Not Going Out: End of Series Review

1st June 2013

Much like its protagonist, Not Going Out may be simple and not very refined, but it certainly is funny. Finishing its sixth series on Friday night, it’s easy to see how Lee Mack’s sitcom survived a brief cancellation and now maintains a steady audience on BBC One. A solid rather than ground-breaking comedy that would never spring to mind if someone were to ask me my favourite comedies, it nevertheless often has me laughing out loud.

The series finale followed the established Not Going Out formula, where episodes play out like extended stand-up routines, and characters exchange punchlines rather than dialogue. Bobby Ball returned as Lee’s father, offering Lee the chance to woo landlady Lucy (Sally Bretton) in the romantic surroundings of his new boat. Naturally, Lucy turns out to have a fear of water, the boat turns out to be an un-seaworthy wreck, and soon enough they are adrift at sea with the hapless Daisy (Katy Wix) sabotaging any hope of return to dry land. The standard hijinks, banter and innuendo ensue; Not Going Out may be none too subtle and several steps removed from reality, but it gets all the bigger laughs for its unashamed reliance on quick fire one-liners.

The series has suffered this year from the loss of Tim Vine, which has resulted in his girlfriend Daisy being given greater prominence in the village idiot role. Her simpleness has proved a difficult tool to master – her misunderstandings can easily and hilariously escalate the many absurd predicaments the characters find themselves in, but used too often she can become wearisome. The sitcom is set to return for another series, where hopefully she can settle into her more central role, and with any luck the development of Lee and Lucy’s will they/won’t they relationship, left unresolved in the finale despite many hints to the contrary, can accelerate.

Its style may not be for everyone, but for mainstream BBC One fare Not Going Out is extremely good at what it does, and when on form the calamitous life of Lee can be hysterical. Though not every episode entirely hits the mark, occasionally a tightly scripted and quick witted gem will come along that demonstrates why the sitcom has continued to thrive. At six series old it still has life in it, unlike many other comedies that struggle on this far, and there are worse things to watch on a Friday night – although a high tolerance for jokes about the North is recommended.

Let's Dance For Comic Relief - Week One Blog

Monday 18th February 2013

On Saturday night the run-up to Comic Relief started in earnest, with the return of Let’s Dance for Comic Relief, now in its fifth year of humiliating celebrities. The number of iconic dances left to recreate has dwindled since Robert Webb’s sublime Flashdance, but each series usually throws up a couple of hilarious and surreal routines (Noel Fielding’s Wuthering Heights tribute springs to mind), and this year should be no different. But can we agree at the outset: first person to do Gangnam Style is disqualified?

 Judging this week were Tameka Empson, Bradley Walsh, and Mel Giedroyc deploying as many baking metaphors as she could muster. First up were soap stars Natalie Cassidy, Dean Gaffney, Claire Sweeney and Ricky Groves, dancing a routine from Hairspray. I was at Television Centre on Friday and saw Claire and Natalie: Claire looked confident, Natalie was on the phone. Only one of these approaches was carried over into the routine - a competent performance which introduced the first man in a dress of the series in record-breaking time. Bonus points for Gaffney who effectively walked out of a car crash and straight into rehearsals, so should be congratulated simply for being able to remember the choreography.

In the absence of any particularly imaginative routine, comedienne Olivia Lee as Lady Gaga provided the most memorable moment of the night, causing chaos in the studio by incorporating George the dog into her performance. Mel Giedroyc tried in vain to compare Olivia’s dancing to cake whilst Tameka Empson revealed herself not only to be afraid of dogs, but also surprisingly gullible when it came to Bradley Walsh’s impression of George attacking her.

As Justin Timberlake makes his musical comeback, comedian Tim Vine made the topical choice to dance in the manner of a JT who had spent his time away from music indulging in very little dance practice. To his credit, Vine unleashed some great “hat-ography” and was in time throughout (an achievement which says a lot about the show’s standard of dance).

A trio of unrecognisable comedians formed a Destiny’s Child tribute act which was disturbing rather than hilarious - very good sports, but perhaps avoid YouTubing this one. The final performance - Ricky Hatton as Robbie Williams – was built around Hatton flying through the air. Unfortunately something went wrong, meaning the routine consisted mainly of some skipping and then a prolonged bit of filler with the judges playing air guitar before an empty harness drifted forlornly across the stage. At least we were treated to seeing Ricky in what Giedroyc called a “nappy of sequins”.

After a reminder that the array of shambolic and occasionally traumatising routines we witnessed was all for a terrifically good cause, Tim Vine sailed through to the final on the public vote, and the judges sent the soap stars through. Neither of them screams winner, but there’s still time for the series to produce a classic routine. If nothing else, let’s just hope the costume budget for the men’s dresses and catsuits is a bit bigger next week.