Heading Out

On the eve of her fortieth birthday, Sara's friends Jamie (Dominic Coleman), Justine (Nicola Walker) and Daniel (Steve Oram) give her an ultimatum: either she tells her parents the truth or they will do it for her.

[1] The BBC's Executive editor of Comedy Commissioning, Kristian Smith, called the show "a warm, intelligent and brilliantly funny sitcom.

[3] The comedian revealed that she is a fan of thrillers and wanted to have a ticking clock element to the show, so she thought Sara's coming out would be a good thing to do.

[3] A sitcom required "a 'sit' or precinct" and Perkins eventually decided to locate the show in a veterinary surgery, as it features people from all walks of life.

In April 2012, Perkins was filming World's Most Dangerous Roads in Laos, when she was told her sitcom had been commissioned for a full series.

[3] Perkins later called Heading Out "a midlife crises sitcom", explaining "It's more about how awkward it is to tell your parents anything, as opposed to just the gay issue.

[7] Perkins explained that the animals were "appalling", especially the dog who played Smithson, who barked every time he saw a sound boom and tried to knock her over.

When asked what made him want to get involved in the project, Oram revealed that he had loved the script from the moment he read it and really liked his character.

[11] On 25 October 2012, it was announced that June Brown and Dawn French had joined the cast of Heading Out, along with Steve Pemberton and Jeff Rawle.

[8] Perkins' comedy writing partner, Mel Giedroyc, plays Ivanka, the wife of a Russian oligarch who owns a prize dog.

Emma Bullimore from the TVTimes gave the sitcom three stars and commented "The jokes are a little weak, but with a strong supporting cast, we will definitely persevere.

[26] They added "Perkins has selflessly shared the good lines around the great cast, and there are lots of guest stars to look forward to later in the series, including Sue's partner in cake, Mel.

[27] Boyd Hilton from Heat said of the series, "Sue Perkins has created a sitcom that seems different to everything else out there, but is also quite old-fashioned in the sense that it actually has loads of funny bits all the way through.

"[28] Of the series, Alison Graham from the Radio Times quipped "It's a cheerful half-hour of amiable nonsense led by Sue Perkins.