'LOOKING BACK IS EMOTIONAL'

As the new series of Not Going Out begins, its star Lee Mack chats about the sitcom's latest storylines

- 

In a TV era obsessed with slick dramas, thrillers and satire, comedian Lee Mack is doing something radical - he's trying to make us laugh. Out loud. Every few seconds. And he's doing it the old-fashioned way, with a studio sitcom, a live audience and endless gags.

As Not Going Out returns for a new series, with another green lit for next year, it's clearly not going anywhere, clocking up more than 100 episodes - the longest-running UK sitcom on air. "We'll never catch up with Last Of The Summer Wine - thank God," quips Lee. "Our show is seen as very traditional and some would say old-fashioned, so therefore not risky, but it is a risk because it's the minority. The highs and lows are extreme. Love or hate the studio sitcom, there's no denying that they are really trying to go for the laugh.

I'm not trying to write a line that makes people smile. You don't get canned smiling.

"I used to aim for a joke on every page, but that's only every 30 seconds - it's not enough. We try for a laugh in every line."