‘Not Going Out’ has been recommissioned for another two series.
The hilarious show, which has been co-written by Lee Mack, is set to become one of the longest running sitcoms to grace the BBC after bosses decided to give it the go-ahead to return for series nine and 10 – before the eight installment has hit screens.
Asked if the show is being recommissioned for another two series after the eighth installment, Lee told BANG Showbiz: "Yes. Well that’s a good start to the day!"
Although the 48-year-old comedian is ecstatic the programme will continue to grace screens for at least another two years and battle it out for the title of the longest running sitcom with comedy classics ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘Dad’s Army’, he’s also shocked considering the show was originally cancelled temporarily in 2009.
However, the BBC later decided to reverse their decision and it’s certainly paid off.
Lee said previously: "I think what happens, for me, if they’d cancelled it after the first two series, I’d have gone fair enough. You know how much impact a sitcom is having by walking down the street, it’s that simple.
"The first two series, not a lot of impact. Series three, something happened, which I think in the industry they call ‘breaking through’ or ‘the tipping point’.
"I thought something’s changed. Bear in mind when you write a sitcom, you barely go out of the house for four months. So you don’t know how well it’s going.
"Then suddenly, one day you finally get a day out with your family, in a packed public place, and you realise it’s having an impact. People start mentioning the name of the characters and stuff. "That was the time when it was a shock to be cancelled."
‘Not Going Out’ will return to screens in January.
Not Going Out gets 2 more series
