Fans of The Chaser who are waiting for the return of their favourite comedians might have to wait a bit longer this year – unless you live in Adelaide (explained later on).

With no TV or radio show at present, the 2020 Nova podcast and the recent online series The War on 2020 are the only way to get a Chaser fix. (We are not counting Dom Knight’s book factory.)

Mediaweek tried to doorstop The Chaser this week with little success. We have been unable to confirm interest from broadcasters and/or platforms in a potential daily podcast and a return to TV screens.

The Chaser indicated to Mediaweek last year they were happy with their podcast deal at Nova Entertainment, so hopefully they will be back in the studio soon. If they went ahead with a daily podcast, it would be a program that fans could use in place of a Chaser breakfast show. (How good would that be?) The major podcast platforms are using daily series as ways to grow audiences and increase downloads numbers.

Unconfirmed reports had the Nova podcast getting into the mobile devices of lots of fans.

Meanwhile, The Chaser has not had a regular series (not linked to an election) on TV since 2015 with The Chaser’s Media Circus.

In the past couple of years, The Chaser has shed some old-timers, kept others, but more importantly recruited some funny and talented younger comedians and writers.

They have added writer and television presenter Zoe Norton Lodge and comedian Rebecca De Unamuno.

After the online success of Chaser’s The War on 2020 with over 10m views on all platforms, they have been discussing the potential of a new TV series with broadcasters.

Charles Firth, Chaser founder, did tell Mediaweek: “Last year working with the Nova team was one of our best working experiences we’ve ever had. They were real pros and we got plenty of respect and love.”

Any Chaser ventures in 2021 will feature the new look team, meaning no Julian Morrow. Chas Licciardello is working on other projects. Craig Reucassel still keeps his toes in the water on Chaser projects, and Chris Taylor has a super-secret project that can’t be revealed yet.

People in Adelaide will have the chance to experience Firth live when his show The Anti-Experts Guide to The Pandemic becomes part of the Fringe Festival from February 27.

Following a sold-out 2020 Adelaide Fringe, Charles Firth and James Schloeffel (The Shovel) return to Gluttony with a new show: a “biting and hilarious” look at COVID conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers, scented candles, 5G towers, News Corp, Trump supporters and the Pete Evans BioCharger.

In the wake of its successful 50th-anniversary issue, Tracks magazine has been purchased by a co-op of surfers with a long-standing passion for the title. Peter Strain, David Mulham, Greg Cooper, Damian Martin and Luke Kennedy have acquired Tracks from nextmedia. The move sees the German-owned publisher divest another brand.

Co-owner Peter Strain emphasised he was looking forward to re-invigorating the surfing bible. “I’ve been a keen surfer and dedicated Tracks reader for decades. Tracks is more than just a magazine it’s a part of our history, and it has played an important role in shaping our cultural identity, not only as surfers but as Australians. We’re excited about exploring a range of new opportunities with the brand.” 

Arek Widawski, managing director of nextmedia commented, “We are delighted that Tracks has found the right home for its next chapter, allowing nextmedia to focus on other key brands.”

First published by John Witzig, Albe Falzon, and David Elfick in 1970. Tracks was later owned by a string of large publishing houses including Mason Stewart Publishing and Emap Australia.

The acquisition of Tracks by a quintet of surfers represents a return of the iconic title to its salty roots. While eager to celebrate the Tracks legacy and history, the new ownership group is also intent on re-launching the brand in what is a renaissance era for surfing. “So many of us have significant memories associated with Tracks. We want to continue that tradition,” explained Strain. “And it’s an exciting time for surf culture. Everyone’s back in the water and there’s never been so much curiosity about surfboards and different surfing experiences.”

Luke Kennedy and Ben Bugden will continue at the helm of the editorial team, while Damian Martin retains his role as head of advertising. “I’m looking forward to providing Tracks devotees and the next generation of readers with a dynamic, high-quality magazine that offers an immersive experience,” indicated Kennedy.

The title will continue to look to its stable of respected writers and photographers to engage, entertain and inform a contemporary audience.

Tracks is set to publish its first issue under new ownership in April 2021.

As part of this distribution agreement, the triple-platinum Young Modern and Diorama albums, as well as audio-visual album Live From Faraway Stables, unite with the rest of Silverchair’s catalogue at Sony Music Entertainment Australia.

Signed to Sony Music Entertainment Australia in 1994, the band released the successful and #1 ARIA Albums Frogstomp, Freak Show and Neon Ballroom with the company between 1995 and 1999.

Diorama and Young Modern are Silverchair’s fourth and fifth studio albums which include the singles Straight Lines, Reflections of a Sound, The Greatest View, Across The Night and Without You. The two albums were released on John Watson’s Eleven label, then distributed via Universal Music.

Young Modern won six ARIA Awards including Best Group, Single of The Year and Album of The Year. Diorama won five ARIA Awards including Best Group and Best Rock Album.

Daniel Johns said, “It’s great to have the catalogue all under one roof at Sony Music, back where it all began for Silverchair.”

Ben Gillies said, “We’re so proud of these albums and know that Denis and the team at Sony Music, as they always have, will treat our catalogue with love and respect. It just feels right.”

Chris Joannou said, “We’re pumped to have all the Silverchair albums with Sony Music Australia where everything started for us 25+ years ago. What a wild ride it’s been!”

