Last week, one of the best comedies on TV came to a close, but you may not have noticed unless you live in Australia. For connoisseurs of Antipodean comedy, from Kath and Kim to Flight of the Conchords, ABC network's Summer Heights High had become an unmissable fixture.
Aided by the fact that it was available as a vodcast via the ABC site, UK followers have been able to follow the series almost as soon as it aired. But for those who've so far avoided its peculiar charms, here's a brief YouTube precis of the main characters: there's Ja'mie King, the self-obsessed exchange student from Hillford Grammar; troubled Tongan teen Jonah Takalua; and Mr G, the drama teacher whose enthusiasm for his job - shall we say - blurs his judgement.
You may have noticed, all three main characters are played by the same person: the supremely talented Chris Lilley. In transferring The Office's mockumentary comedy style to the social minefield of the school playground, Lilley is given free reign to explore racism, bullying and other sensitive subject matter that has brought the show a degree of notoriety amongst elements of the conservative Australian press.
Incidentally, one thing they don't seem to have picked up on is Lilley's (albeit subtle) blacking-up; since everyone from Angelina Jolie to the Little Britain cast are doing it these days, is it now deemed acceptable? In Lilley's defence, at least he's using his comedy to address moral ambiguities of modern life head on.
