Netflix accused of plagiarising one-shot idea for Ed Sheeran special
Netflix is newly under fire from Paris-based production company La Blogothèque, which has accused Netflix of ripping off their one-take gig idea in the new Ed Sheeran special, One Shot.
Last month, Netflix released the single-take film, helmed by the mastermind behind Adolescence and Boiling Point, Philip Barantini.
In the film, the ‘Shape of You’ singer can be seen traipsing around the streets of New York, playing impromptu performances of his greatest hits while interacting with strangers who happen to be passing by at the time.
Their accusation came in the form of an amicable Instagram carousel, which began, “We heard about One Shot, the new program Netflix launched with Ed Sheeran. Honestly, we are flattered by the tribute paid to the thousands of ‘one shots’ we produced during the last 20 years.”
The organisation then called for viewers to “see for yourself,” including stills from the Netflix special alongside a handful of previous La Blogothèque projects.
For example, Sheeran plays the guitar in the back of a taxi, which is directly juxtaposed with a Sylvan Esso performance from 2014. Sheeran also sings with a city skyline behind him, juxtaposed explicitly with a 2020 Justin Bieber take.
The post also includes a still of the Suffolk musician playing his guitar amongst fans while on public transport, which is presented next to a still from a 2009 Patrick Watson performance, which utilised the same idea.
The organisation tagged Netflix in the caption, specifically calling for a response. They also ended the carousel with the phrase “Blogothèque & chill”, a cheeky take on the colloquialism “Netflix and chill.”
The post garnered much attention; IDLES frontman Joe Talbot, who has performed for the channel, commented, “You’ve just reminded me how much Blogothèque has shaped me. Thank you x.”
Over two decades, La Blogothèque has pulled off one-shot takes with a star-studded roster, including Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Iggy Pop, Vampire Weekend, Jack White, and many more.
Netflix has yet to respond to the public call-out.