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SBS care over Indian story on Swift & Shift Couriers

The second season of SBS cult comedy Swift and Shift Couriers has been held back over concerns about a storyline.

The second season of SBS cult comedy Swift and Shift Couriers has been held back from a planned April launch over concerns its storyline which sees the company competing with an Indian courier company needs careful attention.

The knockabout comedy from writer performer Paul Fenech famously had an episode from its first season dumped by the network after a complaint by the family of Australian soldier Jake Kovco.

When the series began shooting last year it could never have known that its seemingly-inoffensive storyline might air at a time when Indian-Australian relations are at their most sensitive.

When it announced the series in early 2009, SBS indicated the following series arc:

Scorned by her dismissal as general manager of Swift and Shift Couriers, Amanda decides to launch a budget courier service that operates out of India to crush her former employer. How will the Swift and Shift Couriers handle a little healthy (and unethical) competition?

A spokesperson from SBS told TV Tonight, “Swift and Shift is a pretty irreverent show at the best of times and doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to satire.

“SBS is working closely with the producers on a storyline in the upcoming series dealing with a rival Indian courier company. It’s important, given the current sensitivities around the treatment of the Indian community in Australia, that a multicultural broadcaster like SBS handles a storyline like this with care.”

The broadcaster is yet to announced the new airdate for the show.

“We envisage the series will air after the World Cup in July given the synergies between the World Cup audience and Swift and Shift viewers. We hope this will maximise the audience for the new series.”

SBS had previously advised the series would return in late 2009, and TV Tonight understands it was then pencilled in for an April launch.

SBS denied any re-shooting needed to be done to accomodate the storylines concerned.

19 Responses

  1. does anyone know if housos is coming back to sbs this year please its a great tv show everybody i know wants it to come back for another season (their even watching the tv show in America and i know they want it to come back as well as they think its a great show full of laughs)

  2. “We envisage the series will air after the World Cup in July given the synergies between the World Cup audience and Swift and Shift viewers. We hope this will maximise the audience for the new series.”

    After which World Cup???

  3. To Jeff Kennet

    Please come out in support of the return of Swift and Shift. It has to be good for the mental health of your average aussie bloke.

    Jeff I am sure it is even better than cool mints. In know that is a big statement!

    Just picture it a belly full of cool mints and Swift and Shift – heaven.

  4. Pleease come back. Monday night is just not the same anymore. I am up for season 2. We are stuck with some joker sleeping in a camel’s guts or those clowns driving tractors around race tracks. Life is ordinary without the Swift and Shift crew.

  5. I was soo looking forward to the start of the second season ! Australians poke fun at each other in the aussie way and that’s why we are the true Australians ! if you don’t like our sense of humour, then maybe you need to look at why you are not a true Australian .. !

  6. I am so sick of the goody-goodys and greenies in this country. I wish they would all shut thier mouths and let us enjoy a brilliantly funny show that pokes fun out of everyone in life, it has me in stitches each time because it is so true… if you dont like it, Don’t watch it! Let the people who want to get a good laugh out of life enjoy it!!

  7. Nothing Wrong with things that are not politically correct.Even Benny Hill when he was alive people loved his shows.Without S&S or Pizza or Bogan Pride there is nothing on Monday Nights except for Channel 10 worth watching anymore.There are the Mentalist,Desperate Housewives or 4 Corners Lot but they don’t count,.

  8. Pizza and S&S were popular ‘because’ they took a shot at everybody. People loved the irreverent non-PC flavor of the shows. This country is getting it’s knickers too knotted lately and needs some light relief.

  9. Anything has got to be better than some boring wildlife documentary or god knows endless southpark reruns over at SBS for Monday.I got so bored of both I switched over to Good News Week on Ten by Default

  10. Gammi,

    Why on earth would SBS bring back Pizza????
    Gammi, did you miss the last couple of seasons of Pizza?
    The got zero ratings and were terrible.
    And as for “World Record Pizza” (2006), that would rank as some of the worst Aussie tv ever made.
    You question is answered.

  11. argh, no, not again. This is so frustrating. Swift and Shift is brilliant, anarchic comedy and in classic Paulie style has a good go at everyone. But if “sensitivities” have to be pandered-to now, where does it stop? Every time this happens, a bit of the life is sucked from the show.

    I’ve been looking forward to the show’s return and this fills me with foreboding.

  12. I’m not sure about this show at all. Why SBS doesn’t commision Paul Fenech to do more Fat Pizza I don’t know. Pizza was so popular and S & S is like it’s poor cousin with not as good characters and authenticity. Does anyone know if SBS will bring back Pizza? Please!

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