In Not Going Out season 13 Lee and Lucy face more madcap moral dilemmas, as Lee Mack and Sally Bretton return as the comedy couple.
The new seven-part BBC One series also sees the return of many fan-favourites, including Hugh Dennis as Lee’s bezzie mate, Toby, and Abigail Cruttenden as his uptight wife, Anna.
Here’s our guide to season 13 of the long-running sitcom… [check our best Not Going Out episodes countdown too]
Not Going Out season 13 release date
Not Going Out season 13 consists of seven episodes. The first episode aired on BBC One on Friday 23 June 2023 at 9pm. All episodes are currently available on BBC iPlayer.
Not Going Out 2023 — is there a trailer?
Yes! The trailer has arrived, and it is just as hilarious as you'd imagine it to be. You can watch below...
Not Going Out 2023 — main cast
Lee Mack as Lee
Not Going Out star and co-writer Lee Mack is back as his hapless sitcom alter ego, Lee.
A celebrated comedian, actor and presenter, Lee recently made a standout guest appearance in Inside No. 9. His TV presenting, comedy and panel show credits include They Think It’s All Over, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo, Have I Got News For You, A League of Their Own, Taskmaster, and Would I Lie to You? His acting credits include Doctor Who, Horrible Histories: The Movie, Semi-Detached and Murder, They Hope.
Sally Bretton as Lucy
In Not Going Out comedy actor Sally Bretton plays Lee’s wife Lucy, who’s usually one step ahead of him but equally willing to be his partner in crime.
Sally’s TV credits include The Office, Night & Day, Absolute Power, Blessed, Green Wing, Casualty, Death in Paradise, and Beyond Paradise.
Her movie credits include Harry Enfield Presents Tim Nice But Dim's Guide to Being a Bloody Nice Bloke, Harry Enfield Presents Wayne and Waynetta's Guide to Wedded Bliss, Open Wide, Outlaw and An Ideal Husband.
Hugh Dennis as Toby
Comedian, actor and presenter Hugh Dennis plays Toby, Lee’s best friend, confidant, and general accomplice.
He counts Carrott Confidential, Spitting Image, Brass Eye, My Hero, Outnumbered, Fleabag, and Murder, They Hope and No Time to Die among his many acting credits. Hugh’s TV presenting, comedy and panel show credits include Canned Carrott, The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Countdown, Taskmaster, House of Games, Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You and The Great British Dig.
Abigail Cruttenden as Anna
Abigail Cruttenden makes a welcome return as Anna, Toby’s wife, who manages to scare Lee like no one else.
Abigail Cruttenden has a diverse range of TV and film credits, including Mog, The Storyteller, Poirot, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, Jane Eyre, Sharpe, Charlotte Gray, Benidorm, The Theory of Everything and Munich: The Edge of War. She will also be starring in the upcoming Portraits of Dangerous Women with Annette Badland, Tara Fitzgerald and Mark Lewis Jones.
Returning cast
Deborah Grant (Bouquet of Barbed Wire, Bread, Bergerac, Peak Practice) is returning as Lucy’s mum, Wendy.
Geoffrey Whitehead (The Avengers, Z Cars, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, Still Open All Hours) will also be back as Lucy’s father Geoffrey.
We doubt that natural-born-gump Geoffrey and lovely Wendy will have changed their opinions on their daughter’s wisecracking husband!
Francesca Newman, Max Pattison and Finley Southby will also be returning as Lee and Lucy's children, Mollie, Benji and Charlie.
Selina Griffiths (Cranford, Benidorm, The Larkins) reprises her role as stern headteacher Mrs Anstis in episode three, when the prickly principal enters into a game of one-upmanship with Lee that gets out of hand.
Not Going Out season 13 — episode guide
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 1 (Friday 23 June 2023)
'Italian Lessons'
From the press release: “We return to the suburban chaos of Lee and Lucy as they’re asked to cover for uptight ice-queen Anna as she allegedly attends ‘secret’ Italian lessons. Lee is immediately convinced Anna is up to no good and, having to lie to his best friend Toby, is not-so-slowly spiraling into an anxious mess. As ever when there’s a delicate situation that needs sensitive handling, Lee could approach it cautiously… or go full sleuth in a bid to personally crack the case!”
WTW preview: Following his excellent guest appearance as a quiz show host in Inside No. 9, Lee Mack is back on our screens, as his sitcom alter ego. In this opening episode of the new series Sitcom-Lee suspects Toby is being cheated on by Anna when she asks him and wife Lucy to lie for her. It turns out Sitcom-Lee possesses nothing of Actual-Lee’s dexterous fibbing skills on Would I Lie to You? So, feeling the pressure of keeping secrets, he hunts for evidence of Anna’s affair (keep an eye out for Lee Mack wearing a mac!) in this love-Lee return of the popular comedy.
