TV

Not Going Out viewers baffled as BBC pulls scheduled episode

Viewers wondered if current events had anything to do with it

By Nancy Brown
| Updated:

The BBC left telly fans baffled yesterday after airing the wrong episode of Not Going Out.

The sitcom, which stars comedian Lee Mack and actress Sally Bretton, returned to BBC One for its 10th series last week.

Episode one, Parachute, aired last week (Credit: BBC/Avalon/Pete Dadds)

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The opening episode, Parachute, saw Toby (Hugh Dennis) organise a sponsored parachute jump to raise money towards a children’s hospital.

Episode two, Facts of Life, was due to air last night (April 22nd) but the BBC instead decided to show the third instalment, Holiday Share.

The pulled episode was about sex education (Credit: BBC/Avalon/Pete Dadds)

Viewers on Twitter were baffled by the schedule change.

One said, “What happened to episode two… @BBCOne #NotGoingOut.”

Another wrote, “Wonder why the #NotGoingOut scheduled episode was switched this week?”

A third tweeted, “#NotGoingOut does anyone know why this one is 10.3 in my TV guide when it’s the second one?”

Others wondered if the switch was down to current events such as the fire at Notre Dame, the LGBT protests in Birmingham or the tragic attacks carried out in Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Someone wrote: “#NotGoingOut episode has been changed. Hmm must contain something that would be considered sensitive because of a currently topical news story.”

“My guess is the scheduled episode referenced religion (given it was about sex education) and after what happened in Sri Lanka…” tweeted one fan of the show.

Another said: “I’ll be interested to see what it is about the #NotGoingOut episode they bumped. It’s trailered as being about sex education, don’t know how #NotreDame or #SriLankaAttacks could be connected to that.”

A fourth tweeted, “Nanny state strikes again, we’re not allowed to watch a bloody comedy in case it offends someone, yet no one knows why.”

Some Not Going Out viewers thought the episode was likely pulled because the BBC didn’t think it was right to show an episode about sex education on Easter Monday.

One said: “#NotGoingOut Easter Monday episode was swapped out tonight probably because complaints were upheld on Men Behaving Badly for a Christmas Day episode that was deemed inappropriate (ie. too rude) as families could still be watching after watershed.”

A second tweeted: “Somebody told me that it wasn’t Easter Monday appropriate.”

ED! has contacted the BBC for comment.

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Episode two, which could air on Monday (April 29th) instead, will see Lee fret over the twins being taught about sex at school and decide to take matters into his own hands.

But as he sets out to teach his kids the facts of life, he finds his own knowledge is a bit limited.

Are you enjoying the new series of Not Going Out? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.

Nancy Brown
Associate Editor