Lee Mack
Encyclopedia
Lee Gordon McKillop is an English
stand-up comedian
and actor
, known by the stage name
Lee Mack. He is well known in the United Kingdom
for writing and starring in the sitcom
Not Going Out
, for being a team captain on Would I Lie to You?
and for hosting Lee Mack's All Star Cast
.
, then in Lancashire
and now in Merseyside
, above a pub
until he was 12 when his parents separated and he moved to Blackburn, Lancashire. He went to Birkdale County Junior School and Stanley High School
. After leaving school he worked in a bingo hall and as a stableboy
. After working at the stable for three days he asked if he could try and ride a horse; the trainer agreed and the first horse he ever rode was Red Rum
. After that, Mack became a blue coat for Pontin's
at Hemsby
near Great Yarmouth
. After appearing on stage drunk one night, and calling an audience member a "cunt
", he was sacked from the Hemsby team, and did six months at Pontins in Morecambe
.
Mack went on to have various other jobs, and did his first open mike
slot in 1994, while studying at Brunel University
. Within 18 months he was a full time comedian
.
Mack lives in Hammersmith
, West London, with his wife, Tara and their children, Arlo (born 2004) and Louie (born 2006), and a baby daughter born October 2011. He also has six nieces and nephews, who have all appeared in his shows at one point, Kaia being the eldest.
In February 2009 Mack, with other British entertainers, signed an open letter to The Times
on the Bahá'í leaders then on trial in Iran.
Lee Mack said in an interview with The Guardian
that he first went into comedy by doing Bobby Ball
impressions at his school when he was 15.
Lee is a supporter of Blackburn Rovers and often visits Ewood Park
to watch games.
at the 1995 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since then Mack has played the part of Graham, the security guard in the original radio version of The Mighty Boosh
, and also has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2
called The Lee Mack Show, which features a different celebrity co-hosting the show. He was a cast member for ITV's The Sketch Show
.
In 2005 Mack presented They Think It's All Over
, a sports based comedy panel game, formerly presented by Nick Hancock. However, it proved to be the show's final series. In 2007 he appeared on TV Heaven, Telly Hell
.
His first sitcom Not Going Out
for BBC One
with Tim Vine
(in which he plays Lee, the central character) premièred on 6 October 2006. The show has since returned for a second series (September 2007), a third series (January 2009) and a fourth series (February 2011). It will be returning for a fifth and sixth series, which has been confirmed. It has won a Rose d'Or
and RTS Award
. He is a team captain on the BBC One panel show Would I Lie to You?
. He has also been guest host on Have I Got News for You
5 times: 23 May 2008, 12 June 2009, 1 April 2010, 2 December 2010 and 28 October 2011. He was guest host on Never Mind the Buzzcocks
on 9 December 2010. Mack has also contributed to Comic Relief
.
Mack has also appeared on Jack Dee Live at the Apollo
Mack went on tour in 2006 and filmed his first live DVD at the Bloomsbury Theatre, which was released the following year.
In spring 2010 Mack embarked on his "Going Out" tour. Extra dates were added for autumn 2010 due to his spring tour being sold out well in advance. Going Out Live, his second live DVD, was filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo
and was released in November. Other notable venues of the tour included the Gulbenkian Theatre, the Blackpool Tower
, Brighton Dome
, Alexandra Theatre and the Longacre Theatre
in New York City
.
In December 2010 he performed at the Royal Variety Performance
.
In June 2011, he launched a new show entitled Lee Mack's All Star Cast
for the BBC. It features members of the audience taking part in silly games to get a spot in a sketch at the end of the show.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known by the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Lee Mack. He is well known in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for writing and starring in the sitcom
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
Not Going Out
Not Going Out
Not Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
, for being a team captain on Would I Lie to You?
Would I Lie To You? (TV series)
Would I Lie to You? is a comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for BBC One. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007.-Format:The show was presented by Angus Deayton in 2007 and 2008, and by Rob Brydon from 2009 onwards...
and for hosting Lee Mack's All Star Cast
Lee Mack's All Star Cast
Lee Mack's All Star Cast is a Saturday night television programme by the BBC. Each week, host Lee Mack is joined by two celebrity guests and a live studio audience who are entertained by stand-up comedians, random sketches and various games....
.
Personal life
Mack was born on 4 August 1968 and lived in SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, then in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and now in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, above a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
until he was 12 when his parents separated and he moved to Blackburn, Lancashire. He went to Birkdale County Junior School and Stanley High School
Stanley High School
Stanley High School is a High School for students aged 11–16 in the resort town of Southport, Merseyside in North West England. It has been a designated specialist Sports College since 2003.- Academic success :...
. After leaving school he worked in a bingo hall and as a stableboy
Hostler
An hostler or ostler in the horse industry is a groom or stableman, who is employed in a stable to take care of horses...
. After working at the stable for three days he asked if he could try and ride a horse; the trainer agreed and the first horse he ever rode was Red Rum
Red Rum
Red Rum was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years...
. After that, Mack became a blue coat for Pontin's
Pontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
at Hemsby
Hemsby
Hemsby is a village, civil parish and seaside resort in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some north of the town of Great Yarmouth....
near Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. After appearing on stage drunk one night, and calling an audience member a "cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
", he was sacked from the Hemsby team, and did six months at Pontins in Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
.
