Bosses at new ITV show You Cannot Be Serious! receive shock complaint about its title from man who coined it – John McEnroe

Bosses at new ITV show You Cannot Be Serious! receive shock complaint about its title from man who coined it â€" John McEnroe

Former tennis ace John McEnroe’s lawyers have written to showmakers Avalon asking them to stop using the phrase.

They reckon it may give the impression the fiery US star â€" currently a commentator for the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage â€" has endorsed the well-received show, which airs on ITV1 tonight.

The correspondence stunned producers because they already pay McEnroe a royalty for using a four-second clip of him shouting: “You cannot be serious!” at Wimbledon in 1981.

A source said: “Does John really think that, because it’s called You Cannot Be Serious!, people will think it is endorsed by him?

"Everybody knows you can’t license a catchphrase.

“John is a legend and probably a really great guy and it’s likely his people are just being a little heavy-handed.

“Producers were surprised because they were paying a significant amount of money to the same people for use of the clip of John’s legendary strop.

“It goes without saying that everyone’s reaction was ‘You cannot be serious!’” Alistair is by no means the first to use someone’s catchphrase in the title of a TV show.

The BBC used commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme’s legendary 1966 World Cup comment: “They think it’s all over... ” line for their sports quiz.

Channel 4’s comedy panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats is based on a Whiskas cat food slogan.

Likewise pop quiz Never Mind The Buzzcocks is a more family-friendly version of the Sex Pistols’ album Never Mind The B******s.