto for Tim Vine but in terms of the speed of delivery of his jokes. Any complaints about the US style scene links - nice shots of London by day and night - are just carping. If you don't like this then go to the other end of the spectrum and watch My Family. Robert Lindsay and all those responsible for that turd of a "sitcom" should watch Not Going Out, realise that My Family is a crime against humanity and kill themselves. Lee Mack for PM!

Start with the first series. They are filled to the brim with Lee Mack's signature humour, there is also Miranda, and Tim Vine and later on the Daisy character. It is simply consistent. Good bread at the table of entertainment. Not too heavy, not superficial, because it manages to stay witty and clever most of the time. Then Tim leaves. The show goes a bit low, a bit more, but, hey, it is Lee Mack that carries it and so he does further. Enter new characters. Later on, the series makes a huge jump, in terms of premise and it feels somehow stuck for quite a few seasons. But hey, since it did not gave up, and because it became our friend, we can keep watching. Then it hits here and there a few better episodes. Too much bickering... a much waited Christmas special... a clever plot... a few stale episodes. Overall it is great that is goes on. Good news, the most recent series seems to have hit the jackpot with fresh jokes and fresh situational comedy. This sets up good expectations for the next one (series 12).

Not going out is proof that British sitcoms can still be funny. There was a definite (and still is) baron period in Britcoms, Not going out proved a welcome show to our screens. Series one feels a little at odds to the rest of the show, Series one focused mainly on the cultural differences between Lee and Kate. Enter Lucy in Series two and the whole dynamic of the show changed. I love the entire cast, I am missing Tim Vine very much, but I just love Katy Wix, her scatty character is just too funny. I'm a huge fan of Lee Mack, I genuinely get and love his brand of humour.

For me the highlights have been episodes 'Camping' and 'The House,' a Christmas special from a few years back. Both are genuinely among the funniest things I have ever seen.

Brilliantly written, beautifully performed 'Not going out' is a definite winner. Let's hope another series returns soon.

On the first showing, I thought, 'well, that could have been better'. The second episode came on and I decided to give it another try. I laughed myself silly. This proves that comedy on Friday nights is finally making a comeback. Only into the fourth episode and I'm looking forward to the next episode. Lee Mack is brilliant and his timing is perfect. Tim Vine comes out with some great one liners. As for Megan Dodds, wow. Not only is she gorgeous, she can act. She may be just the reason I returned for a second helping and I'm glad I did. There maybe a few cheap laughs here and there, but they just warm you up for the smattering of funny gags, slapstick falls and superb lines. Worth staying in for. I just hope we see a second series and a DVD box-set.

The following remarks applied to the episode that went out on 13th October. I'm sorry to say the next week's episode was less funny, and just to confirm the trend, last night's episode hardly coaxed a smile out of me! Either I'm rapidly losing my sense of humour or the format and jokes have slipped into a rut in record-breaking time. A shame - we need something out-of-the-ordinary on a Friday - or any night, for that matter!

For the record, here's what I said after the first episode: Witty, quick-fire, funny! I liked it - good twists in the plot, nicely set up contrasts and conflicts between the main characters: Brits v Yanks, northern v southern, sloppy slacker v diligent plodder, male v female. The characters are likable and intelligent, but troubled, (like most of us), and they're a great relief from the witless slobs mostly featured in new sitcoms 'next door' at BBC 3. The scene with the shrink was superb. With a bit of luck this show will make it up there with 'The Office' and 'Men Behaving Badly'! I'd include 'The Mighty Boosh', except that that fine show will probably never appeal to prime time audiences. i understand the next episode features an Australian - yippee, more opportunities for 'incorrect' racism! North/South, Male v Female, Yank and Aussie seem to be the only areas where 'we' can get back at 'them' (and vice versa of course), without the stifling hand of correctness coming down! Let's hope it stays that way.