Parents unhappy with Private School Girl
It wouldn't be a Chris Lilley series without some sort of controversy, but this one is about as light as they come.
- Published by David Knox
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It wouldn’t be a Chris Lilley series without some sort of controversy….
The latest involves the parents of school students at the school where Ja’mie: Private School Girl was filmed, Haileybury School in Brighton.
The Princess Pictures production used school buildings and extras which is standard practice but blazers worn in the show mimicked the school’s.
Students and staff featured were required to sign legal disclaimers -in the case of a Lilley series much of this would have included a strict non-disclosure.
But some callers to 3AW are unhappy with the school’s involvement, presumably after they’ve now seen the show.
“We used to be proud of our roots at Haileybury and now to go back and see that they are promoting racism, homophobia, bullying, picking on kids for their weight and size is just horrible,” a former student said.
There were even suggestions of a class action, no pun intended, or that fees might be reduced given the school would have been paid for site use.
News Corp reports the nature of scenes was fully disclosed prior to filming.
Compared to some of the other controversies that have surrounded previous Lilley shows, this one is as light as they come, and clearly a communication issue between school and parents.
ABC and Princess Pictures declined to comment.
13 Responses
The show hardly endorses homophobia, racism etc. If anything it highlights how ridiculous such things are. The reality is Lilley is a master at capturing and portraying the culture that exists in schools.
On a side note, in my opinion, focusing on one character is a bit of overload. Perhaps that’s why this series is only 6 episodes long.
Summer Heights High by far Lilley’s best work.
Good points. In my earlier review I made some similar ones.
I’ve just watched the first two episodes on iView and whilst I don’t find it terribly funny, there is quite a lot of depressingly accurate satirical observation. For example, racism makes me very uncomfortable indeed, but Ja’mie and her mates openly citing Asians as being responsible for academic performance averages accurately reflects the attitudes and beliefs of people from Ja’mie’s world. Far from endorsing racism, it puts an uncomfortable mirror to the attitudes of people watching, much like Ricky Gervais does with his finer works. I’ll stick with the show for a few more episodes coz there’s signs that Ja’mie will get her comeuppance sooner or later.
@Sophie, my youngest daughter and some of her friends know a few girls from the school in question. It is more like a documentary…..enough said
““We used to be proud of our roots at Haileybury”. Got to be able to work that line into an upcoming script.
“…racism, homophobia, bullying, picking on kids for their weight and size is just horrible,” a former student said”, (tongue firmly planted in cheek). As Armchair Analyst points out, “private” schools are not immune from this sort of activity, no matter how much mummy and daddy pay in fees.
Ja’mie is just so quiche. Those parents are such bogans as Kylie Mole would say.
Perhaps these parents need to go back to school and sit in on a media studies class to learn the difference between a scripted satirical comedy and a documentary/factual program?
Oh Why won’t somebody please think of the children!!!!!!!!!
(insert overly hysterical yuppie squealing)
How do people always confuse a tv show featuring something with actuality condoning it.
It’d be like saying Breaking Bad condones and encourages meth cooking.
Dayman: Much truth in this. Featuring a racist does not mean the show is endorsing it. It depends on the end result. Episodic television is like a book, each episode is a chapter.
I can’t imagine any Hillford Girls Grammar graduates or parents listening to 3AW.
I suggest Haileybury graduates and parents get a life.
I dont mind the series and what issues they tackle, i have said that Chris Lilley is too old to play that character. Anyway the show is a close look at what goes on at Schools in this case a private school. Bullying goes on everywhere including private posh schools. Recent media reports over the last three years can attest to that. If parents are so offended by the topics and issues that the show is tackling then they need a reality check, i can understand why schools would like to look the other way and portray a positive image because they do not want to give up there cash cow (parents’ asperations for there kids). We get offended far to easily ironic considering somethings do not shock us anymore.
Do the parents have nothing better to do? Just be Ja’mie was filmed at the school, doesn’t change the school culture or achievements.
99.9% percent of Australia wouldn’t even know what school it was filmed at.