Not Going Out

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.

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.

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!

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.

"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.