List of Not Going Out episodes

This is a list of episodes of the British television sitcom Not Going Out, which has aired since 2006.

Series overview

Series		Episodes	Originally aired		DVD release date
			Series premiere	Series finale	Region 2	Region 4
	Series 1	6	6 October 2006	10 November 2006	22 October 2007	13 May 2009
	Series 2	8	7 September 2007	21 December 2007	2 February 2009	9 December 2009
	Series 3	8	30 January 2009	23 December 2009	27 September 2010[1]	5 May 2011
	Series 4	6	6 January 2011	10 February 2011	14 February 2011	—
	Series 5	6	13 April 2012	18 May 2012	21 May 2012[2]	—
	Series 6	8	5 April 2013	31 May 2013	17 November 2014[3]	—
	Christmas Special (2013)	1	24 December 2013		1 December 2014	—
	Series 7	10	17 October 2014	24 December 2014	1 June 2015	—
	Christmas Special (2015)	1	24 December 2015		2016	—

Episode list

Series 1 (2006)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
1	1	"Serious"	Alex Hardcastle & Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	6 October 2006	2.83	13.9%
Lee (Lee Mack), sharing a flat with Kate (Megan Dodds), who is the ex-girlfriend of Lee's best friend Tim Adams (Tim Vine), finds a job writing jokes for crackers. Kate, a book publisher, arranges a dinner date between Lee and Lucy Moss (Alexandra Gilbreath), a serious and earnest author who has written a book about her abusive childhood, in the hope that it will help him find his serious side. Whilst Lee is out with Lucy, Tim comes to the flat to apologise to Kate for cheating on her with 23-year-old Emma, but they just end up insulting one another. Lee's date goes badly, but he continues to invite Lucy out to prove a point to Kate that he is capable of being more serious. Later, Lee invites Tim and Kate to the pub to help Tim apologise, but Kate refuses to accept his apology and Lee himself admits that he doesn't want them to get back together. Lee's relationship with Lucy ends when she overhears him describing her as 'being as much fun as a suicidal tortoise', and he is also sacked from his job when one of his funeral jokes is accidentally put in a Christmas cracker. Meanwhile, Kate signs up for a course to learn clowning skills, but struggles to find her 'inner clown' and is eventually expelled from the group after throwing water over the instructor (Angela McHale) and throwing a custard pie down her pants.
2	2	"Death"	Alex Hardcastle & Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	13 October 2006	2.96	14.1%
Tim's 94-year-old grandmother has died, and as Kate comforts him, the two grow closer, to the point where she is invited to the funeral. Meanwhile, Lee is encouraged by Kate to visit a therapist (Lorelei King), who quickly begins to suspect that Lee is secretly in love with Kate, and suggests that he talk to her about it. He turns up unexpected at the funeral with the intention of telling Kate how he feels, but Tim interrupts before he can. Whilst Lee is getting drinks, Tim tries to rekindle his relationship with Kate, but she turns him down, saying that the past is the past and she doesn't want to get back together. Kate then leaves, and Tim suggests that Lee go after her, but Lee instead decides to stay at the funeral with Tim. That evening, Kate asks Lee what he was going to tell her, but he says that it can wait. Guest Cast: Vicar (Richard Freeman)
3	3	"Aussie"	Alex Hardcastle & Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	20 October 2006	2.85	13.8%
Ruth, an Australian friend of Kate's, comes to stay and Lee is persuaded to pretend to be Tim. Lee gets a job handing out leaflets at a shopping centre, but soon falls foul of a local youth. Guest Cast: Ruth (Julia Morris) and Julie (Cordelia Bugeja)
4	4	"Stress"	Alex Hardcastle & Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	27 October 2006	3.24	15.6%
Lee feels stressed after agreeing to give Kate driving lessons, so she suggests he tries yoga to calm his nerves. However, his technique leaves a lot to be desired. Guest Cast: Acupuncturist (Miranda Hart)
5	5	"Kid"	Alex Hardcastle & Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	3 November 2006	3.57	16.6%
Kate and Lee are forced to take in a lodger, a surly 14-year-old boy called Nicky. Guest Cast: Nicky (Rupert Simonian)
6	6	"Caretaker"	Alex Hardcastle & Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	10 November 2006	3.39	15.6%
Lee finally manages to get a job, as a caretaker. But taking up the new post involves moving out of the flat. Final appearance of Kate Guest Cast: Supervisor (Adrian Hood), Pete (Duncan Duff) and Pizza Girl (Sarah De Freitas)

