Lee Mack

Lee Mack
Mack at Radio 4's Don't Make Me Laugh in 2015
Born Lee Gordon McKillop
(1968-08-04) 4 August 1968
Southport, Lancashire, England
Occupation Comedian, actor
Years active 1995–present
Known for The Sketch Show (2001–2004)
Not Going Out (2006—)
Would I Lie to You? (2007—)
Lee Mack's All Star Cast (2011)
Duck Quacks Don't Echo (2014—)
Spouse(s) Tara McKillop (m. 2005)
Children Arlo McKillop
Louie McKillop
Millie McKillop
Website Official website

Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known as Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor[2] best known for writing and starring in the sitcom Not Going Out. He is also known for being a team captain on the BBC One comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?, hosting the Sky1 panel show Duck Quacks Don't Echo and for presenting the show They Think It's All Over.

He has been guest host on Have I Got News for You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, guest captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and a guest panellist on QI.

Early life

Mack was born in Southport, Lancashire, to a working class family. He lived there above a pub until he was 12 when his parents separated and he moved to Blackburn.[2][3] He went to Birkdale Primary Junior School (Bury Road), Stanley High School in Southport and Everton High School in Blackburn.[4][5] Upon leaving school, Mack worked in a bingo hall and as a stable boy. After working at the stable of racehorse trainer Ginger McCain in Southport for three days, he asked if he could ride one of the horses, to which the trainer agreed. Without realising, Mack then chose Red Rum as the first horse he would ride.[2][6] Mack then became a Blue Coat entertainer at the Pontins holiday resort at Hemsby in Norfolk. He was sacked after appearing on stage drunk one night, botching a joke and calling an audience member a cunt.[7] He then worked for six months at Pontins in Morecambe.[2]

Mack went on to have various other jobs, and performed his first "open mic" slot in 1994, while studying at Brunel University from where he graduated with a degree in drama.[8] Within 18 months he was a full-time comedian.[2]

Career

Mack first came to prominence by winning So You Think You're Funny 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 varying celebrities co-hosting the show.

Television

Mack was a cast member for ITV's The Sketch Show[2] and featured in the American version of the same name.

In 2005, Mack presented They Think It's All Over, a sports based comedy panel game, formerly presented by Nick Hancock.[2] However, it proved to be the show's final series.[2] 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) premiered on 6 October 2006. The show has since returned for eight more series, the most recent airing in 2018. The show has won a Rose d'Or and RTS Award.

Since 2007, Mack has been a team captain on the BBC One comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?.[2] He has also been guest host on Have I Got News for You six times: 23 May 2008, 12 June 2009, 1 April 2010, 2 December 2010, 28 October 2011, and 20 April 2018. He has twice been guest host on Never Mind the Buzzcocks; 9 December 2010 and 22 October 2012.

Mack has contributed to Comic Relief and has appeared on Jack Dee Live at the Apollo.

In June 2011, he launched a new show entitled Lee Mack's All Star Cast for BBC One. It features members of the audience taking part in silly games to get a spot in a sketch at the end of the show.[9] In June 2012, Mack was one of the compères at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace in London.

In March 2013, Mack appeared on the panel on an episode of Let's Dance for Comic Relief with Arlene Phillips and Greg James.[10]

Since February 2014, he has presented Duck Quacks Don't Echo, a comedy-based panel show for Sky1.

Live tours

  • 2006 - Lee Mack: Live
  • 2010 - Lee Mack: Going Out
  • 2014 - Lee Mack: Hit the Road Mack

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. In December 2010 he performed at the Royal Variety Performance.[11]

Personal life

Mack has been married since 2005. He and his wife live in Surrey and have three children.[12]

In February 2009, along with other British entertainers, Mack signed an open letter to The Times on the Bahá'í leaders then on trial in Iran.[13]

Mack said in an interview with The Guardian[14] that his first foray into comedy was doing Bobby Ball impressions at his school when he was 15. Mack is a keen supporter of Blackburn Rovers and occasionally visits Ewood Park to watch games.[15] At one point, Mack shared a flat with Noel Fielding. In July 2012, Mack received an honorary doctorate from Brunel University.[16] He published his autobiography Mack the Life ( ISBN 0-552-16655-3) in the same year.

