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20 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Funny, 7 October 2006
10/10
Author: Voetsek from England

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!

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Finally, a BBC comedy with some laughs in it!, 15 December 2006
Author: bs3dc from United Kingdom

"Not Going Out" has a very simple set-up. Kate, a successful American lives with her friend Lee, a hopeless, almost unemployable layabout Northerner. Also on the scene is her ex-boyfriend Tim, a Southerner who cheated on her with a younger woman. Cynically the inclusion of an American sounds like a way of introducing it to the overseas market, but it works quite well as a large amount of the humour comes from the chalk and cheese relationship of the characters, especially between Lee and Kate. Most of the laughs come from fast-paced joke telling, no surprise to anyone who has seen Tim Vine on stage as he holds the Guiness World Record for the most jokes told in an hour. All the leads are very good at the delivery, with Megan Dodds managing to keep up well with the two stand-up comedians.

The first episode was pretty poor, but was just good enough for me to take a look at the second. I am extremely glad I did since the series improved continually from then on.

While being far from perfect, "Not Going Out" is rare these days for being an original comedy and one with some good laughs in it. With the schedules being clogged with sitcoms that stopped being funny a number of series ago (My Family, My Hero) and ones that were should never have got a second series (The Green Green Grass) and even those so-called comedies that were first aired on BBC3 because they are complete garbage (Tittybangbang) this stood out from the crowd.

I hope this gets another series as it is truly one of the very few new comedies in 2006 that I think deserves another chance. More work needs to be done on the story lines as there is often not enough narrative in each episode to carry it through without seeming forced, but there is the potential here for a really great comedy.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A witty sitcom! Most refreshing!, 14 October 2006
8/10
Author: martin-1345 from United Kingdom

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.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Unashamedly stupid and fantastically funny!, 6 November 2006
10/10
Author: holly1979 from United Kingdom

When I saw the write-up for 'Not Going Out', I was dubious - Friday evening on BBC1 isn't usually fertile ground for good comedy. I actually watched it almost by accident, but it turned out to be a happy accident, because 'Not Going Out' is an underrated gem.

Lee Mack ("always cheeky, never blue") is perfect and strangely charming as unambitious slacker, Lee, and Tim 'The Joke Machine-Gun' Vine is also excellent as his accountant best friend. Their friendship is really well-observed, even if they do spend much of the time trading in jokes and insults. Up against a pair of stand-up comedians, Megan Dodds has a tough job, but more than holds her own playing Lee's landlady (and Tim's ex-girlfriend) Kate. Dodds and Mack have a natural chemistry, and make you believe quite easily that an ultra-healthy Californian publisher could fall for an unemployed northern dosser. (It's interesting that comedian Catherine Tate was in the original pilot as Kate - somehow, I can't imagine it working so well without Megan Dodds. She and Mack play off each other so well.)

At times 'Not Going Out' seems like it's a framework for a bunch of stand-up jokes (and Mack does recycle some one-liners from his BBC radio show), but as the series goes on the story lines are getting better and the characters more engaging. It has genuine laugh-out-loud moments that stay with you for the next few days, and it's just refreshing to watch a comedy that doesn't mind being daft and isn't attempting to be political or subversive.

'Not Going Out' deserves a second series, because I know that Lee Mack and Andrew Collins have a lot more gags left in the tank - and I think the fall-out arising from a Lee/Kate romance could be pretty explosive, not to mention amusing!

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Comedy drought over!, 17 October 2006
10/10
Author: adam from Middle England

Having seen Lee Mack live earlier this year, i had been looking forward to seeing Not Going Out for quite some time. I've found Friday nights to be a little dry on decent comedy for quite a while now and hoped Lee would bring a little ray of sunshine to my favourite night of the week. I'm thrilled to say I wasn't disappointed and Not Going Out delivered the goods like a 10 ton truck! The leads were all great in their roles delivering funny performances with plenty of laughs. Lee, you've done a grand job and I hope that the BBC have the good sense to recommission you for a second series! Folks, don't fear the TV come Friday night, decent comedy has returned! I look forward to buying your live DVD next month.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Definitely "not going out" when this is on the box, 23 October 2006
10/10
Author: stephenclayton from United Kingdom

A refreshing comedy full of wit and one liners that could only be delivered by Lee Mack and Tim Vine (both ex-the sketch show).

