Pukka or hooky? Court to decide on Only Fools tribute show

The producers of an Only Fools and Horses tribute show are being sued over copyright infringement and claims they are misleading customers into believing it's an official spin-off.

Shazam, the company set up by the sitcom’s creator John Sullivan before his death in 2011, has taken action against the creators of Only Fools: The (Cushty) Dining Experience, which hit the High Court yesterday.

Interactive Theatre International has been running the events across the UK since 2018, with diners enjoying a three-course meal while actors playing Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert play out scenes around them, part-scripted and part-improvised.

The case will test how far parody and tribute shows can go without permission from the rights-holders.

Lawyers for Shazam say the dining shows exploit the ‘distinctive character traits’ and ‘signature phrases and ways of speaking’ of the characters Sullivan created – meaning the ownership of catchphrases such as ‘lovely jubbly’ will be put before the judge.

But the defence say they are not misleading customers into thinking the dining experiences are officially sanctioned, and that ‘parody or pastiche’ is permitted under copyright law.

When the writs were first issued in 2020, Interactive told Chortle: ‘ We vehemently deny any wrongdoing. We and our legal team believe the proceedings to be misconceived and will be defending them fully.;

It is not the first time companies staging dining shows have found themselves in hot water with the creators of sitcoms which inspired them.

In 2016, John Cleese branded such events 'completely brazen [and] utterly shameless' for ripping off Fawlty Towers.

At the time, Interactive founder Alison Pollard-Mansergh – which still runs an event called Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience – claimed Cleese's comments were 'misleading and inaccurate'.

A rival company, Laughlines, has also been threatened with legal action over its shows based on Fawlty Towers, Only Fools And Horses, Allo Allo, Blackadder II and Father Ted – but its boss Michael Wilson-Green, has said: 'We’re only emulating the characters. We change the sketches and it’s all improvised.'

Published: 2 Mar 2022