‘It changed my life’: Indigenous Australian writer Nakkiah Lui cries as she bids goodbye to ABC sketch show Black Comedy after it was cancelled following seven years on air
Writer Nakkiah Lui cried while watching the final episode of her AACTA award-winning ABC series Black Comedy air on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Gamillaroi and Torres Strait Islander actor co-wrote and starred in the celebrated sketch comedy program for the past seven years.
Black Comedy, which was cancelled after four seasons, focuses on Indigenous Australian stories, delivering hilarious sketches and parodies of modern and historical culture.
‘It changed my life’: Indigenous Australian writer Nakkiah Lui (pictured) admits she cried while watching the last episode of ABC sketch show Black Comedy air on Wednesday – after it was cancelled following seven years on air
‘Tears have started watching the last episode of Black Comedy,’ Nakkiah wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
She added: ‘It changed my life. My first TV gig. My first acting gig. I met my husband.’
Her husband Gabriel Dowrick, 36, is an Australian director, writer and editor, best known for his work on Doctor Doctor, Skin Trade and No Activity, as well as Black Comedy.
‘I hope you’ve loved it as much as I have’: Black Comedy focuses on Indigenous Australian stories, delivering hilarious sketches and parodies of modern and historical culture
Nakkiah continued: ‘Met some of my best friends. It changed my life. It made me laugh and have hope in the future. I hope you’ve loved it as much as I have.’
In an interview with National Indigenous Times last month, Nakkiah described the comedy series as ‘blackfella humour for everyone’.
‘We have the one rule, which is just make it funny,’ Nakkiah said.
‘My first TV gig. My first acting gig. I met my husband’: Gabriel Dowrick (pictured) is an Australian director, writer and editor, best known for his work on Doctor Doctor and Skin Trade
‘It made me laugh and have hope in the future’: Nakkiah said she had met her husband and ‘best friends’ on the show. Pictured: Black Comedy sketch
She added: ‘In terms of the humour of the show and the themes and the topics that we engage with, that’s really different because we have a diverse mix of people.
‘Aboriginal people use humour as a survival mechanism, as a way to create hope and joy in community.’
Actor Tysan Towney believed the series provided opportunities for Indigenous talent to progress in the Australian entertainment industry.
‘Just make it funny’: In an interview with National Indigenous Times last month, Nakkiah described the comedy series as ‘blackfella humour for everyone’
‘When I got the call to do some guest work for Black Comedy, it was an easy yes,’ Tysan told HuffPost Australia on Wednesday.
He added: ‘It’s been a bedrock for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent launching careers and giving countless writers an opportunity to work.
‘So it’s been a successful format for building talent.’
‘It’s been a bedrock for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent’: Actor Tysan Towney (pictured) believed the series provided opportunities Indigenous talent to progress in the Australian entertainment industry