Home alone

Sally Bretton and Lee Mack are empty nesters as Not Going Out takes a time jump

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When Not Going Out was cancelled in 2009 while the third series was still airing on BBC1, the show seemed destined to become a mere footnote in the pantheon of British sitcoms.

But fast forward 16 years, and after a last-minute change of heart by the BBC, Lee Mack's gag-filled sitcom is now more popular than ever – and the second longest-running comedy in British TV history, behind only Last of the Summer Wine.

Over the years, we've seen wisecracking Lee move from bachelor pad to family home, and as the latest six-part run begins this week, there's a new chapter for Lee and his long-suffering wife Lucy (Sally Bretton). As the series starts, their three children have left home and the couple are moving away from their suburban empty nest as they look to buy the house of their dreams.

We sat down with Mack, 56, to hear what's in store...

Why does the show jump forward a few years?