research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. 'Your Heart Goes Out to the Australian Tourist Board': critical uncertainty and the management of censure in Chris Lilley's TV Comedies Since the year 2005 when We Can Be Heroes: Finding the Australian of the Year first appeared on TV, Chris Lilley's name has been associated with controversy in the Australian and international press. Making fun of disabled and gay people, drug overdose victims, and rape survivors, are but a few of the accusations which have been levied. While some of the uproar has been due to factors beyond Lilley's control (the notorious coincidence of a reallife overdose with Lilley's representation of one on Summer Heights High), Lilley has at times admitted he has gone out of his way to 'upset and offend' people, to push then 'beyond their comfort zone.' Possibly, there is an argument to be made that the hullabaloo sometimes surrounding Lilley's work has inflated the overall volume of critical attention received-a search for 'Summer Heights High' on the database 'Factiva' for example, using the date range of the show's airing in Australia, reveals that the Australian press referenced the show over 280 times. 1 And regardless of what faults critics have found with the work, these have not gotten in the way of either popular success or critical acclaim, with all of his shows garnering headline-attracting ratings and with Lilley scooping prime awards at the Logie's during the two years he has competed. 2 Certainly none of the controversies thus far appear to have impeded Lilley's ability to sell his shows overseas: Lilley's fan base has grown steadily since 2005 and the most recent show, Angry Boys, was co-produced with HBO and pre-sold to BBC. With its abundance of genitalia-oriented jokes, seemingly endless litany of swearwords, plethora of racist slurs, and bracing send-ups of non-whites from other countries, including one via the employment of blackface, Angry Boys does not lack the potential to offend. But while individual characters have attracted condemnation and Lilley's performance abilities have occasionally been questioned, Lilley's domestic reputation as a writer and creator of nationally award-winning material has largely not suffered, in contrast to other shows featuring similarly provocative themes. What is distinctive about Lilley's work that allows him to forestall accusations of 'racism' that other shows would face? What has occurred on the critical stage to facilitate Lilley's avoidance of censure for performances 1 As a comparison point, a search for The Slap using the date range of the first six weeks of that show, reveals that the Australian press referenced the show 194 times.