| Jonah from Tonga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom Mockumentary Comedy |
| Created by | Chris Lilley |
| Written by | Chris Lilley |
| Directed by | Chris Lilley Stuart McDonald |
| Starring | Chris Lilley |
| Theme music composer | Chris Lilley |
| Composer | John Foreman |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Laura Waters Chris Lilley |
| Producers | Laura Waters Chris Lilley |
| Production locations | The Grange P-12 College, Hoppers Crossing, Melbourne, Australia |
| Cinematography | Nick Gregoric |
| Editor | Ian Carmichael |
| Running time | 26–27 minutes |
| Production companies | Princess Pictures ABC HBO |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC iview |
| Release | 2 May – 4 May 2014 |
| Network | ABC1 |
| Release | 7 May – 11 June 2014 |
| Related | |
| Summer Heights High | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Jonah from Tonga (Tongan: Siōnā pe 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 Lilley. 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.[1] 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.[2][3]
The six-part series was produced by Princess Pictures and Chris Lilley in conjunction with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and screened on ABC1 in Australia, HBO in America, and BBC Three in the UK.[1] In New Zealand Māori Television screened the first episode on 29 July 2017, but then withdrew later episodes due to protests.[4] The entire series was available for streaming online for one weekend from 2 May to 4 May on BBC iPlayer and ABC iview, before starting a six-week run on ABC1 on 7 May 2014 and from 8 May on BBC Three. This was a first for a major Australian TV production.[5] The series itself was a "ratings disaster" for both the ABC and BBC.[6] It was later announced that the entire series would screen at select cinemas in several Australian cities followed by a Q and A with Chris Lilley.[7] These events were subsequently cancelled, with refunds given[8] and the website created to promote them removed.[9]
- ^ a b "Jonah's back and read to puck with viewers". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "Comedian's defiant response to 'brownface' critics". NZ Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Jonah from Tonga was withdrawn for good reason: it's Chris Lilley's satire at its worst | Morgan Godfery". the Guardian. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Jonah from Tonga taken off Māori Television". Stuff (Fairfax Media). 1 July 2017.
- ^ Kalina, Paul (17 April 2014). "Chris Lilley's Jonah breaks rules with an online first for ABC". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ Meade, Amanda (14 May 2014). "Chris Lilley tastes ratings disaster as just 287,000 viewers tune in". The Guardian.
- ^ ${FirstName}. "Now Showing". Eventcinemas.com.au. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "Twitter / eVent_cinemas: @3ChordsAndMe Hi. it has been". Twitter.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ http://www.jonahfromtonga.com.au[permanent dead link]