Ja'mie: Private School Girl

Last updated

Ja'mie: Private School Girl
Ja'mie Private School Girl intertitle.png
Genre Sitcom
Mockumentary
Comedy
Created by Chris Lilley
Written byChris Lilley
Directed by
  • Chris Lilley
  • Stuart McDonald
StarringChris Lilley
Narrated byChris Lilley
Theme music composerChris Lilley
Composer John Foreman
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Laura Waters
  • Chris Lilley
Producers
  • Laura Waters
  • Chris Lilley
Production location Melbourne
CinematographyNick Gregoric
EditorIan Carmichael
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time25–27 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release23 October (2013-10-23) 
27 November 2013 (2013-11-27)
Related

Ja'mie: Private School Girl is an Australian television mockumentary sitcom miniseries. It is set at an exclusive private girls' grammar school in Sydney's very wealthy North Shore district. It is written by and stars male comedian Chris Lilley. Continuing the mockumentary style of Lilley's previous series, Ja'mie: Private School Girl follows Ja'mie King, a character who previously appeared in Lilley's series We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High , during her final weeks of high school.

Contents

The series is co-produced by Chris Lilley and Princess Pictures in association with ABC and HBO. [1] The Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcast the show in Australia from 23 October to 27 November 2013. HBO began broadcasting the show in the United States on 24 November 2013.

Development

Lilley announced that he was working on a new show on his Facebook page. The ABC confirmed that Lilley's six-part half-hour comedy series would screen in 2013. [2] On 8 September 2013, Lilley revealed the title of the show and that the returning character to the series is Ja'mie King. [3] [4]

Production

Melbourne-based production company Princess Pictures and Chris Lilley produced the series with Australian Broadcasting Corporation and HBO. The show was shot at Haileybury College, Melbourne. [5]

Broadcast and reception

Private School Girl debuted on ABC1 in Australia on 23 October 2013, [6] and on HBO in North America on 24 November 2013. [7] BBC Three began broadcasting the series in the UK on 6 February 2014 at 10pm. [8]

Viewing figures on ABC were initially high at 924,000 viewers, but had dropped to 575,000 by the fourth episode. The series was, however, a success on ABC iview, beating earlier records set by Doctor Who . [9]

Critical reaction has been mixed for the series. Laurence Barber of The Guardian blamed a lack of character development for its drop in popularity in Australia, believing "Lilley has made it almost impossible for us to care." [9] Reviewing the shows broadcast on HBO, Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter criticised the transition from sketch to series saying: "You'd have to be the biggest of Ja'mie fans to want to watch her talking nonstop for 30 minutes." [10] After the show's premiere in the United Kingdom, Rebecca Smith of The Daily Telegraph praised the comedy of the first episode as well as Lilley's performance, yet believed it was "in danger of becoming one-dimensional." [11]

Characters

Ja'mie King

Ja'mie King, portrayed by Chris Lilley, is the main character of the show. She was also a main character in two of Lilley's previous shows, We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High . Ja'mie: Private School Girl follows Ja'mie in her final year of school, having left Summer Heights High and returned to Hillford Girls Grammar School. [3]

Mitchell

Mitchell Ward, portrayed by Lester Ellis Jr., is Ja'mie's love interest. A new Year 10 student on a rugby scholarship who Ja'mie calls "totally quiche", at the boys' school Kelton Boys Grammar down the road.

Prefects

The Prefects are Ja'mie's friend group at school and the most popular clique at Hilford. They are self-described as the quichest girls at the school, "quiche" being a term made up by Ja'mie herself, meaning "a step above hot". All the girls are expelled at the end of episode 6 after they give a raunchy performance at the Hilford Presentation evening. They all enroll with Ja'mie at Blaxland College, shown in the 6-month skip.

Courtney King

Courtney, portrayed by Madelyn Warrell, is Ja'mie's younger sister who also attends Hilford. She is the subject of a lot of Ja'mie's abuse, particularly over her singing in the school choir. She and her friend Selena (Thi Reynolds) film Ja'mie's risqué dance performance with Mitchell.

Cody

Cody Bomhoff, portrayed by Alex Cooper, is Ja'mie's "GBF" (Gay Best Friend). He attends Kelton Boys Grammar and is the first to inform Ja'mie about the arrival of Mitchell. He takes dance class at Hilford with Ja'mie due to Kelton not having a class. He is responsible for Ja'mie's rebel makeover in episode 5 and he also accompanies her to visit Kwami for the last time.

