[1][2][3][4] His father, Sidney, worked in the building industry; his mother, Mary (née McCreesh),[4] was from Cullaville, County Armagh.

[9] A popular belief is that Lock was the first stand-up comedian to perform at Wembley Arena, as he was the support act for Newman and Baddiel.

[13][14] From ostensibly the same tower block, Lock's character was now given a flatmate (the hapless Errol) and a job at the local swimming baths, as well as a somewhat dour and intolerant demeanour.

The plots for this series were more linear in a "traditional" sitcom style, although they still showed Lock's brand of dark, surreal humour.

[13] Lock wrote the screenplay for Andrew Kötting's 2001 feature film This Filthy Earth, based on the novel La Terre by Émile Zola.

[17] In 2004, Lock had a guest appearance on television's first-ever "dope opera", Top Buzzer, written by Johnny Vaughan.

[13] In an article at the time of his death, The Guardian said Lock "will be best remembered as a team captain for the first 18 series of... 8 Out of 10 Cats... and he quickly emerged as its biggest star.

[20] In 2010, Lock took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at The O2 Arena.

[28] Lock stated that comedy is not always easy, saying: "The real secret ... is every day spending tedious hours straining over a blank sheet of paper trying to think of something funny.

[25] He said Lock's topics included political correctness, "existential woe", and the difficulties of being a football supporter which gave him "irresistible everyman quality".

[26] During an interview with Bill Bailey on the Channel 4 show Comic's Choice, Lock listed Sam Kinison and Lenny Bruce as his main comedy influences.

On the BBC Radio 2 show Talking Comedy, he listed Paul Merton, Steven Wright, Jasper Carrott, Les Dawson, Jerry Sadowitz, Kenneth Williams and Hylda Baker as his favourite comedians.

[34] In December 2020, Lock made a video to help raise funds for Edible London, a charity that aimed to provide ingredients for a million meals to help those struggling in lockdown.

[a][7][19][36] According to Bill Bailey, a close friend of Lock, he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer a few years earlier.

[37][38] Those who paid tribute included fellow 8 Out of 10 Cats performers Jimmy Carr and Jon Richardson; Countdown’s Rachel Riley and Susie Dent; many comedians;[39][40][41] Chelsea F.C.

[43] Chelsea Football Club paid tribute to Lock on 11 September during their fixture against Aston Villa with a one-minute applause during the 58th (the age at which he died) minute of the match.

[45][46] In addition, the tribute night of programming prompted fans and friends, including Kathy Burke, to call for the BBC to add 15 Storeys High to its online service.

[48] In August 2022, Bill Bailey completed a 100-mile (160-kilometre) charity walk in memory of Lock, raising more than £110,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.