GenQ - For the not so straight individual

Television show Summer Heights High has again come under fire, this time for featuring a story line of the death of a fictional character named Annabel following a drug overdose.

Peter and Allison Catt, parents of twenty-year old Annabel Catt who died in February after taking drugs at a dance party, were distraught at the story line and drew the conclusion that the character of ‘Annabel’ was a comparison to their daughter. 

“This was done by naming the deceased in the show Annabel Dickson, describing her as blonde and beautiful and showing a picture that had a resemblance to our daughter,� Mr and Mrs Catt told The Manly Daily.

Mark Scott, ABC Managing Director, apologized to the Catt family by phone and by written apology, and said “The ABC and the producer sincerely apologise for this extremely unfortunate coincidence, and in hindsight, we feel we should have alerted the Catt family to the situation in advance of the broadcast.

“We apologise that this has caused further distress to the family.�

Mr Scott also said that production for the current season of Summer Heights High had been completed before the death of Ms Catt, and subsequently was not able to change the name of the character. References to ‘Annabel’ continue in upcoming episodes of the show.

Wednesday’s episode of Summer Heights High again rated well for the ABC, achieving 1.275 million viewers, and was one of the ten highest rating telecasts for the evening. There are five episodes remaining in the current season of the show.