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.