Series 2 (2007)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
7	1	"Mortgage"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa & Peter Tilbury	7 September 2007	3.29	15.8%
With Kate having gone back to America, Tim tells Lee he is going to sell the flat, and hires a cleaner called Barbara (Miranda Hart) to clean it. Lee tries to get a mortgage so he can buy it, and in the meantime he puts off all the potential buyers, until Lucy (Sally Bretton), who unbeknown to Lee is Tim's sister, arrives saying she will rent the spare room when Lee buys it. Lucy soon decides she wants to buy it herself, and both offer to buy it from Tim. They are visited by a man called Hilary Alison (Stewart Francis), and both assume he is interested in the flat. Lee pretends it is "a burgled former asbestos mill" to put him off. Tim decides to sell it to Lee, but he cannot get a mortgage (Hilary was the surveyor) so Lucy buys it. On Tim's wishes, she rents out the spare room to Lee. First appearances of Lucy and Barbara.
8	2	"Gay"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa	14 September 2007	3.19	15.7%
Lucy persuades Lee to pretend to be gay after she lies to a business acquaintance, Guy (Simon Dutton), who she was told is gay himself, by telling him she lives with a gay flatmate to prove she is not homophobic. However, Guy soon starts to get suspicious and tests Lee's sexuality by taking him to a gay bar. Later, Guy overhears Lee saying to Tim, who had started to think Lee was gay, that he is not gay. When Lucy then explains to Guy what happened, he reveals he is not gay and he and Lucy kiss. First appearance of Guy. Music: "I'm Coming Out" performed by Diana Ross
9	3	"Librarian"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa & Peter Tilbury	21 September 2007	3.36	16.9%
Lucy and Guy are going out with each other, and Guy has practically moved in. This annoys Lee who thinks Guy is too old for her. Lee soon discovers that Guy owns a lap-dancing club. While at the club, Lee and Tim see Rosie (Thaila Zucchi), a librarian that Tim has been seeing, and discover she is a lapdancer. Tim later dumps her, but then changes his mind. However, Rosie refuses to get back together. Meanwhile, Lucy dumps Guy but they soon get back together but agree to take their relationship more slowly. Music: "Buttons" performed by Pussycat Dolls
10	4	"Baby"	Alex Hardcastle	Andrew Collins, Lee Mack, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa	28 September 2007	3.20	15.2%
When Guy's daughter Chloe (Cressida Whyte) gets appendicitis, Lee and Tim are left looking after her baby son Dillon while Guy and Lucy visit her. While in their care, Dillon swallows a subbuteo football and Lee and Tim have problems locating it, and try to think of ways to get it out of his body. However, it later turns out Dillon did not swallow it after all. Lucy is worried about the age gap between her and Guy. Barbara is absent from this episode.
11	5	"Art"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa	5 October 2007	2.58	12.3%
After meeting Toby (Kerry Shale) and Fliss (Kika Mirylees), two educated friends of Guy's, Lee pretends that he is an art expert with an Open University degree. Barbara tells him about a Polish artist who she says is very popular. Lee then tells this to Lucy, who is having an art exhibition. Lucy then goes and buys many pieces of work by this artist, but the art does not sell and Lee discovers the Polish artist is not popular, but one that Barbara cleans for. Lee goes to the exhibition to try to make the sculptures sell, but Barbara accidentally breaks all but one of them.
12	6	"Dating"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa	12 October 2007	3.52	16.6%
With Guy in Thailand, Lucy has several personal telephone conversations with him. Lee is annoyed by this, but Lucy and Barbara think that he is just jealous because he is not with anyone, and they persuade Lee to go speed dating. At the speed dating Lee meets Daisy (Katy Wix), an extremely dim hairdresser. He invites her out for a date and then for a dinner with Lucy at his apartment. Meanwhile, Tim offends Barbara by calling her 'the help' and invites her out for a drink to make it up to her. The 'date' is unsuccessful and Barbara admits that she only agreed to come out with him because she felt sorry for him – and also to keep him away from what is happening at the flat. Tim goes back to the flat and meets Daisy, and they immediately hit it off. After the dinner Daisy dumps Lee and goes home with Tim. First appearance of Daisy. Guy is absent from this episode.
13	7	"Gangster"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa & Peter Tilbury	19 October 2007	3.61	16.8%
Guy is taking Lucy on a surprise holiday, and buys her lots of expensive – and revealing – clothes. Lee gets suspicious when a suspect package is delivered to Guy, and assumes that Guy is a gangster. However, when confronted, Guy claims it was only his passport. Lee and Tim break into Guy's office and discover several precious stones – presumably diamonds – in the package. Guy admits that it wasn't a passport he had delivered, but claims that the 'diamonds' are actually sapphires which he was making into a necklace for Lucy. Still suspicious, Lee steals one and has it valued, confirming that it is a diamond. The surprise holiday is revealed to be to Sicily. When Guy and Lucy go to the airport, Barbara warns Lee and Tim that Sicily is famous for gangsters, and that Guy is using Lucy to smuggle the diamonds abroad. Lee and Tim run to the airport and confront Guy, but he explains that the sapphires are real, and that the diamond is the only one – and has been made into an engagement ring. Guy asks Lucy to marry him, but Lee asks her to say no – he may not be a gangster, but he is still not right for her. Lee returns to the flat alone, but Lucy later returns, saying she refused Guy as he was too controlling, and their relationship is over. Final appearance of Guy. Daisy is absent from this episode.
14	8	"Murder at Christmas"	Alex Hardcastle	Lee Mack, Andrew Collins, Simon Evans & Paul Kerensa	21 December 2007	3.77	17.0%
Lucy and Tim's parents Geoffrey (Timothy West) and Wendy (Deborah Grant) invite themselves to the apartment for Christmas, and Lucy persuades Barbara to work on Christmas Day to help out. On Christmas Day, Tim brings his girlfriend Daisy. Lee buys a murder mystery game, which they all then dress up and play. However, the game ends abruptly when Tim and Geoffrey argue. Lee then manages to talk Geoffrey round and they finish the game.

