Following Bobbys death in 2020 the TV guides included short features on Not Going Out and Rock On Tommy: The Bobby Ball story which were both shown over the Christmas period.
Not Going Out
Radio Times
I’m beginning to wonder if Lee Mack secretly longs to be the Mike Leigh of sitcom. This seasonal special is so bleak, it’s like a Play for Today with added zingers. Not many mainstream sitcoms would probe their characters’ darker recesses this mercilessly, and the result is as sour as a vinegar Martini, but a lot funnier.
As Lucy, Lee and their circle sit round playing joyless games on New Year’s Eve, the mood is ugly. Lucy finally cracks: unless they start being nicer, she’s going to dump the sherry trifle on someone’s head. From there, a barbed ballet of put-downs and home truths unfolds around the living room, with the late Bobby Ball lobbing in dirty jokes and Geoffrey Whitehead drawling that “it takes a moment like this to make you realise lockdown wasn’t that tedious after all…”
It’s hard to know where Not Going Out goes from here, without Ball to lower the tone on a regular basis. But when it traps its cast together (as in the parachute jump episode, or the one in the escape room), there’s plenty of comic juice left. David Butcher
See Not Going Out page.
TV Times
This seasonal special finds Lee and Lucy playing hosts with the mosts, trying (and failing miserably) to entertain their dysfunctional family and friends on New Year’s Eve. When parlour games are abandoned for a no-holds-barred discussion of their bad habits, all hell breaks loose, with hilarious consequences and a finale that will leave fans speechless. It’s a bittersweet watch as the wonderful and much-missed Bobby Ball, who plays Lee’s dad, passed away shortly after filming.
See Not Going Out page.
Rock on Tommy: The Bobby Ball Story
TV Times
An extended version of the recent tribute to comedian and actor Bobby Ball, who died in October. His comedy partner Tommy Cannon narrates this celebration of the life of the welder from Oldham who went on to become one of the nation’s favourite stars. Friends and family share memories and there are plenty of brilliant clips, including highlights from The Cannon and Ball Show, plus Bobby’s more recent appearances in Benidorm and Not Going Out.
See Rock on Tommy page.
