Not Going Out season 12: when is new BBC series on TV in 2022 - and show cast with Lee Mack and Sally Bretton

Not Going Out, the sitcom that follows a married couple, Lee and Lucy, with three children living outside London has returned for another season.

The first episode of season 12 began with a tribute to Bobby Ball, who played Lee’s father in the show and passed away in 2020 after filming for season 11 had completed.

Filming for season 12 had not started when Ball passed away, so he does not feature in the new season in person but his presence could certainly be felt.

The late comic’s likeness captured, rather crudely, in an unfortunate oil painting that is gifted to Lee.

When is Not Going Out on TV?

The next episode of season 12 will air on BBC One on 1 April at 9.30pm, with future episodes airing at the same time weekly.

All episodes of seasons 1-11 are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

There will be seven episodes in season 12 of the show.

Who is in the cast?

Not Going Out has featured some major cast changes over the years, with Tim Vine leaving the series in 2012 to move onto other projects, and three children being added to the cast in season 8.

The decision to take make Lee and Lucy parents changed the whole dynamic of the show, but fans have kept coming back for more.

This is the main cast of season 12:

Lee Mack as Lee

Mack will return to play a fictionalised version of himself; a hapless layabout who is dragged up by his wife, Lucy.

The new season will see Lee come to terms with the death of his father and get into the usual more lighthearted scrapes, like accidentally befriending an oddball parent at his children’s school.

Mack is a stand up comic and is recognisable for his appearance on many popular British panel shows.

He is a team captain on Would I Lie to You with David Mitchell and Rob Brydon, and has also appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, QI, and Taskmaster.

Sally Bretton as Lucy

Bretton will return as Lee’s long suffering wife, who is pulled along into his misadventures.

In the second episode of the show, when Lee accidentally sends a rude message to their friend, Anna, Lucy will have to help Lee steal Anna’s phone to delete the message.

Bretton’s breakout role was as Donna in The Office (UK) opposite Martin Freeman and Ricky Gervais.

She has also appeared in comedy sketch show Green Wing, and played Martha Lloyd in comedy drama series Death in Paradise.

Deborah Grant as Wendy

Grant plays Lucy’s mother Wendy, who decides to make Lee the gift of an oil painting of his father after he passes away.

Unfortunately the oil painting is not the most flattering likeness, leaving Lee with the dilemma of what to do with the artwork, as he certainly doesn’t want to hang it up.

Grant is known for playing Celia Pagett-Smythe in 80s comedy series Room at the Bottom.

Geoffrey Whitehead as Geoffrey

Geoffrey is Lucy’s father and has been played by Whitehead since the fourth season of the show.

Whitehead has starred as Mr. Newbold in the sitcom Still Open All Hours, and also had roles in Reggie Perrin, Upstart Crow, and Midsomer Murders.

Hugh Dennis as Toby

Hugh is back as Toby, a hospital consultant and surgeon who is married to Anna and a friend of Lee and Lucy.

He will often be found at the pub with Lee in a bid to find some time away from his wife.

Dennis is another veteran of popular TV panel shows, and is the only Mock the Week regular, apart from host Dara Ó Briain, to have appeared on every season of the show since it premiered in 2005.

He recently had a cameo in the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, playing an ill-fated scientist.

Abigail Cruttenden as Anna

Anna is Toby’s disapproving wife who has been brought into his friendship with Lee and Lucy against her will.

Cruttenden’s credits include playing the mother of Stephen Hawking in biopic drama The Theory of Everything, Kate Weedon in Benidorm, and Vicky Robinson in The Robinsons.

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