Comic Lee Mack previously revealed that he had to be careful writing sex scenes into his hit series Not Going Out for fear of getting into trouble with his real-life wife Tara.
The comedian – who previously gave a stark warning about the future of sitcoms – told Dermot O’Leary’s The Nightly Show back in 2017 about a rule he sticks to when writing the show.
However, it appears the rule may have landed the TV favourite in hot water with his better half…
Lee Mack on Not Going Out’s ‘number one rule’
The star revealed that everything that takes place on the show has to have happened in real life. This means, if it hasn’t happened to one of the writers in real life, it can’t go into the show.
“The number one rule is it has to have happened,” he told Dermot. “The problem is that can cause friction at home when you’re doing a scene involving an act in bed.
You might be sitting at home watching it with your wife, and she’s saying: ‘I cannot believe that you’re talking about this. On screen.’
“And your wife’s going: ‘No, you can’t do that.’ And you might be sitting at home watching it with your wife, and she’s saying: ‘I cannot believe that you’re talking about this. On screen.'”
But Lee explained that he and his co-writers have a plan for this very situation. They simply pass that particular narrative development off as having been inspired by one of the other writers.
“The awful thing,” Lee added wryly, “would be to give that away on a nightly chat show,” before staring wide-eyed at the camera.
Lee Mack’s romance with wife Tara
Lee – on screen with Would I Lie To You? tonight (March 15) – married wife Tara in 2005. They are believed to have met in 1996, when Southport-born Lee was at university in London.
The couple share three kids together – Arlo, Louie and Millie – with Lee becoming a dad for the first time at 36. Arlo has also previously appeared in his dad’s sitcom Not Going Out.
And, although they remain largely private about their personal life, Lee has admitted that some of their friends think they’re a little mismatched.
The topic of Tara came up during an episode of Would I Lie To You? when comic Roisin Conaty made a guest appearance. Lee went on to joke his wife is so attractive that Roisin’s sister apparently found it hard to believe they became item before he became famous.
During the course of the show, as Lee mentioned he once introduced Roisin’s sister to Tara, Roisin noted: “[She] is ridiculously beautiful.”
Lee resumed his telly anecdote: “And I said: ‘This is Tara,’ and she went: ‘Oh did you meet after he was a well-known comedian?’ And she went: ‘No, before.’ Which is true, we met before I ever did comedy. And she went to Tara: ‘Oh, did he save your life or something?'”
Would I Lie To You? is on tonight (March 15) at 8pm on BBC One.
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