Not Going Out Series 5 Review

• 15th May 2012

This is definitely one of those TV shows which utterly mystifies me. Now in its fifth series its simple premise is the main character Lee, lodger to his geeky, somewhat useless best mate’s (Tim) sister (Lucy), whom he is secretly in love with. We receive 25 minute episodes of the ridiculous situations that primarily Lee and Tim get themselves in with Tim’s dimwitted girlfriend (Daisy) and Tim’s scrounging father making regular appearances. The humor is sarcasm and crass, supplied the majority of the time by Lee and Lucy’s responses to each others.

So what is that befuzzles me about this show? It’s why I find it so watchable. It’s not original, very simplistic in its premises and to be honest Lee is a bit of a knob, Lucy is kind of a self-righteous bitch and Daisy is a poor man’s Alice from the Vicar of Dibley. But still I find myself chuckling at this show.

Maybe it is the fact that the exchanges between Lee and Lucy are typical of the male/female dynamic of two people who are attracted but cover this with insults and piss-taking. Maybe it doesn’t matter the characters are kind of annoying because this quality humanizes them. Maybe it is because I do in an odd way quite fancy Lee Mack. Questions I don’t think I can really answer for you. But this is the kind of show you either pleasantly enjoy or wouldn’t spend more than 2 seconds watching.

What of series 5? Pretty much the same as all the other series. 6 episodes of non-controversial, basic humor. Do Lee and Lucy get together? I’m not going to give that spoiler away but they are up to series 5, it’s going to have to come about soon and there is no way they won’t complete this show without that pairing up

Not Going Out Season 5 and Not Going Out Series 1-5 boxset are out DVD on May 21^st and available to pre-order from amazon.co.uk

Lauren Cracknell