Britain’s favourite sitcom, Not Going Out, is well into its 14th series. Created, written by and starring Lee Mack as a fictional version of himself, it holds the title of the UK’s longest-running sitcom currently on air.
Roundly praised as among the funniest people working in telly right now, Lee delighted fans this week when it was announced that The 1% Club is going from Saturday nights to a supersized five-day primetime event called The 1% Club Rollover.
It’ll air this autumn. But before that, we’ve got a very important question to address about Lee and his Not Going Out co-star Sally Bretton. With such electric chemistry on screen, are they married in real life?
Are Lee Mack and Sally Bretton married in real life?
The short answer is no: Lee Mack and his on-screen wife Lucy (played by Sally Bretton) are both happily married to real, off screen spouses – not to each other.
On screen, Lee and Lucy Adams tied the knot in the Christmas special of Not Going Out series 7. Lee and Lucy now live in Walton-on-Thames, in Surrey – which, funnily enough, is just a stone’s throw from real-life Lee’s home in the village of East Molesey.
Now, of course, they’re in their countryside era.
Lee’s real-life wife is Tara Savage. They met at Brunel University in 1996, married in 2005, and have three kids together.
Their eldest son, Arlo, appeared in the 2013 Christmas special of Not Going Out. Daughter Millie graced the stage in series 12.
Meanwhile, Sally Bretton is happily married to a photographer named… Lee. That’s right, there’s a third Lee in the equation.
Lee on stunning wife Tara
Quick-witted Lee Mack made a name for himself when he won So You Think You’re Funny? at the 1995 Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the same year he and Tara Savage tied the knot.
He once explained during an episode of Would I Lie To You? that he introduced comedian Roisin Conaty’s sister to his wife. She – Roisin’s sister – assumed Tara had fallen for Lee after he became a comedian and “got a bit of money”.
“And I said: ‘No, no, we met before I ever was a comedian when we were at university.’ And she looked aghast at why this woman would be with me,” he said.
“And do you know what she said? ‘Did you save her life or something?’ I thought that’s an incredibly bold statement to make after five minutes of meeting someone.”
Sally’s romance with her real-life husband Lee
Sally Bretton, who plays Lee Mack’s on-screen wife in Not Going Out, has three children with her husband Lee. He’s a photographer. They live in Hertfordshire, where she was born and raised.
Sally is pretty tight-lipped about her family life, and doesn’t have social media, so hasn’t shared any pics of her husband.
I really, really – hands on heart – think Lee is hilarious.
However, she has spoken about her kids – three girls, including a daughter aged 13 and a set of 11-year-old twins – before. In a 2020 interview, while she was in theatre in Scotland, Sally revealed: “My children are still quite young, so I haven’t done much theatre – touring is not a good fit with family life.”
She added: “My children came up to Aberdeen for half term, which was fantastic – we had a lovely time. Even saw some dolphins, which was unexpected.”
Sally hadn’t seen the show before she auditioned for it
Before she joined the cast of the sitcom, Sally had never heard of future co-star Lee Mack. Nor had she watched any of the show.
One challenge she sometimes faces when acting opposite Lee is that he is, well, too funny.
“You know, he’s Lee. I find – well, everyone does – that he’s hilarious, and so sometimes you do have to dig your nails into your side a little bit harder to try to remain concentrated and serious,” she told the British Comedy Guide way back during series 5.
“I really, really – hands on heart – think Lee is hilarious. His writing is so funny and I really, really enjoy the show. Even if I wasn’t in it, I would definitely, definitely watch it – I just think it is funny!
“When it got cancelled it was a bit like ‘What?!?’, because Lee has always been so passionate about it. He really, really has. […] I’m really glad the show is in the public consciousness now. People are definitely more aware of it, and it’s getting the sizeable audience it deserves.”
How has she put up with Lee Mack’s acerbic wit on set for almost two decades on the show? With “a lot of patience and deep breathing”, she added!
Not Going Out is on BBC One Saturday (July 12) at 9.40pm.
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