Mack went on to have various other jobs, and did his first open mike
Open mike
An open mike or open mic is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone. Usually, the performers sign up in advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies. These events can be focused on poetry and the spoken word, music, comedy, and the open format of open...
slot in 1994, while studying at Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
. Within 18 months he was a full time comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Mack lives in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, West London, with his wife, Tara and their children, Arlo (born 2004) and Louie (born 2006), and a baby daughter born October 2011. He also has six nieces and nephews, who have all appeared in his shows at one point, Kaia being the eldest.
In February 2009 Mack, with other British entertainers, signed an open letter to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on the Bahá'í leaders then on trial in Iran.
Lee Mack said in an interview with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that he first went into comedy by doing Bobby Ball
Bobby Ball
Bobby Ball is one half of the comedy double act Cannon and Ball, along with Tommy Cannon.He married his first wife, Joan, in 1964, with whom he had two sons, Robert and Darren , who are now a comedy double act in their own right, performing under their surname 'Harper'. Bobby and his first wife...
impressions at his school when he was 15.
Lee is a supporter of Blackburn Rovers and often visits Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
to watch games.
Career
Mack first came to prominence on winning So You Think You're FunnySo You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny? is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 and has become the longest running best comedy newcomer award in Great Britain....
at the 1995 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since then Mack has played the part of Graham, the security guard in the original radio version of The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six episode radio series, it has since spawned a total of twenty television episodes for BBC Three and two live tours of the UK, as well as two live shows in the...
, and also has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
called The Lee Mack Show, which features a different celebrity co-hosting the show. He was a cast member for ITV's The Sketch Show
The Sketch Show
The Sketch Show is a British television sketch comedy programme, featuring many leading British comedians. It aired on ITV between 2001 and 2003.A short-lived spinoff of the same title was produced in the United States.- Original line-up :...
.
In 2005 Mack presented They Think It's All Over
They Think It's All Over (TV series)
They Think It's All Over was a British comedy panel game with a sporting theme produced by Talkback Thames and shown on BBC One. The show's name is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's famous 1966 World Cup commentary quotation, "they think it's all over...it is now!" and the show used the phrase as...
, a sports based comedy panel game, formerly presented by Nick Hancock. However, it proved to be the show's final series. In 2007 he appeared on TV Heaven, Telly Hell
TV Heaven, Telly Hell
TV Heaven, Telly Hell is a comedy television show on Channel 4, presented and produced by Sean Lock. The format is similar to Room 101, with guests discussing their likes and dislikes of items on television....
.
His first sitcom Not Going Out
Not Going Out
Not Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
with Tim Vine
Tim Vine
Timothy "Tim" Mark Vine is an English actor, writer and comedian. He has released a number of DVDs of his stand-up comedy, as well as starring in the successful series Not Going Out with Lee Mack on the BBC...
(in which he plays Lee, the central character) premièred on 6 October 2006. The show has since returned for a second series (September 2007), a third series (January 2009) and a fourth series (February 2011). It will be returning for a fifth and sixth series, which has been confirmed. It has won a Rose d'Or
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
and RTS Award
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
. He is a team captain on the BBC One panel show Would I Lie to You?
Would I Lie To You? (TV series)
Would I Lie to You? is a comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for BBC One. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007.-Format:The show was presented by Angus Deayton in 2007 and 2008, and by Rob Brydon from 2009 onwards...
. He has also been guest host on Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
5 times: 23 May 2008, 12 June 2009, 1 April 2010, 2 December 2010 and 28 October 2011. He was guest host on Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
on 9 December 2010. Mack has also contributed to Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
.
Mack has also appeared on Jack Dee Live at the Apollo
Mack went on tour in 2006 and filmed his first live DVD at the Bloomsbury Theatre, which was released the following year.
In spring 2010 Mack embarked on his "Going Out" tour. Extra dates were added for autumn 2010 due to his spring tour being sold out well in advance. Going Out Live, his second live DVD, was filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
and was released in November. Other notable venues of the tour included the Gulbenkian Theatre, the Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
, Brighton Dome
Brighton Dome
The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England that contains the Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and the Pavilion Theatre. All three venues are linked to the rest of the Royal Pavilion Estate by an underground tunnel to the Royal Pavilion in Pavilion Gardens and through shared corridors to...
, Alexandra Theatre and the Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In December 2010 he performed at the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
.
In June 2011, he launched a new show entitled Lee Mack's All Star Cast
Lee Mack's All Star Cast
Lee Mack's All Star Cast is a Saturday night television programme by the BBC. Each week, host Lee Mack is joined by two celebrity guests and a live studio audience who are entertained by stand-up comedians, random sketches and various games....
for the BBC. It features members of the audience taking part in silly games to get a spot in a sketch at the end of the show.
Stand-up DVDs
| Title | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live | 26 November 2007 | Live at London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... 's Bloomsbury Theatre |
| Going Out Live | 22 November 2010 | Live at London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... 's HMV Hammersmith Apollo |
TV
- Not Going OutNot Going OutNot Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
Himself/Lee - Would I Lie to You?Would I Lie To You? (TV series)Would I Lie to You? is a comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for BBC One. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007.-Format:The show was presented by Angus Deayton in 2007 and 2008, and by Rob Brydon from 2009 onwards...
Himself - The Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
Himself - Lee Mack's All Star CastLee Mack's All Star CastLee Mack's All Star Cast is a Saturday night television programme by the BBC. Each week, host Lee Mack is joined by two celebrity guests and a live studio audience who are entertained by stand-up comedians, random sketches and various games....
Himself - QIQIQI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
Himself - Have I Got News For YouHave I Got News for YouHave I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
Himself