Other characters

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateAustralian viewers
1"Episode 1" Chris Lilley and Stuart McDonaldChris Lilley23 October 2013 (2013-10-23)920,000 [12]
Ja'mie is 17 and in the last few months of her schooling at Hillford Girls Grammar. As school captain, she and her prefects perform a dance at assembly to honour some elderly Hillford Girls alumni who are visiting as part of centenary celebrations. However, they are reprimanded by Mr Hayes for their risqué dance moves and the fact their bras are showing. Ja'mie reveals that she has ditched her friends Brianna, Emma & Mel (previously seen in We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High ), as she has gained weight. Ja'mie now has a new group of friends whom she describes as all being 'quiche', a word she made up, meaning hotter than hot. Ja'mie also reveals that she is still working in the community, visiting the African refugees and reading to her teenage Ugandan friend Kwami over Skype, who lives in Western Sydney. She believes herself to be the ideal Hillford Girl, and thus deserving of the Hillford Medal, awarded to the student who is considered the best student in Year 12. The girls discuss the erecting of a statue of this year's Hillford Medal winner, all believing that Ja'mie will win. Later at the bus stop in front of Kelton Boys Grammar, Ja'mie's talks to her gay BFF Cody. He informs her of the arrival of Mitchell, a hot rugby scholarship student in Year 10 of whom Ja'mie immediately becomes infatuated with. She drives home with her mother and sister, almost crashing the car due to arguing with her sister and mother whilst texting. At home, Ja'mie and her friends manage to persuade Ja'mie's father to agree to let Ja'mie throw a party at their house. She invites Mitchell.
2"Episode 2"Chris Lilley and Stuart McDonaldChris Lilley30 October 2013 (2013-10-30)880,000 [13]
After Kwami sends Ja'mie a dick pic, she talks about it at school with her friends. The girls then talk about Mitchell. She names her upcoming party "The Perfect Prefect Party" and invites all the Year 12 students except all the boarders and most of the Asians. Ja'mie practises her HSC dance solo and competes against her rival, Erin, a boarder whom Ja'mie is convinced is a lesbian. In a ploy to get more attention from Mitchell, Ja'mie does a solo dance for him at school, which is interrupted by a teacher who sends him off the premises because boys are not allowed in the school.
3"Episode 3"Chris Lilley and Stuart McDonaldChris Lilley6 November 2013 (2013-11-06)590,000 [14]
Ja'mie takes in Kwami, as her "project." She brings him to Hillford, where she makes a speech and introduces him. He performs a dance, then she shows him around the school. She brings him to her house, to live there for a month. The boarders try to crash the Perfect Prefect Party, but are kept out and they trade insults with Ja'mie at her front gate. While she is sitting next to Mitchell, she falsely claims that they hooked up and are now an item. She changes her Facebook status accordingly.
4"Episode 4"Chris Lilley and Stuart McDonaldChris Lilley13 November 2013 (2013-11-13)580,000 [15]
Ja'mie claims that she is now officially 'dating' Mitchell. One day, Mitchell's Facebook relationship status reads "single," along with an update saying he was hanging out with Ja'mie's best friend, Madison. Ja'mie confronts Madison, who says that she and he kissed, and that he and Ja'mie were never an item. The two girls fight verbally and physically, and Ja'mie falls into a depression. She asks Mitchell if he kissed Madison; he says yes, and that and that he did not think that they were exclusive. Madison and Mitchell become a couple. Ja'mie says that she tried her mother's antidepressants, but they did not work. Cody tells Ja'mie that she needs a makeover to make her feel better. She agrees and decides that a slutty, rebellious look and attitude will suit her.
5"Episode 5"Chris Lilley and Stuart McDonaldChris Lilley20 November 2013 (2013-11-20)640,000 [16]
Ja'mie is in trouble with the school and her father after an illicit Skype video is made public, wherein she shows her breasts to Kwami while wearing the school uniform and singing the school song. Kwami is kicked out of the King household. He tells Ja'mie that he loves her and he makes it clear that he wants to have sex with her. She rejects him and tells him that the only reason that she invited him to stay at her house was to improve her chances of winning the Hillford Medal. Mitchell texts Ja'mie a dick pic. Ja'mie tells Madison, and shows her the pic. Ja'mie falsely claims that he said several insulting things about Madison to her. Ja'mie suggests to Madison that she dump him, which she says that she will do. Ja'mie tells Madison that she wants to be best friends with Madison again, which she agrees to. Erin tells Ja'mie that she is being awarded the Hillford Medal, which Ja'mie is furious about.
6"Episode 6"Chris Lilley and Stuart McDonaldChris Lilley27 November 2013 (2013-11-27)620,000 [17]
Unhappy with the decision to award the Hillford Medal to Erin rather than her, Ja'mie makes a scene on stage at presentation night by claiming that she should have received it instead, and that she was denied it because she had an interracial relationship. She arranges for Madison to show on a large screen the video of Ja'mie exposing her breasts. Ja'mie is joined onstage by the prefects. All the girls take their dresses off, and Ja'mie also takes her bra off. Ja'mie and all the prefects are expelled, so they did not get their HSCs. Ja'mie lands at Kelton in a helicopter and kisses Mitchell. She later dumps him for grinding against her and sending her dick pics. She does aid work in Uganda. Ja'mie and all the prefects join a mixed state school, Blaxland College (where the students do not wear uniforms), to re-do their HSCs. Ja'mie is in a lesbian relationship with Astrid, who is also a student at Blaxland.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipients and nomineesResult
2014 Logie Awards [18] [19] Most Popular Light Entertainment Program Ja'mie: Private School GirlNominated
Most Popular Actor Chris LilleyWon
Most Outstanding Actor Nominated

