Lee Mack facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee Mack
Mack in 2024
Born	Lee Gordon McKillop (1968-08-04) 4 August 1968 (age 56) Southport, Lancashire, England
Education	Brunel University of London (BA)
Occupation	Comedian actor writer podcaster presenter
Years active	1994–present
Known for	The Sketch Show (2001–2004) Not Going Out (2006–) Would I Lie to You? (2007–) Lee Mack's All Star Cast (2011) Duck Quacks Don't Echo (2014–2017) The 1% Club (2022–)
Spouse(s)	Tara Savage ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	3

Lee Gordon McKillop (born on August 4, 1968), known as Lee Mack, is a famous English comedian and actor. He is well-known for his quick and funny jokes. Lee Mack created, wrote, and stars in the popular TV show Not Going Out. He is also a team captain on the fun game show Would I Lie to You?. Since 2022, he has been the host of the exciting game show The 1% Club.

Lee Mack's Early Life

Lee Gordon McKillop was born in Southport, Lancashire, England. He lived above a pub until he was 12 years old. After leaving school, Lee worked in a bingo hall. He also worked as a stable boy for a short time. One day, he got to ride a horse named Red Rum, which was a very famous racehorse!

Lee then became an entertainer at a holiday resort called Pontins. He later worked at another Pontins resort in Morecambe.

In 1994, Lee Mack started doing comedy at "open mic" nights. This was while he was studying Drama at Brunel University. He graduated with a degree in Drama. Within 18 months, he became a full-time comedian.

Lee Mack's Career Highlights

Lee Mack on Radio 4's Don't Make Me Laugh in 2015

Lee Mack first became well-known in 1995. He won a comedy competition called So You Think You're Funny at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Five years later, he was nominated for a top comedy award, the Perrier Award. This was for his sketch comedy show, Lee Mack's New Bits.

He also played a security guard named Graham in the radio show The Mighty Boosh. Lee Mack also had his own radio show on BBC Radio 2. It was called The Lee Mack Show and featured different celebrity guests.

Television Shows

Lee Mack was a cast member on ITV's The Sketch Show from 2001 to 2004. He also appeared in the American version of the show.

In 2005, he hosted They Think It's All Over. This was a comedy game show about sports.

His first TV comedy show, or sitcom, was Not Going Out for BBC One. It started in October 2006. Lee plays the main character, Lee. The show has been very successful and has won awards like a Rose d'Or and an RTS Award. The most recent season aired in 2025.

Since 2007, Lee Mack has been a team captain on the BBC One comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?. He has also hosted Have I Got News for You six times. He was also a guest host on Never Mind the Buzzcocks twice.

Lee Mack has appeared on other popular comedy shows. These include Live at the Apollo and 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

In June 2011, Lee Mack launched a new show called Lee Mack's All Star Cast on BBC One. In this show, audience members play funny games. The winners get to be in a sketch at the end of the show. In June 2012, Lee was one of the hosts for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert. This big event was held outside Buckingham Palace in London. He introduced famous singers like Cliff Richard and Ed Sheeran.

From 2014 to 2017, Lee Mack hosted Duck Quacks Don't Echo. This was a comedy panel show on Sky One with different celebrity guests.

In 2018, Lee Mack appeared in an episode of Doctor Who called "Kerblam!".

In 2020, Lee Mack announced a new sitcom called Semi-Detached. He was also set to host a reality show called The Chop: Britain's Best Woodworker. However, this show was stopped after its first episode. This was due to controversy about one of the contestants' tattoos. Semi-Detached was cancelled after one season.

Lee Mack was a contestant on series 11 of Taskmaster. This show started in March 2021.

In 2022, Lee Mack presented two new shows. He co-hosted Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof on BBC One. He also hosted The 1% Club on ITV. The 1% Club has been very popular and was renewed for more seasons and Christmas specials.

In June 2022, Lee Mack was again a host for a big royal event. He helped host the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Platinum Party at the Palace. He introduced music artists like Jax Jones and Diana Ross.

In November 2022, it was announced that Lee Mack would host the Royal Variety Performance. This is a special show held at the Royal Albert Hall.

In May 2023, Lee Mack appeared in an episode of the show Inside No. 9. He played himself hosting a pretend quiz show.

Podcasts and Stand-up Comedy

Lee Mack is interested in Buddhism and mindfulness. Since September 2020, he has hosted a podcast about these topics. It is called I Can't Believe It's Not Buddha.

Lee Mack has also performed many stand-up comedy shows. In 2006, he went on tour and filmed his first live DVD. In 2010, he went on his "Going Out" tour. He filmed his second live DVD, Going Out Live, at the Hammersmith Apollo. In December 2010, he performed at the Royal Variety Performance.

In 2010, Lee Mack took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala. This was a special show to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

Other Stage Work

In March 2017, Lee Mack made his stage acting debut. He appeared in a play called The Miser by Molière at the Garrick Theatre in London.

Lee Mack's Personal Life

Lee Mack met his wife, Tara Savage, in 1996 while he was at Brunel University. They got married in 2005. They live in East Molesey, Surrey, with their three children. All of their children have appeared in his show Not Going Out.

Lee Mack has some Irish family history. This was explored in the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2018. He found out his great-grandfather was a comedian named William Alexander McKillop, who used the stage name Billy Mac.

Lee Mack is a big fan of the football team Blackburn Rovers. He sometimes goes to watch their games.

In July 2012, Lee Mack received an honorary doctorate from Brunel University. He also wrote his autobiography, a book about his life, called Mack the Life.

Lee Mack enjoys playing darts with his friend and former Not Going Out co-star, Tim Vine. They even played against each other in a darts TV show called Let's Play Darts, which Lee Mack won! Lee Mack used to hold two Guinness World Records for darts.

Lee Mack has been alcohol-free since 2016. He is also an ambassador for Alcohol Concern, an organization that helps people with alcohol issues.

Lee Mack has a fear of flying. He often travels by train to holiday places. In 2009, he traveled around the world for Children in Need with other celebrities. He did not fly for parts of this trip. He even took a flying course to try and help with his fear.

Lee Mack has played in several Soccer Aid matches. These games raise money for UNICEF, a charity that helps children. In September 2021, he scored a goal for the first time in Soccer Aid. In June 2022, he scored the winning penalty for his team in another Soccer Aid game.

Stand-up Shows

DVD Releases

Filmography

Television

Film

Stage

Awards and Nominations

BAFTA TV Awards

British Comedy Awards

Rose d'Or Awards

RTS Programme Awards