18. Not Going Out Absent Father Christmas (BBC One, 2008)
Lees Christmas is complicated by the return of his estranged father, Frank who claims he is dying. As is usual for
Not Going Out, much of the comedy of this episode is based on rapid-fire one liners and puns but the inclusion of Frank as a character allows for some new elements such as Lee struggling with an irritating houseguest rather than flatmate Lucys issues with him, and the scenes of Lee and Frank (both of whom are equally devious and mistrustful) attempting to outwit each other as Lee attempts to prove that Frank is lying about being terminally ill. The best thing about the episode is Bobby Balls performance as Frank. Hes working with a very well written script and has near perfect comic timing. The episode also does something new in pushing main characters Lucy, Tim, and Barbara into the background giving much of the meat of the episode to Lee Mack and Bobby Ball. It does something different but keeps true to its tried and tested formula. Its not the most Christmas-centric of Christmas specials but it does just fine in my book. Its low on the list because it borrows far too much from the
Only Fools And Horses episode
Thicker Than Water that saw Del and Rodneys estranged father return at Christmas.
Best Moment: The flashback to Frank taking a young Lee to the fair and teaching him the very Northern life lesson If youve tried your heart and still havent won something, just nick it.