Episode one guest stars: Melanie Gray (Hotel Portofino, Outlander, Penny on M.A.R.S.), Rich Keeble (Ted Lasso, The Emily Atack Show, Ghosts) and Kiana Wu (Abracadavers, Betrayal of a Nation).
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 2 (Friday 30 June 2023)
'Hospital'
WTW preview: Lee is definitely not going anywhere in this episode. He’s laid up in hospital awaiting gallbladder surgery. The procedure has been postponed until his blood pressure reduces, which looks highly unlikely. First his in-laws, Wendy and Geoffrey, pop by for a visit and then Toby lets slip that his surgeon’s nickname is Shakin’ Stevens, which is a difficult pill to swallow.
With Lee convinced he’s going to die, it’s up to wife Lucy to calm him down. Unfortunately she’s caught up in a devious tit for tat with Toby’s other half, Abigail. However, it’s Lee’s bellyaching to anyone who will listen, that makes the situation acutely worse!
Brimming with one-liners and a healthy dose of farce, spread among all the characters, this is an acutely funny outing of the infectious sitcom. Sally Bretton and Abigail Cruttenden are in especially glinting form, as Lucy’s devious side is unleashed while nursing a grudge against Anna (a worthy opponent!)
Episode two guest stars: Sanchia McCormack (Broadchurch, EastEnders, The Madame Blanc Mysteries) stars dubious Doctor Stevens, Viss Safavi (Tehran, Emmerdale and upcoming drama The Buccaneers) portrays Anna's friend Mrs Benesar, Mukamajulé Michelo (The Lovers) plays a hospital nurse and Bryan Hands (Anna Karenina, Car Share) plays a patient.
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 3 (Friday 07 July 2023)
'Day Out'
WTW preview: Lee has three free tickets to a theme park and plans to treat wife Lucy and daughter Mollie to a fun day out. There’s just one problem - he needs permission from Mollie’s stern head teacher, Mrs Anstis, as it means taking a day off school. Faced with the prickly principal, Lee lies about a dental appointment, and so begins a rollercoaster battle of wits. Unamused, Mrs Anstis is determined to catch Lee out, while he thinks it’s fair game to go to extremes to cover his tracks… with a piece of string, a doorknob and Mollie’s wobbly tooth! Lee has three free tickets to a theme park and plans to treat wife Lucy and daughter Mollie to a fun day out. There’s just one problem - he needs permission from Mollie’s stern head teacher, Mrs Anstis, as it means taking a day off school. Faced with the prickly principal, Lee lies about a dental appointment, and so begins a rollercoaster battle of wits. Unamused, Mrs Anstis (Benidorm’s Selina Griffiths) is determined to catch Lee out, while he thinks it’s fair game to go to extremes to cover his tracks… with a piece of string, a doorknob and Mollie’s wobbly tooth!
Episode three guest stars: Selina Griffiths (Cranford, Benidorm, The Larkins) as Mrs Anstis and Tanvi Virmani (The Show Must Go Online) as dental receptionist, Zara.
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 4 (Friday 14 July 2023)
'Coffin'
WTW preview: Lee will never complain again about not being allowed to rest in peace after he wakes up tonight in a coffin while on his reckless cousin’s stag do. A call from his undertaker kin, Andy (Coronation Street’s Jonny Dixon), reveals that, under the influence (of course), Lee bet he could spend the night in a casket. Unfortunately the coffin Andy and his pals nailed Lee into is missing and location tracking is placing him in a graveyard. As the plot unfolds things get worse. Lee’s been in many a hole before, but never one as dead funny as this.
Episode four guest stars: Jonny Dixon (Coronation Street, Boy Meets Girl, Doctor Who) as Andy, Adam Boardman (The F1rst Team) as Big Pete, Daniel Linney (It's a Sin) as Macca, David Ajao (Holby City) as Steve, Rich Keeble from episode one as the unknown caller, James Benson (Father Ted) as the priest, and Naveed Khan (Humans) as the police officer.
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 5 (Friday 21 July 2023)
'Train'
WTW preview: It’s Lucy’s birthday, and as a special treat her parents Geoffrey and Wendy have organised a trip on a vintage train, with corridors, first-class compartments, the lot, and Anna and Toby are along for the ride. Typically, this all makes Lee (Lee Mack) slightly anxious and so he reacts by pilfering a spoon from the dining carriage – as you do. Then a chatty blind man (Chris McCausland) enters their carriage and accidentally takes Lee’s seat. Lee, obviously, is going to do the gracious thing and let him stay there. Of course, he isn’t. But is there more to this blind man than, as the saying goes, meets the eye?