Home video releases

SeriesSet details DVD release datesSpecial features
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Ja'mie: Private School Girl
  • 2 discs
  • 6 episodes
5 August 2014 [20] 16 June 2014 [21] 28 November 2013 [22]
  • Deleted scenes
  • Bloopers
  • Behind-the scenes featurettes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa McCune</span> Australian actress

Lisa McCune is an Australian actress, known for her role in TV series Blue Heelers as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle, and in Sea Patrol as Lieutenant Kate McGregor RAN. She has won four Gold Logie Awards.

<i>We Can Be Heroes: Finding the Australian of the Year</i> 2005 Australian television mockumentary series

We Can Be Heroes: Finding the Australian of the Year is an Australian mockumentary miniseries starring and created and co-written by Chris Lilley and Ryan Shelton and directed by Matthew Saville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Lilley (comedian)</span> Australian comedian

Christopher Daniel Lilley is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, director, and producer. He is known for his creation and portrayal of several fictional characters in the mockumentary television series We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year (2005), Summer Heights High (2007), Angry Boys (2011), Ja'mie: Private School Girl (2013), Jonah from Tonga (2014), and the web series Lunatics (2019). He is a two-time winner of the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Allsop</span> Australian actress

Jane Claire Allsop is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish on Blue Heelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asher Keddie</span> Australian actress (born 1974)

Asher Keddie is an Australian actress. Beginning her career in the television series Five Mile Creek in the mid 1980s, Keddie received wide recognition for her role in the television series Offspring. Her significant repertoire in television has led to her being dubbed as the 'Golden Girl of Australian Television'. Keddie also had a small role in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as Dr. Carol Frost. Aside from television and film work, she has several theatre credits, including in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Les Liaisons dangereuses as Madame de Tourvel.

<i>Summer Heights High</i> 2007 Australian television mockumentary series

Summer Heights High is an Australian television mockumentary sitcom written by and starring Chris Lilley. Set in the fictional Summer Heights High School in an outer suburb of Sydney, it revolves around high school experiences from the viewpoints of three individuals: "Director of Performing Arts" Mr G; private-school exchange student Ja'mie King; and disobedient, vulgar Tongan-Australian student Jonah Takalua. The series lampoons Australian high-school life and many aspects of the human condition and is filmed as a documentary with non-actors playing supporting characters. As he did in a previous series, We Can Be Heroes: Finding the Australian of the Year, Lilley plays multiple characters, including the aforementioned Mr G, Ja'mie and Jonah. The series premiered on 5 September 2007 at 9:30 pm on ABC TV and ended on 24 October 2007, only lasting eight episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Porter</span> Australian actress

