1 His real name is Lee McKillop, and school nickname was Curly, due to him apparently looking a lot like Corrie's Curly Watts.

2 Among his jobs prior to comedy were picking apricots, mucking out Red Rum's stable and being a Pontins Bluecoat. His stand-up career started rather well when he scooped the So You Think You're Funny prize in 1995.

3 You won't hear Mack complaining about there being too many panel shows on TV: he's been in flipping loads of them, including They Think it's All Over, Would I Lie to You?, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You and the curiously named, Duck Quacks Don't Echo.

4 His sitcom, Not Going Out, has blossomed into a proper mainstream BBC hit. Though, according to Mack, his wife might well be blissfully unaware of her bloke's success. He claimed that she was keen on hearing him read his script ideas when he initially wrote the show which first aired in 2006 and is now on its sixth series. But with each new addition to the family (they now have three bairns), her interest waned to the point that he doesn't think she even knows it's still on TV.

5 Although he lives in London, he's on a geographical cusp that means he can't vote in the mayoral elections. There's a fair chance that he might not be that bothered.

King's Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 29 Oct--Sat 1 Nov; Edinburgh Playhouse, Tue 11 & Wed 12 Nov.