Series 3 (2009)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
15	1	"Pregnant"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	30 January 2009	3.45	15.1%
When Lucy announces to Lee that she is pregnant, he wonders if the father might accidentally be him. However, he can't bring himself to tell Lucy how he thinks it might have happened but Tim guesses. He is infuriated at the thought of his friend and his sister together but Lee has started to warm to the idea of being a dad... Daisy is absent from this episode. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Oliver Dennis, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac & Liam Woodman Music: "Baby Love" performed by The Supremes
16	2	"Winner"	Nick Wood	Andrew Collins & Lee Mack	6 February 2009	3.26	13.7%
Lee wins £1000 in a writing competition with an essay entitled 'Disability in the Workplace', and spends the money on a set of football mugs. Lucy finds herself moved to tears when she reads the essay, as she had no idea that Lee was so sensitive. However, Lee admits to Tim that he actually downloaded the essay off the internet, and, as the competition was only open to disabled people, he is pretending to be blind. Meanwhile, Tim crashes his car after driving through a red light, and Lee persuades him to pretend the light was green so that he can claim insurance, volunteering himself as a witness. When a journalist, Dawn (Rebecca Gethings), turns up to interview Lee, she is expecting to meet a man in a wheelchair, as Lee accidentally ticked the wrong box. Lee claims that Tim is his brother, and threatens to pull out of the insurance scam if Tim does not go along with it. The con also involves pretending that Daisy has amnesia. All goes well until Lucy arrives home, and Lee pretends that she is their sister and has Tourette Syndrome. Lucy is furious, but grudgingly goes along with it. However, before Dawn leaves, Lucy insists on playing a game that involves breaking all of Lee's mugs. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Milton Jones, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac & Liam Woodman
17	3	"Amy"	Nick Wood	Darin Henry & Lee Mack	13 February 2009	3.16	14.1%
Over-excited by the appearance of Amy (Melanie Gutteridge) and her lesbian partner Alex in their building, Lee and Tim ask them over for dinner, but when the day comes, Amy arrives alone, having split from Alex. When Amy meets Lucy, they instantly connect and begin to spend a lot of time together. Lee is worried that Lucy and Amy may become a couple, and eventually confronts Lucy. Lucy admits that she is having feelings for Amy, but tells Lee it is none of his business. She later kisses Amy, but realises that she is not interested in her. Meanwhile, Tim tracks down a former girlfriend, Lola (Angela McHale), who is now openly gay. He is shocked to see that her online profile say she knew she was gay after one kiss, and is convinced that she means him. He meets up with Lola, and asks her, but is relieved when she tells him she meant the first girl she kissed. However, he becomes worried again when it turns out that the girl was another one of his former girlfriends. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Georgia Pritchett, Dave Cohen, Milton Jones, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac & Liam Woodman
18	4	"Party"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	20 February 2009	3.27	14.3%
When Tim and Lee try to organise a surprise party for Lucy's 30th birthday, their ideas of what makes a good party differ widely. Tim likes a few games of charades while Lee likes a party with no competitors for Lucy's attention. So when Lucy turns up at the party arm-in-arm with another man (Ed Weeks), Lee makes it his mission to get rid of him... without causing a scene, obviously. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Danielle Ward, Liam Woodman Music: "It Started With A Kiss" performed by Hot Chocolate (band)
19	5	"Neighbour"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Simon Dean	27 February 2009	3.19	14.6%
A new neighbour (Andy Linden) moves in upstairs and his constant noise drives Lucy to distraction. She begs Lee and Tim to get him to stop but neither of them is man enough. Tim takes the tag of wimp to heart and rushes off to join a boxing gym while Lee, in an attempt to impress Lucy, makes the mistake of confronting the man in his own flat, where he finds a creepy psychopath with the eyes of a cold killer. Daisy is absent from this episode. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Stuart Sumner, Milton Jones, Liam Woodman Music: "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" performed by The Proclaimers
20	6	"Speech"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	6 March 2009	3.51	16.2%
Lucy has an important speech to make at a Recruitment Conference, and when her PA pulls out, Barbara suggests that Lee offer to write it himself. Tim also offers his services, but Lucy clearly likes Lee's style a lot more, and hires him. However, Lee is frustrated when Lucy becomes increasingly demanding of him, asking him to do everything from making her a cup of tea to stamping letters. When she pitches her services to a blackcurrant juice company, Lee invites the representatives (Chandrika Chevli and Julia Watson) to watch Lucy's speech. Lucy is furious, and Lee resigns in a temper. Tim replaces Lee at writing the speech, but his jokes are not as funny as Lee's. Barbara persuades Lee to ask for his job back, and Lucy grudgingly agrees, and asks Lee and Tim to pick up her dress from the dry-cleaners. Lee and Tim accidentally ruin the dress, and have to buy Lucy a new one. Surprisingly, she likes the new dress, but it is so clingy she has to wear it without underwear. At the speech, Lucy tells all of Lee's jokes wrong, and has to start using the jokes Tim suggested – which surprisingly go down well. However, when she steps out from behind the podium, the bright auditorium lights render her dress see through, and the audience see her without her underwear. She still manages to secure the contract with the blackcurrant company. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, James Cary, Noel James
21	7	"Marriage"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	20 March 2009	3.59	17.4%
Lee is horrified when he hears that Lucy is considering marriage to Pavlov (Aleksander Mikic), a political refugee from the old Eastern bloc who is working as a local mechanic, just so that he can stay in the country. He initially gets Tim, Geoffrey and Wendy on his side, but, as Lucy's family meet Pavlov and hear his tragic tales of life back home, they are each persuaded that he is a perfect match for Lucy. Lucy and Pavlov plan their wedding, but Lee visits the Home Office to discover the questions that they will ask when inspecting the couple. When he warns Lucy of the cryptic questions she will be asked, she has second thoughts about the wedding. Lee goes to visit Pavlov himself, and Pavlov realises that the idea is bad and agrees to return to his home country. However, Lee comes up with the idea for Barbara to marry Pavlov instead, and the two drive off for their honeymoon in India. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, Georgia Pritchett Music: "Fantastic Day" performed by Haircut 100
22	8	"Absent Father Christmas"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	23 December 2009	2.40	14.7%
After an unsuccessful Christmas dinner with her parents, Lucy is cross with Lee's behaviour, and Barbara tells him he should make more of an effort with Lucy. Lee arranges a special dinner for them, and it seems to go well, until Lee's estranged father Frank (Bobby Ball) turns up at the flat unannounced, asking to borrow £500. Lee wants him out of the flat but when Frank announces that he is dying, Lucy tells Lee that if he really has changed, he will make an effort to get to know Frank before the inevitable. Lee offers Frank a day out, and after a visit to a lap-dancing club, Frank takes Lee back to the theme park where he once stole Lee a goldfish, and later ate it. On a roller-coaster, Frank admits that he is not really dying, and soon after leaves the flat, giving Barbara a more emotional farewell than Lee. Lucy admits that Lee was right all along, and they share a brief kiss under the mistletoe. Final appearance of Barbara. Additional Material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Milton Jones, Liam Woodman Music: "The Scientist" performed by Coldplay, "Father and Son" performed by Cat Stevens