Susie Porter is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film Idiot Box, before rising to prominence in films including Paradise Road (1997), Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), Two Hands (1999), Better Than Sex (2000), The Monkey's Mask (2000), Mullet (2001), Teesh and Trude (2002), and The Caterpillar Wish (2006). Porter is also highly recognised for her roles in television series, most notably, as Patricia Wright in East West 101, Eve Pritchard in East of Everything, as Kay Parker in Sisters of War, and as Marie Winter in the prison drama, Wentworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonah Takalua</span> Fictional character

Jonah Takalua is a fictional character in the Australian mockumentary series Summer Heights High, and the titular character in the six-part Jonah from Tonga. He is portrayed in brownface by Chris Lilley, who also created the two shows. In 2007, referring to the character's appearances in Summer Heights High, Sydney Morning Herald television critic Michael Idato wrote that "Jonah Takalua is well on the way to becoming the voice of his generation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ja'mie King</span> Fictional character

Jamie Louise "Ja'mie" King is a fictional character portrayed by actor Chris Lilley in the Australian comedy series We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year (2005), Summer Heights High (2007),Ja'mie: Private School Girl (2013), and the podcast series Ja'miezing (2021). Ja'mie was born in South Africa but lives in Kirribilli in the upper class North Shore region of Sydney, New South Wales.

<i>Angry Boys</i> TV series or program

Angry Boys is an Australian television mockumentary sitcom miniseries written by and starring Chris Lilley, continuing the mockumentary style of his previous series. In Angry Boys, Lilley plays multiple characters: S.mouse, an American rapper; Jen, a manipulative Japanese mother; Blake Oakfield, a champion surfer; Ruth "Gran" Sims, a guard at a juvenile detention facility; and her teenage grandsons, South Australian twins Daniel and Nathan Sims.

<i>Hot in Cleveland</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the Hot in Cleveland, an American situation comedy television series, aired in the United States on TV Land. The series was the channel's first venture into scripted television series. Created by television producer and writer Suzanne Martin, the show was produced by Hazy Mills Productions, SamJen Productions, TV Land Original Productions while Martin, Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Lynda Obst, Larry W. Jones, and Keith Cox served as executive producers. The show focuses on three women from Los Angeles who unexpectedly crash land in Cleveland, Ohio and, enthralled by the attention they receive, decide to move there. The series stars Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves as the three Los Angeles women Melanie Moretti, Victoria Chase, and Joy Scroggs. Veteran actress Betty White also stars in the series as Elka Ovstrosky, the women's sassy caretaker. The season also featured numerous guest stars, including John Schneider, Susan Lucci, Carl Reiner and Joe Jonas.

The AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy is an accolade given by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television." The award is handed out at the annual AACTA Awards, which rewards achievements in Australian feature film, television, documentaries and short films. From 1986 to 2010, the category was presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the Academy's parent organisation, at the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. When the AFI launched the Academy in 2011, it changed the annual ceremony to the AACTA Awards, with the current prize being a continuum of the AFI Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy.

<i>Shaun Micallefs Mad as Hell</i> Australian television series

Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell is an Australian comedy news television program hosted by Shaun Micallef. The show first aired on ABC at 8:00 pm on Friday, 25 May 2012. The show was named as Most Outstanding Comedy Program at the Logie Awards of 2016. Its title is a reference to the 1976 American satirical black comedy-drama film Network.

<i>Nowhere Boys</i> 2013 Australian television series

Nowhere Boys is an Australian teen drama television series created by Tony Ayres. It was first broadcast on ABC3 on 7 November 2013. The first two series follow the adventures of four mismatched teenage boys – goth Felix Ferne, nerd Andrew "Andy" Lau, golden child Sam Conte, and alpha jock Jake Riles. Nowhere Boys was renewed for a second series which began airing from 23 November 2014. An 80-minute feature-length movie based on the show, titled Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows, premiered in selected Australian movie theatres on 1 January 2016. A third series of Nowhere Boys, titled Two Moons Rising, started airing in 2016 with a new cast and characters, replacing the original cast members. The fourth and final series, titled Battle For Negative Space, started airing on 3 December 2018.

