Not Going Out is not going out of fashion, as the comedy show is set to return for an eighth series.

The new series will see the return of Lee (Lee Mack) and Lucy (Sally Bretton) – this time married and trying to cope with three young children.

Lee Mack writes and stars in Not Going Out
Lee Mack writes and stars in Not Going Out (BBC)

Lazy layabout Lee and his long-suffering flatmate Lucy tied the knot at the end of series seven and had their first child together during the Christmas special.

The BBC has promised a major shift in the show’s dynamic as the pair take on parenting.

While the couple try to handle their young family, uptight friends Toby (Hugh Dennis) and Anna (Abigail Cruttenden), as well as Lee’s inept father (Bobby Ball), will return to lend a hand.

Lee Mack
Lee Mack (Ian West/PA)

Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning, said: “Not Going Out is on its way to modern classic status as it clocks up another richly gag-packed and comic incident heavy series.

“The jump-forward introduction of their kids provides Lee and Lucy with a new family domestic setting and springboard to broaden out their world from a ‘Will they, won’t they?’ dynamic to the ‘Why the hell have we?’ that comes with parenting.”