In 2012, Mack was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[17]

Mack is a darts fan and regularly plays with his friend Tim Vine. Both men appeared on the debut series of Let's Play Darts, facing each other in the final, with Mack and his partner Martin Adams beating Vine and his partner Darryl Fitton. He currently holds the Guinness World Records title for the most darts number twos in one minute. On the same day, he also broke the record for the most darts in inner and outer bullseyes in one minute, a title which he held for a year and two months before it was broken on 23 September 2016 by professional darts player James Wade.[18][19]

Mack is not the first person in his family to have performed comedy. He reveals in the 2018 series of Who Do You Think You Are? that his great grandfather was a jobbing comic and used the stage name Billy Mack. By using the index of birth records from General Register Office (GRO) researchers obtained the details needed to order the birth certificate that confirms Mack's great-grandfather had been registered at birth as William Alexander McKillop. It was also revealed that his grandfather Joe was born in Southport but was brought to Ireland as a baby and brought up by his grandparents in Ballina, County Mayo.[20]

Filmography

Television
Year Show Role Notes
1997–1998 Gas Himself
2001–2004 The Sketch Show Himself
2005–2010 Live at the Apollo Himself
2005–2006 They Think It's All Over Host
2006— Not Going Out Lee
2007— Would I Lie to You? Regular Team Captain
2008–2018 Have I Got News for You Guest presenter 6 episodes
2009–2012 QI Panellist 5 episodes
2010, 2012 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Guest presenter 2 episodes
2011 Lee Mack's All Star Cast Presenter
2013, 2015–2016 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Guest Team Captain 6 episodes
2014— Duck Quacks Don't Echo Presenter
2014 The Smiths Michael Smith Pilot
2014 The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night Himself
2015 Let's Play Darts Competitor Won the show
2015 Officially Amazing[21] Guest
2016 Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Guest announcer
2018 Top Gear Guest 1 episode
2018 Doctor Who TBA 1 episode
Stand-up DVDs
Title Released Notes Ratings when Televised TV Channel
Live 26 November 2007 Live at London's Bloomsbury Theatre 0.95 Channel 4
Going Out Live 22 November 2010 Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo 1.03 BBC One
Hit The Road Mack 24 November 2014 Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo 1.26 Channel 4

Awards

BAFTA TV Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2002The Sketch ShowBest Comedy Programme or SeriesWon
2014Would I Lie To You?Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment ProgrammeNominated
2015Would I Lie To You?Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment ProgrammeNominated
2016Would I Lie To You?Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment ProgrammeNominated
2018Would I Lie To You?Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment ProgrammeNominated

British Comedy Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2001Lee MackBest Comedy NewcomerNominated
2006Best Live Stand Up TourNominated
2007Best TV Comedy ActorNominated
Not Going OutBest New TV ComedyNominated
2010Would I Lie to YouBest Comedy Panel ShowWon
2011Nominated
2012Lee MackBest Male Television ComicWon
People's Choice AwardNominated
2013Would I Lie to YouBest Comedy Panel ShowWon
Lee MackBest Male Television ComicWon
People's Choice AwardNominated
2014Would I Lie to YouBest Comedy Panel ShowWon
Would I Lie to YouBest Comedy MomentNominated
Lee MackBest Male Television ComicWon
King or Queen of ComedyNominated

RTS Television Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2007Not Going OutBreakthrough Award - Behind The ScreenWon

Rose d'Or

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2007Not Going OutSitcomWon

References

  1. ↑ "Lee Mack". Desert Island Discs. 29 September 2013. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Maxwell, Dominic (24 November 2007). "Mack on the Attack". The Times magazine. London. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
  3. ↑ Armstrong, Stephen (9 January 2005). "Comedy: This stand-up's got legs". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  4. ↑ Mayoh, Emma (5 May 2010). "Comedian Lee Mack confesses Southport fear". Lancashire Life. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Return of the Mack as Not Going Out returns". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest (North West). 5 January 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "The 10 most surprising truths on Would I Lie to You". Radio Times. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  7. ↑ https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2007/11/30/6099/bunch_of_kents Bunch of Kents
  8. ↑ Mack, Lee (2012). Mack The Life, Bantam Press. ISBN 0593069420.
  9. ↑ "Lee Mack and Penn & Teller ratings soar as Marriage Ref fails to impress". Metro. 19 June 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  10. ↑ "Lets Dance for Comic Relief - Series 5 - Episode 3". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Simon, Jane (16 December 2010). "Royal Variety Performance". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  12. ↑ "Q and A with comedian Lee Mack". Daily Mail. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Stand up for Iran's Baha'is - Voices from the arts call for the imprisoned Baha'i leaders in Iran to receive a fair trial". The Times. London. 2009-02-26. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  14. ↑ Hodgson, Michelle (31 January 2009). "My family values". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  15. ↑ Clough, Dan (15 April 2014). "East Lancs comedian Lee Mack in hunt for old Blackburn pub sign". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Comedian Lee Mack awarded honorary degree by Brunel University". Brunel University London. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  17. ↑ Rogers, Paul (30 May 2013). "Lee Mack stars at Hay Festival". Hereford: Hereford Times. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "Most darts in inner and outer bullseyes in one minute". Guinness World Records. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  19. ↑ "Most darts number twos in one minute". Guinness World Records. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  20. ↑ "TheGenealogist featured article: Lee Mack". TheGenealogist. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  21. ↑ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/391385-most-darts-number-twos-in-one-minute
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