Episode five guest stars: Chris McCausland (Wonders of the World I Can't See) as Martin — the comedian also co-wrote this episode with Lee Mack and Daniel Peak. Sabrina Sandhu (The Syndicate, Dodger) and Matthew Weyland (The Ipcress File) star as train guards.
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 6 (Friday 28 July 2023)
'Beep'
WTW preview: Lucy (Sally Bretton) has slaved in the kitchen all day, preparing a special meal for Lee (Lee Mack) so they can enjoy an evening together with no distractions. But Lee is finding it impossible to give his wife his full attention because a beeping noise in the house is driving him to distraction.
The thing is Lucy can’t hear it, or that’s what she’s claiming. So while Lee searches high and low for the rogue noise, Lucy serves up dinner, starting with carpaccio of beep… beef!
Annoyed, Lucy admits that she hoped they could discuss their marriage over dinner and soon tempers are frayed, and accusations are thrown around.
From here a strange evening takes shape, during which the whole of Lee and Lucy’s relationship is put under the microscope and Lee Mack and Sally Bretton demonstrate that an old-fashioned two-handed episode can be very satisfying indeed.
Can Lee ignore the beeping for long enough to save their relationship?
Not Going Out season 13 — episode 7 (Friday 04 August 2023)
'Football'
WTW preview: The final episode kicks off with Lee in full competitive dad mode. Determined that Benji is named Player of the Year for the local under 13’s football team, Lee engages in an underhand campaign to secure his son the title. But he begins to regret his foul actions when he meets Ernest Walker, the grandfather of the Welby Wildcats’ worst player, Harvey...
Frail Ernest (Melvyn Hayes) desperately wants Harvey to win the award and, as he lists off the kindhearted youngster’s many caring qualities, Lee finds himself positioned in an uncomfortable corner in this end-of-series howler…
Episode seven guest stars: Melvyn Hayes (It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Here Come the Double Deckers!, Benidorm) guest stars as Ernest Walker. The series regulars are also joined by a large ensemble supporting cast — George Clarke plays Harvey Walker, Kieron Bell (Go Buster!) is the team's goalkeeper, Eddison Burch (Dreamland, Significant Other) plays Nathan, David Kapfunde plays Joshua, Chris Dunckley (Enola Holmes 2) plays Olly, Alexandra Afryea (Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Doctors) plays Nathan's mum, Davina Dewrance (Loud Voices, Silent Streets, Quentin Quarantine) plays Olly's mum, and Edwin Nwachukwu Jr (EastEnders) plays Joshua's dad.
Is there a Not Going Out 2023 Christmas special?
Yes, and not only that, it's the sitcom's 100th episode! It's also a slightly longer episode, running to 45 minutes. The title of this episode is 'Wilfred' and will air on BBC One on Christmas Eve at 10pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
In their press release for the special, BBC reveals: "Lee Mack’s multi-award-winning show, the longest running sitcom on air, returns with a new Christmas special as the comedy series hits 100 episodes, joining an elite group of sitcom centenarians.
"Brace for yuletide suburban chaos courtesy of Lee (Lee Mack) and Lucy (Sally Bretton) as Lee throws everything at creating the perfect family Christmas, agreeing to Lucy's wishes to do something charitable and having 'a normal Christmas where nothing goes wrong*.'
"This moment of festive spirit sees the couple invite Wilfred, a lonely pensioner from the nearby care home, to join them for Christmas dinner. The only instruction is that Wilfred is not, under any circumstances, allowed to drink alcohol…
"Given best friends Toby (Hugh Dennis) and uptight Anna (Abigail Cruttenden) are on hand, as well as Lucy’s lovely mum Wendy (Deborah Grant) with curmudgeonly dad Geoffrey (Geoffrey Whitehead), surely Lee can ensure this Christmas runs to plan?"
Not Going Out Christmas Special 2023 guest stars: David Hargreaves (This Country, Fleabag) as Old Man in Santa Suit, Delroy Atkinson (EastEnders, Riches) as the Neighbour, Richard Syms (The Crown, London's Burning) as Wilfred, Angela McHale (The Catherine Tate Show and other various characters in previous Not Going Out episodes) as the Care Home Worker, Ketorah Williams (Mask of Thorne and Casualty episode The Ostrich Effect) as the Paramedic
*Good luck with that!
Not Going Out additional information
Lee Mack’s multi-award-winning hit show is currently the longest running sitcom on air.
Not Going Out is co-written by Lee Mack and Daniel Peak, directed by Nick Wood and produced by Jamie Rix. The Executive Producers are Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, Lee Mack and Jon Thoday. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp. It is produced by Avalon.