“26 years ago, three young boys from Newcastle burst on the scene with amazing music that captured the world. I am so delighted to have the band’s complete catalogue with Sony Music.  We are really looking forward to some exciting opportunities in the years ahead.” said Denis Handlin, chairman & CEO, Australia & New Zealand, Sony Music Entertainment. “Daniel, Ben and Chris will always be a part of the Sony Music family and their songs will live forever.”

Formed in 1992 in the Newcastle surf-side side suburb of Merewether, Silverchair’s rise was meteoric. The band, consisting of singer/songwriter/guitarist Daniel Johns, drummer Ben Gillies and bassist Chris Joannou, became a global phenomenon, propelling them on to some of the world’s biggest stages and achieving album sales in excess of six million worldwide. The band signed with the Sony Music Entertainment Australia subsidiary label Murmur in 1994 after winning a national demo competition conducted by SBS TV and national youth broadcaster Triple J.

Their debut single Tomorrow was a breakthrough success, reaching #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart and remaining there for six weeks. The band’s first album Frogstomp also debuted at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and achieved sales of 4 x platinum. It reached the Billboard Top 10 in the US, making Silverchair the first Australian band to achieve that since INXS.

All of Silverchair’s subsequent studio albums, Freakshow (double-Platinum), Neon Ballroom (triple-Platinum), Diorama (triple-Platinum) and Young Modern (triple-Platinum) debuted at #1 in Australia.

Silverchair also holds the record for the greatest number of ARIA Award wins with a total of 21. Total album sales across the Silverchair catalogue have now exceeded six million globally making them one of Australia’s most successful musical exports.

Photo: Silverchair with Sony Music’s Denis Handlin in 1994

February TV got off to an unusual start with Holey Moley Australia (Seven) versus Married at First Sight: Grand Reunion (Nine). Holey Moley relied on schoolboy humour about balls going into “holes” and “uranus”, while the other had a schoolyard fight that ended with one scrag throwing their drink over the other.

Holey Moley may have overstayed its welcome as it dragged on for three consecutive nights, but if putt putt golf can become a hit, and tiggy is next with Tag (soon on Seven), surely a marbles revival and a yo-yo competition is next.

Commercial TV may be sinking to dumber lows but at least streaming services, cable TV and public broadcasters are still making shows that require a brain. 2021 has already given us three spectacularly good Aussie dramas, namely Bump (Stan), The End (Foxtel) and Aftertaste (ABC). Very differing offerings to entertainment like Holey Moley.

All of these series are right on the zeitgeist as they bravely and bawdily tackle uncomfortable subjects. Bump is about teenage pregnancy, The End digs deep into euthanasia and Aftertaste tackles toxic masculinity.

With more and more women now at the helm, female sexuality is also getting a new focus. Producer Sondra Rhimes (Bridgerton), creators Claudia Karvan and Kelsey Munro (Bump) and creator/writer Samantha Strauss (The End) all head up female creative teams who are not shy about getting their points across.

Bridgerton (Netflix), which has shocked some lovers of period dramas with its frank bedroom scenes, cleverly dropped all its episodes to binge from Christmas Day. It is now their most successful drama ever and the audience doesn’t seem to mind its colour-blind casting.

Bridgerton, Bump, The End and Aftertaste all explore issues like body shaming, losing your virginity and what happens without proper sex education. Men are on now on notice and it’s about time, like in Bump when Oly (Nathalie Morris) challenges her Chilean boyfriend and father to drop their cultural machismo and help out in the kitchen.

The End and Aftertaste both have lead characters that come across as angry and selfish, but the joy of both shows is watching them slowly transform as family problems swarm all around them. They are fearless about their subject matters, and both get better the more they go along.

Bump, The End and Aftertaste are all must-see TV events. And although every production showcases amazing new and fresh talent, it is also worth studying the smaller supporting roles being played by former showbiz giants like Val Lehman and Hazel Phillips. I wonder who might be lurking around in the background when Harrow (Sunday on ABC) returns for its third season?

See also: Mercado on TV: 2020 – A bad year delivered some great television

In the final days of the fading summer survey, Seven has won its fourth consecutive night of Week 6 with the penultimate cricket match of the season.

The Big Bash League play-off was played in Canberra as the Perth Scorchers were unable to use a home ground advantage because of this week’s Perth lockdown. Rain near the end of the first session shorted the match marginally, but faced with the task of scoring 200 in less than 20 overs, the Brisbane Heat stumbled early in their run chase. The combined cricket audience on Seven and 7mate was 490,000 for the first session and then 461,000 for the second.

Helping Seven to first place were Seven News on 917,000 and 870,000 and the final episode of Home and Away in its first week back with 443,000.

ABC had the biggest non-new audience of the night as Back Roads starred in a new Thursday line-up. The episode was on 511,000 at 8pm.

Also part of the new-look Thursday was Q+A on a new night with 290,000 watching. The time of year and the new timeslot delivered one of the show’s smallest audiences ever.

After Nine News on 853,000 and 813,000, and A Current Affair on 592,000, Nine’s best was Getaway at 7.30pm with 334,000.

10’s best was The Project on 371,000 followed by an Ambulance Australia repeat on 331,000.