Comedian Lee Mack once left John Cleese and Martin Clunes in tears of laughter during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2010. The Would I Lie To You captain joined a star-studded line-up on the familiar red couch, where he was quizzed by the beloved Irish presenter.
The Drunken Stand-Up Debut
During the relaxed interview, host Graham Norton asked Mack about his first time trying stand-up comedy. Reflecting on the early days of his career, Mack recalled a mortifying moment when he performed a spontaneous gig at Pontins in Great Yarmouth as a Bluecoat. He admitted to indulging in too much alcohol before getting on stage, causing him to forget the beginning of his warm-up act.
Mack explained: "It's actually an incident from my first attempt at stand-up comedy. I'd always wanted to do stand-up comedy. I didn't have the guts to do it, so I got very drunk, and I had a go at doing it at Pontins as a Bluecoat."
The Setup and the Punchline
A friend had coached him on how to engage the audience by asking where they were from. Mack continued: "My mate said to me, 'Just copy all the other comedians and steal their jokes and basically talk to the front row.' So you're supposed to say, 'Where are you from?' and they say 'Scotland', you say, 'Who paid for your holiday?', and if they're from Wales you make a noise like a sheep. Very rubbish jokes."
His friend advised: "Don't worry, you're just padding. You're looking for comedy gold, like when they say they're from Kent, you say, 'What did you call me?' At Pontins, this used to take the roof off."
But when Mack tried it drunk on stage, he couldn't remember the joke. "So I go on stage, but I can't remember the joke. So I shout out, 'Anyone from Kent?' and he says 'Me' and I said, 'Well, you're a c**t'."
The audience and his celebrity co-stars—including John Cleese and Martin Clunes—erupted in laughter. Cleese was seen wiping tears from his eyes.
Turning Down Red Dwarf
In a separate interview with the Oxford Union in March 2026, Mack revealed he had turned down a role on the classic sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf early in his career. He told the audience: "There was one show I regret not doing that I was offered. Red Dwarf was on TV when I wasn't even a comedian, it's been on forever... It's a great show, I used to love watching it."
The Not Going Out creator explained that he declined the opportunity due to his principles about alcohol advertising, having gone teetotal a decade ago.