Series 4 (2011)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
23	1	"Drugs"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	6 January 2011	4.75	19.4%[5]
After a night of "wild partying", Tim returns home from a nightclub wearing the wrong coat. After discovering drugs in the pocket, he omits to a blind panic. When he returned the coat to the wrong person (Frankie McGinty) but the real coat owner sees him with the coat, all hell lets loose, and both Tim and Lee buy what they think is cocaine from a street dealer to return to the man, while Daisy thinks they are taking drugs after seeing them with the cocaine. They find themselves in a sticky (or meaty...) situation with the rightful owner – Larry 'the butcher' Stubbs (Ricky Grover), when he the three men discover what they think is cocaine is washing powder, which Tim spent his savings on. However Daisy arrives with a dodgy bolt gun and wounds Stubbs, enabling them to escape. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones Music: "Two Little Boys" performed by Rolf Harris
24	2	"Debbie"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Andrew Collins	13 January 2011	4.18	17.4%[6]
Debbie (Laura Aikman), an attractive woman in her early twenties, moves into the block and goes to great lengths to get to know Lee. Lee assumes that Debbie fancies him, but is shocked when she reveals that she thinks he is her father (at karaoke night, just as Tim starts singing the Surprise, Surprise theme song!), after he had a one-night stand with her late mother Karen (Emma Pike) at a party at Tim's house in the 80s. Lee initially tries to avoid Debbie, but Lucy persuades him to get to know her a bit better. Tim is upset to learn Lee and Karen had sex in his bed. However, he then reveals that he not only dated Karen, but lost his virginity to her – meaning that he could also be Debbie's father. Both Lee and Tim are in immediate shock and denial, wondering what it will be like being a father. A DNA test reveals that neither of them is Debbie's father. Debbie is devastated, but Lucy remembers that she was eight years old at the time of the party, and stumbled on Karen in bed with Terry (Paul Vincent Lowe), an unusually short friend of Lee and Tim's. Lee successfully tracks Terry, and he and Debbie meet up. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones, Terry Dillon
25	3	"Movie"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	20 January 2011	4.04	17.4%[7]
Lucy is fed up of Lee treating her flat as if he owns it. He promises to change but omits to mention that he has already let the flat out to a film director (Mike Wilmot) who is paying Lee £500 to use the flat while Lucy's out at work. It later turns out the film shooting is for a porno, and Lee tries to get them out of the flat before Lucy returns. Tim finds out, but Lee perusades him it is an action film, causing him to ask for a walk-in part or he'll tell Lucy. He finds out and leaves, after which the Male leaves, causing the Director to want Lee to play the part. Lucy arrives home while Lee is hanging upside down. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones Note: The original BBC broadcast of this episode was edited in two places, presumably to remove more explicit sexual references. The DVD version is complete as can be seen when Lee is knelt down with the boom mic and just before he ends up on the floor with the male lead Rod.
26	4	"Dancing"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Darin Henry	27 January 2011	4.24	18.0%[8]
Lucy and Tim's parents, Geoffrey (Geoffrey Whitehead) and Wendy, are separating because Geoffrey would not let Wendy go ballroom dancing. After an unfortunate heart-to-heart with Geoffrey, Lee unintentionally makes Geoffrey realise he wants to leave Wendy and he moves into Lucy's flat, banishing Lee to the sofa and causing Lucy to threaten to evict Lee if her parents don't get back together. Lee speaks to Wendy, who tells him that while she wants to dance with another man, what she actually wants is an affair. Lee tells the others about their conversation, using 'dance' as a euphemism, but no one understands and they all think Wendy just wants to dance with someone. They all decide Lee would be the perfect man to dance with her. Lee reluctantly agrees, but when the dance is in full swing, Geoffrey runs in and punches Lee, saying that he realised he couldn't bear Wendy to dance with another man. Geoffrey and Wendy get back together. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones, Jack Cutting
27	5	"Fireworks"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	3 February 2011	3.67	15.7%[9]
An old lady (Vilma Hollingbery) wanders into Lucy's flat and joins Lee on the sofa. When it becomes clear that she doesn't know who she is, Lee throws her out but Lucy makes him take her back, though she thinks she slept with Lee. Lee discovers from her friend (Morris Perry) that she has a rich son who always pays a handsome reward to the person who brings her home, which Lee hopes to use to buy fireworks and impress Lucy. Does she? Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones Music: "When I'm Sixty-Four" performed by The Beatles and "Rule The World" performed by Take That
28	6	"Life on Mars Bars"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	10 February 2011	3.74	15.6%[10]
Stuck in a coma after a car hits him, with friends and family gathered round his hospital bed, Lee dreams of a perfect life with Lucy, where he marries her and has many children. But is it really so perfect and will the reality match up? Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac, Liam Woodman, Milton Jones Music: "Life On Mars?" performed by David Bowie (DVD features cover version by Steve Brown) Note: To date, this is the only regular episode to have a title consisting of more than one word.

