Though it arguably doesn’t actually have much competition for the accolade, ‘Not Going Out’ is easily the funniest sitcom around at the moment and one of the few shows that I really love that hasn’t actually been cancelled by TV executives – though it came close a few years ago.
‘Not Going Out’ follows flat mates Lee (Lee Mack) and Lucy (Sally Bretton) who share a flat together but share a mutual tolerance of each other, though Lee fancies Lucy, with rumours of the reverse, but they are the ‘not going out’ relationship of the title. They are joined by Daisy (Katy Wix), a ditsy hanger-on.
Now no one is ever going to say NGO is highbrow but with its heavy reliance on one-liners, puns and surreal situations, it is always funny and quick-paced and this opener of series six – an impressive number to reach in contemporary times – is no different.
If there is one thing that has defined the return of the series it’s the absence of long-time cast member Tim Vine, who played the brother of Lucy, best mate of Lee and boyfriend of Daisy. The character’s absence was dealt with quickly and succinctly right at the start of the episode – a funny touch though I was hoping for more, but it did the job and better than not referencing it – but there were many negatives circulating on the internet that the show would be doomed without him.
And, though arguably I’m a bigger fan of Vine than Mack, it was actually just as funny and well set-up without him. I miss Tim from the series with Vine’s character bringing a lot to the series but on the strength of the opener NGO will be fine without him. I fear, though, with Vine only having done a short-run gameshow and, it appears, little else on television so far, it’ll be him that misses the show more than the show misses him, but I do hope Vine does more on TV or live as he is a fantastic comedian.
Back to the show and the premise of the episode ‘Rabbit’ was typical escalating silliness as Lucy runs over a client’s rabbit and then proceeds to cover it up. Chock-full of the usual one-liners and sight gags, the cast handled the premise well, with Bretton being the main beneficiary of Vine’s absence, getting much more screen time and a chance to shine.
Some of the jokes we’ve heard before in a slightly different form, such as the name Mack picks when confronted by the angry owner, and it did occasionally seem awkward in the early minutes with the set-up and Bretton mumbling some lines, and even had a visual joke taken from ‘The Thin Blue Line’, but elsewhere there were some great set-pieces such as in the pet shop and the one-liners were up to their usual quality.
‘Rabbit’ was a strong opener and just as laugh-a-minute as previous episodes. It wasn’t one of the absolute best episodes but was still a thoroughly hilarious half hour, and proves that NGO is one of the best comedies on television at the moment and will seemingly survive the absence of one of its main characters. And with news that a seventh series has been commissioned, I’m a happy bunny. (Pardon the pun)
“I’m sorry for giving your daughter a bag full of wrong rabbit.”
(7/10)
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