A biography for Lee Mackhasn’t been written yet.
“I don't know the statistics, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a disproportionate number of comics come from broken homes.”
“The rules of comedy are, don't complain, it's a brilliant job. You complain, and you're seen as losing touch with reality.”
“Not Going Out' is a pretty neutral sitcom - to quote the 'Seinfeld' thing, it's not really about anything.”
“I came to London with a girl. We lived together and split up very quickly. I was on my own in London so started going to comedy clubs.”
“When I'm on tour I just ring up the theatres, book it and go on. You can pretty much go on tour when you want but you can't just make a telly show when you want.”
“I can only write what I would be interested in.”
“I can remember weird things from way back, but not what I had for breakfast.”
“We're all basically decent human beings so if 3,000 people are laughing at a joke then it's worth telling.”
“I used to tell people I was a comic and they'd be fascinated. Now all you get is: 'Oh yeah, my cousin Steve's a comic.'”
“I like Cornwall and particularly the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland where I got married. It's absolutely beautiful.”
“Comics were always the lowest rung on the ladder, front of cloth at the Royal Variety Performance. What that means is you're only there so Take That can set up behind the curtains.”
“Now and again I'll bump into people and say, 'I'm a big fan of yours. Would you like to be in my sitcom?' And they say, 'Oh yes,' but when it comes to the booking, they don't want to do it.”
“I really don't like reality television and the nonsense that comes with it.”
“Everyone talks about the gags, but the most difficult thing is coming up with the stories. You have to learn to do that for sitcoms.”
“I would say about 90 per cent of drunken idiots in comedy clubs wear ties, particularly in London where I work most of the time.”
“I suppose if your parents die in their 50s and you are approaching 50, you see that you are definitely not in the first half of your life any more.”
“Going on stage is a performance, it's an act; you're playing a version of yourself. I don't give it a lot of thought. I clock on, I tell jokes, I clock off again.”
“I feel that I'm a stand-up comedian more than anything else, that's my job.”
“There's nothing more damning in life than a child calmly and coldly saying, 'Are you aware that you're teaching me bad habits?'”
“Comedy was an easy choice for me because I didn't have a career.”