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Sit Down, Rip-off?

Did Chris Lilley base his Mr G. character on another sitcom character?

That’s the basis of an argument that the creator of Sit Down, Shut Up has levelled at Summer Heights High‘s star.

According to news.com.au, Michael Reed is creator of the one-time TEN classroom sitcom which aired in 2000.

Reed’s comedy was short-lived, despite having some talented cast members including Marg Downey and Stephen Curry, and co-writers like Doug McLeod. In the series actor Christopher Brown played a self-absorbed Performance Arts Teacher.

“I’m a little bit bemused by it,” Mr Reed said. “We’d have to wait another 10 years for it to all die down so we could do it (the show) again.”

Do what show again? Sit Down, Shut Up? Honestly…

As the ABC has rightly pointed out, Mr G. was a character Lilley created in The Big Bite, which aired on the Seven Network in 2003. Yes that’s right another character Seven lost to the ABC.

Admittedly it is after Sit Down, Shut Up aired, but as any copyright lawyer will tell you, you can’t copyright an idea, only the execution of it. The fact one is a sitcom character and one is mockumentary is already a huge difference.

Sources: news.com.au, Aus TV Info Archive.

7 Responses

  1. That’s true. My Turkish teacher back in high school was EXTREMELY flamboyant and me and our classmates would often tease him (affectionately of course :D, besides we were a small class and we had to amuse ourselves somehow). He kept trying to reassure us that he was straight by claiming he had a girlfriend, but I wasn’t buying it. Nice fella though. It was a shame that he ended up leaving. 😐

  2. is Mr Reed suggesting he solely invented the concept of the “flamboyant” drama teacher?? It’s hardly a groundbreaking character, there’d be one in just about every school!! 🙂

  3. I remember this show used to air on Fridays at 8pm although I never watched it.

    Besides, what’s so original about an egotistical gay stereotype anyway? Sheesh. Besides, most comedic characters are based on already existing characters or persons (The Simpsons, anyone?)

  4. come on now… it’s not like the self-obsessed teacher stereotype was “sit down, shut up”‘s original idea.

    its a common stereotype, just like the sterotypes of the other two characters featured in summer heights high

  5. Also the fact that Mr. G is a character that Lilley had been doing for years in the stand-up circut while at university should also put these stupid claims to rest…

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