Unveiling Undisclosed Facts about Television Personality Lee Mack
Lee Mack's back for another ride in Not Going Out season 14, the massively popular BBC One comedy series he headlines. He's not just known for hisrole as a team captain on Would I Lie To You? and the presenter of ITV1's The 1% Club, but there's more to this hilarious bloke than meets the eye. Let's dive deeper into the chaotic life of Lee Mack.
Before the fame, Lee was a Bluecoat entertainer at Pontins. His comedic career kicked off when he joined ITV's The Sketch Show 1. But what else makes Lee tick? Here's an unfiltered look at the real Lee Mack.
The Jockey Who Was Afraid of Horses
In a wild twist of fate, Lee decided he'd give jockey-ing a whirl and worked for a year with Donald "Ginger" McCain, the celebrated trainer of Red Rum. Speaking to The Big Issue, he confessed, "After being chucked out of college, I turned on the telly and horse racing was on. Five minutes later, I rang up my local yard and asked to be a stable boy. That's how I lived my life for the first 30 years. I've got an obsessive personality. So I worked for a year with Ginger McCain, and the first horse I sat on was Red Rum. But I was petrified of horses" 2.
dashes Death in Paradise
Lee was offered a guest spot in Death in Paradise but had to pass because of his fear of flying. Thinking outside the box, he briefly considered making the long voyage to the Caribbean by boat, but ruled it out as it would take an eternity. As he once explained to The One Show, "I got asked to be in Death in Paradise, but because I can't fly, I thought, how am I going to get there? I looked into it, you can get a cargo ship from Portugal to nearby. It would have taken weeks and weeks and weeks, and they only rent out a couple of rooms, and the rest is for sailors" 3.
The Pub KidturnedSober Comedian
Lee grew up in a pub, as his parents ran the local watering hole. Despite his roots, he doesn't indulge in booze nowadays. Speaking to The Big Issue, he revealed, "I grew up in a pub, so it was a big part of our culture. When you start going to pubs, it's brilliant because you're surrounded by adults, you meet girls, you might join the pool club. But it's a big con. We are told that because we're drunk, we're having a great time. It's the other way around: we're having a great time, we just happen to be drunk. I'd tell my younger self not to make the mistake of thinking alcohol is a great tool of liberation. Don't assume these great times you're having are because you're drunk" 4.
The Oasis Omission
In the latest series of Not Going Out, Lee and Lucy try desperately to score tickets for the Oasis reunion concert. Lee spilled the beans about his failed attempt to get Noel Gallagher to star in the episode, saying, "When we were doing the episode, I wondered if there was any way we could get Noel or Liam Gallagher to turn up at the end for some reason. Rob Brydon [who Lee works with on BBC One panel showWould I Lie to You?] gave me Noel's number, so I sent him a text asking if he'd be in the show, but I never heard anything back!" 5.
The University Love Story
Lee met his wife Tara while studying at London's Brunel University in 1996 and they married in 2005. Lee was pursuing drama at the time 6.
The First TV Stand-up Appearance (or So He Thinks)
On Rob Byrdon's YouTube show, Lee reminisced that one of his first TV gigs was hosting the Channel 4 showcase Gas, which gave new comedians from the comedy circuit their big break. One of the aspiring stars on the show? A young Peter Kay. "I did these two series introducing new people to Channel 4 from the circuit, and they were very new at the time, so Peter Kay was on. I might be wrong, but certainly, it was his first stand-up appearance, maybe his first appearance full stop" 7.
The Name Game
Lee isn't his real name – just like many successful celebrities. Born Lee Gordon McKillop, Mack reveals a fellow Not Going Out cast member, Sally Bretton, also goes by a stage name: Sally Davis 8.
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The Facts About Lee Mack
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All information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of the last article update
References:
- Lee Mack, known for his role in 'Not Going Out' and 'Would I Lie To You?', once considered sailing to the Caribbean to appear in 'Death in Paradise', but had to pass due to his fear of flying.
- Before his comedic career took off, Lee Mack worked as a stable boy for Donald "Ginger" McCain, the celebrated trainer of Red Rum, despite being petrified of horses.
- In an unexpected twist, the popular comedian and TV personality declined a guest spot on 'Death in Paradise' because of his fear of flying, briefly considering an ocean voyage but eventually ruling it out as impractical.
- Despite growing up in a pub, Lee Mack, star of 'Not Going Out', doesn't indulge in alcohol anymore, explaining that he believes people often mistake alcohol for the source of their enjoyment, rather than the other way around.
- In the latest season of 'Not Going Out', Lee Mack and his character attempted to secure tickets for the Oasis reunion concert, and even reached out to Noel Gallagher for a possible cameo, but received no response.
- Lee Mack met his wife Tara while studying at London's Brunel University in 1996, and the couple married in 2005.
- On Rob Brydon's YouTube show, Mack claimed one of his first television gigs was hosting 'Gas', a Channel 4 showcase that provided new comedians with their big break, with a young Peter Kay among the aspiring stars.
- Like many successful celebrities, Lee Mack and his fellow 'Not Going Out' co-star, Sally Bretton (who is also known as Sally Davis), use stage names.