<i>Jonah from Tonga</i> Australian television series

Jonah from Tonga is an Australian television mockumentary sitcom miniseries that is written by and starring comedian Chris Lilley. The mockumentary series follows Jonah Takalua, a rebellious 14-year-old Australian boy of Tongan descent portrayed by the Anglo-Celtic Australian Lilley in brownface. The character had been introduced in Lilley's 2007 series Summer Heights High. At the conclusion of that series, Jonah was expelled from Summer Heights High School. In this series, his father, Rocky Takalua, has sent him back to his homeland of Tonga to live with his uncle and their family in order to get Jonah's life back on track. The series was highly controversial for its use of brownface and ethnic stereotypes, much like Lilley’s other work; it has been commonly described as racist.

<i>Bluey</i> (2018 TV series) Australian animated preschool television series

Bluey is an Australian animated preschool television series which premiered on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. The program was created by Joe Brumm and is produced by Queensland-based company Ludo Studio. It was commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation, with BBC Studios holding global distribution and merchandising rights. The series made its premiere on Disney Junior in the United States and is released internationally on Disney+.

<i>The Heights</i> (Australian TV series) Australian television series

The Heights is an Australian television drama series which premiered on ABC on 22 February 2019. In August 2019, the series was renewed for a second season of 30 episodes.

<i>Frayed</i> (TV series) Australian and British television comedy-drama series

Frayed is a joint Australian and British television comedy-drama series on ABC TV and Sky UK. It premiered in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2019 and in Australia on 16 October. The series was created and written by Australian comedian Sarah Kendall, who also stars in it. The first series of six episodes is set in 1988 London and Newcastle, New South Wales. Kendall portrays Sammy, who is an affluent Australian-born British resident with two teenage children. After her husband dies disgracefully and leaves a bankrupt estate, Sammy returns home to live with her mother Jean and younger brother Jim. She encounters former boyfriend Dan and works for politician Chris, while fending off Jim's abrasive girlfriend Bev.

<i>First Day</i> (TV series) Australian TV series or program

First Day is an Australian drama television series which premiered on ABC Me on 30 March 2020. The series originated as a short film of the same title which aired in 2017. The series retells elements of the short film. The series was filmed in Adelaide, South Australia including on location at Marryatville High School.

References

  1. "Summer Heights High's Ja'mie King goes back to school for BBC Three". BBC. 8 September 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. "ABC TV in 2013… Amazing!". About the ABC (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Summer Heights High's Ja'mie King Goes Back to School for BBC Three". About the BBC (Press release). BBC. 8 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  4. Lewis, Maria (8 September 2013). "Chris Lilley Reprises Role of Ja'mie King in New Series on ABC". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  5. Staff Writers (1 November 2013). "Chris Lilley Comedy Horrifies Parents, Ex-Students of Haileybury". Herald Sun . News Limited. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  6. Suz (30 September 2013). "UPDATED: Chris Lilley Reveals Air Date for 'Ja'mie: Private School Girl'". Pedestrian.TV. Pedestrian Group. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  7. Kondolojy, Amanda (9 September 2013). "'Ja'mie: Private School Girl' Debuts November 24 on HBO – Ratings". Zap 2 it . TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  8. "New Chris Lilley Series in Production for ABC1" (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  9. 1 2 Barber, Laurence (15 November 2013). "Not so Ja'miezing: Private School Girl proves disappointing". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  10. Goodman, Tim (22 November 2013). "'Getting On' and 'Ja'mie: Private School Girl': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  11. Smith, Rebecca (6 February 2014). "Ja'mie: Private School Girl, BBC Three, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  12. Knox, David (24 October 2013). "Wednesday 23 October 2013". TV Tonight . Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  13. Knox, David (31 October 2013). "Wednesday 30 October 2013". TV Tonight . Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  14. Knox, David (7 November 2013). "Wednesday 6 November 2013". TV Tonight . Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  15. Knox, David (14 November 2013). "Wednesday 13 November 2013". TV Tonight . Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  16. Knox, David (21 November 2013). "Wednesday 20 November 2013". TV Tonight . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  17. Knox, David (28 November 2013). "Wednesday 27 November 2013". TV Tonight . Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  18. "2014 Logies: Full list of winners". The Sydney Morning Herald . 28 April 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  19. Knox, David (27 April 2014). "Logie Awards 2014: Winners". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  20. "Ja'mie: Private School Girl DVD – HBO Shop".
  21. "Ja'mie – Private School Girl". Amazon.
  22. "Ja'mie – Private School Girl". ABC Shop . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 November 2013.