Series 5 (2012)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
29	1	"Band"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	13 April 2012	5.18	19.6%[11]
Tim joins a band at work (The Auditors) and enters a Battle of the Bands contest. Lee, Lucy and Daisy go, and see Tim's band win through to the Grand Final. When Lucy falls for Stretch (Jay Simpson), the lead guitarist, Lee becomes jealous, and decides that if he can't beat them he should join them. Lee convinces Tim to talk to Stretch but instead of being offered a place in the band, he is given a job as a roadie. Lee isn't impressed. When he is fetching Stretch's jacket from the van, he is met by Stretch's (now ex-)girlfriend Grace (Catriona Knox), who throws Lee his flat keys, and several songs which he has written for other girls. Lee confronts him and shows Lucy the songs. Stretch then resigns from the band, saying "Something tells me I'm not getting the prize I really came for". Lee takes Stretch's place as lead guitarist: they perform "I Could Be So Good For You" (the Minder theme), but didn't win. The closing credits feature the band playing the theme tune with Daisy playing bass and Lucy on the drums. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
30	2	"Dads"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	20 April 2012	4.83	18.4%[12]
Lee's lazy weekend is wrecked when his scrounging father turns up unexpectedly. Having just come out of hospital he needs somewhere to stay for the weekend, leaving Lee to care for his dad against his will. When Lee realises that Frank needs a suppository inserting, he invites Tim, Daisy and Tim's dad Geoffrey round 'to watch the cricket', when his actual motive is to get one of them to administer the suppository. All three of them, plus Lucy, criticise Lee for his lack of care for his dad. Frank suggests he and Lee pretend to like each other in order to impress Lucy, and she is duly impressed by his new-found attitude. Frank nearly reveals the true motive behind his son's new kindness, but instead reveals his own secret – he has been faking his injury. In the conclusion, Lucy congratulated Lee on the care he showed for his father. Additional material: Simon Evans, Dave Cohen, Paul Kerensa, Liam Woodman, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac Music: "The Only Way Is Up" performed by Yazz & The Plastic Population, "Father and Son" performed by Cat Stevens
31	3	"Camping"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	27 April 2012	4.77	17.6%[13]
In a desperate bid to prove his manliness, Lee joins Tim, Daisy and Lucy on a camping weekend. He imposes a ban on all gadgets, which Daisy inteprets to include torches and sat-navs, becoming a problem when they break down in a supposedly haunted wood. Lee takes on the man's job to try and repair the car, only to set fire to himself and the engine bay. He then heads into the dense thicket, looking for a man-sized creature Lucy claimed to have seen. He and Tim encounter a clown-masked figure and flee back to the safety of the car, where they all sleep until the clown and an army of masked people show up surrounding the car. This terrifies the foursome, prompting Lee to get out and ring the police, after finding that Daisy had her phone on her all the time, not equating it to a "gadget". Lee attacks the original clown and rips the mask off his face, to discover that he is a middle-aged man (Geoffrey Davies), who tells Lee that he and his friends had flocked to this spot to see dogging, since the area they've parked at is well known for this. At the end, Lucy retracts her original comments about Lee not being much of a man as they camp in the living room of the flat. Additional material: Liam Woodman, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, David Isaac
32	4	"Running"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	4 May 2012	4.93	19.0%[14]
To impress Lucy, Lee starts training for a 10 kilometre Fun Run, only to injure himself after only 3 minutes. In an effort to hide the injury from Lucy, he gets himself a secret sports massage from Claudia (Kim Ismay) from Poland, who Lee found from a card in the newsagent's window, only to find out she is actually a prostitute. She then demands £100, only for Lucy to return when Lee is paying her. Later, Lee and Tim discuss Lee's problem, then visit the newsagent, only to find Claudia's card has gone. They visit Hanover Street, which Claudia is rumoured to live on, meet a young prostitute, and ask which house she lives in, she is willing to tell them for £80. Lee asks Tim to lend him the money, only for the police to turn up as Lee is handing over the money. Later, in the station, Daisy arrives, then Lucy (who Daisy told) and throws Lee out of her flat. After they are released, Lee and Tim visit the brothel Claudia works in. Lee and Tim end up naked in bed with Claudia and Lee asks her whether she will cover for him and tell the police everything that happened in the flat, but she refuses because she knows she'll be arrested for being a prostitute. Lucy runs past and spots them in the window and is horrified at the sight of the two of them in bed with Claudia. Later, during the 10k run, Lee thanks Lucy for taking him back, and says "when it comes to running, always keep away from very large Poles", just as he runs straight into a telegraph pole. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa; Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
33	5	"Examination"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	11 May 2012	4.75	18.5%[15]
Lucy finds herself working on a government initiative encouraging men to regularly check themselves for lumps. Eager to please Lucy, Lee follows the campaign's advice and discovers something he wasn't expecting. Lee promises he'll check his testicles but is later worried when speaking to Tim about his problem and finally convincing him to see his testicles, he convinces him to tell Lucy but Lee doesn't and lies to her that everything was fine. After being examined by Tim, Lee then visits his doctor, but is put off by the fact that she is female. Lee and Tim then go to a sauna, to look at men's testicles, but it doesn't go as planned. Lucy convinces Lee to re-visit the doctor after she finds him on a gay porn site when trying to see average testicle sizes, at first thinking he is gay. He agrees, but realises the male doctor is one of the men from the sauna. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Liam Woodman, David Isaac, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths
34	6	"Drunk"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	18 May 2012	5.33	20.9%[16]
After Lucy suffers a mild indiscretion whilst drunk and claims to have no memory of the event, she and Lee embark on an experiment with a bottle of home-made potato hooch to prove once and for all that you can remember what happens when you're smashed. Next day they wake up in bed together and think they had sex. They decide not to tell anybody, but realise Tim and Daisy came round and they may have made a sex tape. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, David Isaac, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman Music: "Wake Up Boo!" performed by Boo Radleys Note: Early into this episode, there is a reference to the singer Whitney Houston, who died after the recording of this episode. The reference was removed from the original BBC One broadcast, but left intact in the DVD release. Final regular appearance of Tim.