A Californian (Kate) - landlady to Lee and ex-girlfriend of Tim who makes veggie food nobody likes, a Northerner (Lee) - part-time, odd jobbing, always joking, non rent paying lodger, and a Southerner (Tim)- good job, Kates ex-boyfriend, mate of Lee, combine their talents to make an excellent comedy with loads of potential.

3 episodes so far and it just keeps getting funnier, although there appears to be a love interest developing between Kate and Lee it can only add to the laughter (provided it remains unrequited).

Friday nights will not be the same without it.

An absolute gem amongst todays mediocre Sit-Com's.

Hope there will be more than 1 series (only 6 episodes! What a crime).

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Utter brilliance, as unique and entertaining as sitcoms get!!!, 2 September 2008
8/10
Author: tjleaton from United Kingdom

I have to agree profusely with some comments that have been made on this title. Watching the two series I have been compelled by the nature of the comedy-which I have accertained as a compromise between stand-up comedy and a sitcom. Rather than to shroud the characters true feelings, as has been done before, all characters speak their mind. This brings the result of a comedic 'battle' between them in which their unresolved disputes and generic arguments are turned to light-hearted funny quirks in the viewers perspective, as the drama unfolds for all those involved-namely for the unfortunate Lee, who seems to be at the tail-end of most decisions and seems to have most bad-luck.

Conclusively, I believe that the more unnatural stance on this genre is very effective for a wide audience, and makes a welcome change from your standard sitcom. Moreover, I believe that an entertaining show such as this does not need to develop further. As has happened in many American comedy shows, characters and plots have been killed off by over-running; but a good show should end whilst it is still laughed at and enjoyed by its viewers, as to bring it into a reputable class of British comedy.

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6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
excellent show!!!, 10 October 2006
10/10
Author: pinkISH from Romania

In the last few years, very few comedy shows have caught my attention. If I have to name any, I would say Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. This is up there with those classics! It has an American air to it, combined with British cinematography. The jokes are great and they combine noir-ish British humor with the American style. The show has a lot of potential and I think it'll catch on overseas, as well. Other British shows that I enjoy (Ideal, Respectable) might disappoint American viewers because of the raw British humor, but Not Going Out really hits that laughing spot!

It's a great show, just started and I hope to see it go on for years.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Best British sit-com since Only Fools and Horses, 31 October 2008
10/10
Author: Gary Talbot from Bexleyheath, London

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Not Going out is hilarious, the only sit-com that makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. Lee Mack and Time Vine should have been put together years ago.

The best scenes are when Lee Mack and Tim Vine are in the pub. They are given a chance to be at their comedy best.

I also like Miranda Hart and Sally Bretton, they sometimes have better lines than Lee and Tim.

I was in the studio audience for a show in series 3 (yet to be screened at the time of writing.) It's great seeing all the bits that never make it to the screen. You can only see that if you go to a recording. Everybody should go to see a TV show recorded, the tickets are free and it is just as entertaining as the theatre or cinema.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Very Funny!, 21 October 2006
9/10
Author: esmecrowfoot from United Kingdom

I didn't expect much from this programme when it first aired and it was only on as I hadn't turned over from the previous programme. Now I'm glad I didn't! Not often is there a programme on that makes me literally laugh out loud - normally I'm just a smile-on-my-face kind of girl, but this was so so funny I couldn't help it! The jokes come thick and fast as one liners, with very clever word play which I think is reminiscent of the Two Ronnies. It sometimes borders on the very rude, but doesn't go too far into this territory as to spoil it.

The sexual tension between the landlady and her best friend/flatmate adds an extra dimension to the show, which is keeping me guessing as to how it will turn out: will she go with Lee or return to her ex-boyfriend (and Lee's best friend) Tim?

Not sure how this would play overseas as a lot of the jokes are very British and some centred around Lee's northern roots. But my congratulations to the writers and cast for a programme thats very funny and very original.

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