Children In Need Special (2012)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
–	–	"Wogan"	Ed Bye	Lee Mack	16 November 2012	8.06	32.7%
Lee, Lucy and Daisy are desperately trying to think of a way to convince Mr. Namasaki, a Japanese client of Lucy's, that they didn't poison his prize carp. Unexpectedly, Terry Wogan arrives and asks for a donation for Children In Need or else he'll send Pudsey the Bear round to keep an 'eye' on them. Lee then quickly runs through the audience with the donation bucket and gets the audience to donate. Getting back to Terry, who is slightly disappointed with the donations, asks Lee for a donation. Lee refuses and is about to kick Terry out when Mr. Namasaki arrives and accuses Lee of poisoning his prized carp. He is about to hit Lee with the fish, when Terry interrupts him who then takes the fish from the Namasaki only to hit Lee with the dead carp sending him flying.

Series 6 (2013)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
35	1	"Rabbit"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	5 April 2013	5.01	19.1%[17]
When Lucy accidentally runs over a pet rabbit belonging to the daughter of an important client, she needs Lee and Daisy to help cover her tracks. She asks Lee to take the blame, which ends in disastrous consequences. It turns out she hit the rabbit but gave Lee the dead body of a wild animal she mistakenly thought was the rabbit. They instead decide to try and replace it before anyone notices. Tim's absence from the series is explained as him being in Germany on a work placement. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
36	2	"Skiing"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	12 April 2013	4.52	16.9%[18]
While on a skiing holiday in Eastern Europe, Daisy, Lee and Lucy, who has broken her arm, become trapped on a cable car after Daisy jams the mechanism trying to feed a bird. When a pregnant woman on board (Pooky Quesnel) goes into labour, it's up to Lee to deliver the baby. With help seeming almost impossible it's going to be a long journey for them all especially when this woman is expected much more than just a Baby. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
37	3	"Therapy"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	19 April 2013	3.66	16.0%[19]
When Lucy enrols at Night School on a training course in counselling, Lee takes advantage of her new-found skill to help patch things up with his father, bringing up childhood issues and their main relationship. But the joint therapy sessions throw up more questions than answers. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
38	4	"Conference"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	3 May 2013	4.12	16.2%[20]
Lee attempts to stop Lucy from flirting with male delegates at a three-day annual trade conference in order for herself to gain work. He takes evasive action by posing as her husband, and then father. But things don't go according to plan though, when Lucy's mother, and eventually real father, turn up at the conference. Geoffrey accuses Lee of trying it on with his wife and Lucy but one client she gets close too is in a shock for his life when the last person knocks at the door walks in. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
39	5	"Rachel"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	10 May 2013	4.44	17.6%[21]
Lee decides that the best way to get Lucy to notice him is to make her jealous, but Daisy sets him up with Rachel (Joanna Bobin), a Fatal Attraction-style psychopath who proceeds to stalk him . Rachel soons discovers Lee's true feelings and threatens to tell Lucy if he doesn't continue to go on another date with her. Meanwhile, Daisy showcases various superhero and supervillain outfits for an upcoming hen do. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
40	6	"Play"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	17 May 2013	3.99	16.9%[22]
When Lucy's first love Scott (Simon Farnaby) reappears and asks her to be in a play that he wrote for her, Lee has to fight for her attention, which ends disastrously. He believes that Scott is after her and created this play to win her over. After he was ridden from the cast for being difficult, he appears on the night of the performance secretively taking back his role and ends the play with a shock not even the cast knew about. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac Note: This was originally intended to be the final episode of the series. An alternative ending was filmed for this episode.
41	7	"Magic"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack	24 May 2013	4.22	17.4%[23]
Lucy's god-daughter, Nancy, is suddenly dumped on her the night before the girl's birthday party, so Lucy and Lee have to think of some appropriate humour and something to do for tomorrow. Despite not getting along with Nancy Lee settles the deal by coming up with a magic show. Lee goes to a magic shop to get what he needs, which leads to nothing but trouble. The Magician didn't get the funds Lee sent Daisy to deliver and takes the equipment just before the show. Now Lee has to try and entertain 14 9 year olds. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac Music: "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band
42	8	"Boat"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	31 May 2013	3.87	14.7%[24]
Lee's father wins £400 at the horse racing and he decides to spend it on a boat. In an attempt to impress Lucy, Lee persuades her to come along, even though she has a fear of water. But during the middle of the night the boat floats away from shore. With no way on getting back to land and no way of swimming the fear for their lives. Frank also has another agenda to attend to when the boat starts to leak. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac

Christmas Special (2013)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
43	–	"The House"	Ed Bye	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	24 December 2013	5.00	22.5%
In an effort to create the perfect Christmas for Lucy, Lee invites her parents to join the two of them and Daisy in a snug old house in the country which used to belong to his dear dead aunt. But the Christmas spirit is in short supply when Lucy discovers that the house has not been lived in for years and there appears to be a spooky presence. However, the spooky presence turns out to be Lee's dad Frank, who has also turned up to enjoy Christmas in the house with an old flame, and in an effort to get rid of the unwanted visitors he pretends the house is haunted by playing old music and leaving threatening messages on the cellar wall.

Series 7 (2014)

Not Going Out returned for a seventh series on 17 October 2014^[25] and starred Lee Mack, Sally Bretton and Katy Wix reprising their roles as Lee, Lucy and Daisy respectively. The series consisted of ten episodes, making it the longest series to date.

Hugh Dennis and Abigail Cruttenden joined the cast as Toby and Anna, Lee and Lucy's new neighbours. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman made special guest appearances as themselves in episode 5.

Filming took place in front of an audience between 23 May and 25 July 2014.^[26] A compilation of outtakes aired after the series. According to Radio Times, Lee Mack has suggested that this may be the final series,^[27] however it has been confirmed by Lee Mack that there will be a Christmas Special in 2015 and possibly an eighth series in 2016.

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
44	1	"Mugging"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	17 October 2014	4.39	16.5%
On the way home from a French film, Lee and Lucy go down a dark alley and run into some troubling teens who end up stealing Lucy’s handbag. To get it back Lee is to fight with one of them and he is desperate to prove his masculinity to impress her. When the Police are no help he attempts to take up boxing. When Lee has a chance to show how well he is doing, he gets Lucy and Daisy to watch him try fighting someone but ends up against a little girl, in which he loses. He once more tries to get the bag back but it’s the final straw as it ends badly. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
45	2	"Christening"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	24 October 2014	4.14	15.8%
Finding an appropriate gift for the christening party of their new neighbours' baby becomes problematic when their custom-made plate with the baby's footprint unexpectedly depicts six toes. Unaware of the child's real amount of toes they end up taking him out and realize it was a mistake and it was the wrong foot. But when it turns out that again the wrong foot was printed they turn up to the party in a very awkward situation. First Appearances of Toby (Hugh Dennis) and Anna (Abigail Cruttenden). Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
46	3	"Donor"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	31 October 2014	3.97	15.7%
After coming to the decision about wanting a family, Lucy decides that she believes she doens't need a proper man to have them with, this of course leads her to want Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
47	4	"Anna"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	7 November 2014	4.60	17.5%
When Lucy lies to impress and befriend Toby and Anna, the new neighbours, Lee has to do the same. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
48	5	"Pointless"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	21 November 2014	4.09	13.7%
Daisy is tricked by Lee into allowing him to be her partner as contestants on the quiz show Pointless. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac Guest Cast: Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman as themselves
49	6	"Alcohol"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	28 November 2014	3.59	12.6%
When Lee and Lucy confront Lee's father about his alcohol consumption, he returns the sentiment. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
50	7	"Surprise"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	5 December 2014	3.63	12.5%
Lucy organizes a surprise party for her parents' anniversary, while Lee tries to make Lucy think it's still a surprise. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
51	8	"Plane"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	12 December 2014	4.18	16.5%
While Lucy, Daisy, and Lee are on a plane heading off for holiday, the trio are faced with Lee, his fear of flying, and a suspected terror plot. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
52	9	"Lucy"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	19 December 2014	3.79	12.5%
Toby tells Lee that Lucy is getting serious with his cousin, causing Lee to affirm his feelings toward her. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac
53	10	"The Wedding"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	24 December 2014	4.10	13.9%
After being pressured by Frank, Lee gets drunk on the night before his and Lucy's wedding, which causes serious problems for Lee and Frank, along with Lucy's father, Geoffrey. Will the three of them make it to the church on time? One Episode Return of Tim and Guy. Additional material: Simon Evans, Paul Kerensa, Dave Cohen, Simon Griffiths, Liam Woodman, David Isaac Note: The title of this episode was withheld from listings in order to maintain the surprise outcome of the previous episode.

Outtakes (2014)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
–	–	"The Outtakes"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	27 December 2014	0.57	19.8%
A compilation of outtakes from Series 1-7 of Not Going Out. Note: On the official Not Going Out website this is listed as the eleventh episode of Series 7, however in most listings this is not the case, and on DVD it is not counted as an episode at all.

Christmas Special (2015)

# overall	# in series	Title	Directed by	Writer(s)	Original Airdate	Viewers (millions)[4]	Share
54	–	"Christmas Shopping"	Nick Wood	Lee Mack & Daniel Peak	24 December 2015	2.92	19.2%
One year on from the wedding, a heavily pregnant Lucy is three days overdue with their first baby when they find themselves mistakenly caught up in a robbery at the local department store along with Lee's dad Frank dressed as Santa's elf, uber-ditzy friend Daisy, and neighbours Toby and Anna. Locked in and faced with a dangerous robber wearing a Father Christmas latex mask, they need to come up with an escape plan before things take a turn for the worse. With plenty of screaming and hiding in Santa's grotto, will Lee's actions and usually ill-thought-out ideas get them into even more trouble?

Series 8 (2016)

It has been confirmed that Not Going Out will return for an eighth series in late 2016. ^[28]

References

1. "Series 3 DVD release". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
2. "Not Going Out - Series 5 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
3. "Not Going Out: Series Six [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
4. "Top 30 Programmes - BARB".
5. Andrew Laughlin (7 January 2011). "'Not Going Out' returns with 4.7m". Digital Spy.
6. Andrew Laughlin (14 January 2011). "BBC explores 'Human Planet' with 5.6m". Digital Spy.
7. Andrew Laughlin (21 January 2011). "'10 O'Clock Live' rolls out with 1.4m". Digital Spy.
8. Andrew Laughlin (28 January 2011). "New 'Skins' series entertains 820k". Digital Spy.
9. Andrew Laughlin (4 February 2011). "ITV's 'Marchlands' enchants more than 6m". Digital Spy.
10. Andrew Laughlin (11 February 2011). "Sky1's 'Mad Dogs' entertains 960k". Digital Spy.
11. Paul Millar (14 April 2012). "Ian Hislop, 'Have I Got News For You' trumps Piers Morgan in ratings". Digital Spy.
12. Paul Millar (22 April 2012). "'Have I Got News For You' still ahead of 'Piers Morgan's Life Stories'". Digital Spy.
13. Paul Millar (28 April 2012). "'Piers Morgan's Life Stories' closes in on 'Have I Got News For You'". Digital Spy.
14. Paul Millar (7 May 2012). "Graham Norton nearly matches Piers Morgan in Friday night ratings". Digital Spy.
15. Paul Millar (13 May 2012). "Matt LeBlanc's 'Episodes' returns to BBC Two with 1.2m". Digital Spy.
16. Paul Millar (19 May 2012). "Lee Mack's 'Not Going Out' enjoys late surge in ratings". Digital Spy.
17. Tom Eames (7 April 2013). "'Not Going Out', 'HIGNFY' return to decent ratings for BBC One". Digital Spy.
18. Beth Hilton (13 April 2013). "Caroline Aherne's 'The Security Men' attracts 4.8m on ITV". Digital Spy.
19. Beth Hilton (20 April 2013). "'The Ice Cream Girls' debuts with 4.9m on ITV". Digital Spy.
20. Beth Hilton (4 May 2013). "'The Ice Cream Girls' concludes with 4.23m for ITV". Digital Spy.
21. Beth Hilton (11 May 2013). "'Life of Crime' debuts on ITV with 3.9m". Digital Spy.
22. Beth Hilton (18 May 2013). "'Life of Crime' continues with 3.2m on ITV". Digital Spy.
23. Beth Hilton (25 May 2013). "'Life of Crime' down to 2.9m for final episode". Digital Spy.
24. Beth Hilton (1 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' latest semi-final scores 8m on ITV". Digital Spy.
25. Tom Eames (29 September 2014). "Not Going Out return date confirmed". Digital Spy.
26. http://www.tvrecordings.com/shows/view/12
27. "Not Going Out". RadioTimes.
28. https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/2062/not_going_out_series_8/