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The Chaser rents world's cheapest billboards Print E-mail
Tuesday, 20 March 2007

The second series of The Chaser's War on Everything is coming back on ABC TV soon. Same format, Same number of episodes. Same jokes. But we do have a brand new timeslot: 9pm Wednesdays, starting on 28 March. See kids, nagging does work.

Now that we've back in primetime, we're determined to become totally impossible prima donnas. So we demanded that the ABC get us LOTS OF BILLBOARDS to promote the show. Eddie McGuire gets them. Viagra gets them. So we want ‘em. Big ones.

Typically the ABC cried poor. But we insisted. So they got us the cheapest billboards they could find.

Here's what they got us. Let this be a lesson to you: read the fine print.


Iraq

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Apparently advertising space in Baghdad is going cheap at the moment. The ABC says they got this for a bargain, but we can never show our faces in Baghdad again. Which is fine.

 

Iceland

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This billboard is in front of the biggest glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. It's one of Iceland's least popular tourist locations. If anyone was actually there, they'd be talking about The Chaser's War on Everything.

 

Estonia

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Apparently it's the law in Estonian that any English writing on the billboard must be repeated in Estonian. We're expecting so many Estonian viewers, we're going to have Estonian subtitles for the whole series.

 

India

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Apparently most Indian billboards are hand-painted, and they had to be convinced not to do it Bollywood style. They only guarantee an 80% likeness. This is the first image of Chas where he looks 80% normal.

 

Videos

These billboards are not Photoshop jobs. Here's some footage our local contact sent us of our one in Iraq.

 

Here are the two in Iceland – one on an isolated lighthouse, and the other in front of the glacier.

 

NEW UPDATE - here's a hilarious clip showing the painting of our billboard in India. Apologies for the poor video quality, (it's what we were sent.) Note how the local contractors helpfully added a soundtrack for us.

Read more posts....
[Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Fritz    March 7th, 2007 - 8:56 PM


Nice work. Good to see the ABC are looking after you. I was hoping for a "War on Mac Bank" billboard on the way to sydney airport though.
[Article]Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Nick 2    March 7th, 2007 - 9:02 PM
Is this for real? If it's a photoshop job it looks bloody fantastic.
Re: [Article]Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Biscuit    March 7th, 2007 - 9:06 PM
This is the problem with outsourcing. You ask your Indian outsourcing agent to get 10 of the cheapest billboards, and forget to mention which country. They do a good job, just not quite what you expected.

Noice  cheesy
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Keridwen    March 8th, 2007 - 5:55 AM
Brilliant. Can't wait for those Estonian subtitles.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
squiggleyak    March 8th, 2007 - 6:42 AM
i love the dodgy painting style in the last one Cheesy
[Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
ZoZo    March 8th, 2007 - 9:11 AM
So where's the one in America out the front of Dick Cheney's office??
[Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
ZoZo    March 8th, 2007 - 9:18 AM
Also... I went to that countdowntothechaser.com.au thing... it appears to be wrong. It says the show returns on the 14th, not the 28th - and that it also comes back in just under a week.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Ibby    March 8th, 2007 - 10:18 AM
Psst, ZoZo, it's a countdown to the countdown. Wink
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
~Julie~    March 8th, 2007 - 5:29 PM
Hilarious. Well done James Edwards (I'm assuming) - their tops editor, designer and animator... the Terry Gilliam of the Chaser.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Keridwen    March 8th, 2007 - 8:26 PM
anyone else been to Countdowntothechaser.com.au? Its on the bottom of the billboards.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
a passing lunatic    March 8th, 2007 - 8:49 PM
yes, and I'm curious as to what volunteering for a countdown entails. Almost curious enough to do it. Almost.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Nick 2    March 8th, 2007 - 9:14 PM
ok so it seems the pictures are photoshop jobs after all. they are some damn fine work.

what the deuce is this 'countdown to the chaser' bizzo?
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Bigmac    March 9th, 2007 - 4:17 AM
Does anyone else fnd that the only decent shows for the entire week revolve around 8:30pm on a Wednesday?

AND there are cheap drinks at the local pub that night as well. DAMMIT!
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
ZoZo    March 9th, 2007 - 11:29 AM
Psst, ZoZo, it's a countdown to the countdown. Wink

Yeah, must be... thanks for the hot tip  cool

Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Keridwen    March 9th, 2007 - 7:13 PM
ok so it seems the pictures are photoshop jobs after all. they are some damn fine work.

what the deuce is this 'countdown to the chaser' bizzo?

I don't know, I signed up just to see what it was all about... got an email back saying to pick a time between the 14th and the 28th to come into Ultimo to 'appear on camera' but they didn't say what it was for.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
squiggleyak    March 9th, 2007 - 10:34 PM
I don't know, I signed up just to see what it was all about... got an email back saying to pick a time between the 14th and the 28th to come into Ultimo to 'appear on camera' but they didn't say what it was for.

ahh. i was going to sign up but i couldnt think of a special talent. i put down 'can stick my fist in my mouth' but i can only get half my hand in these days since my wisdom teeth decided to make an appearance.

maybe internet forum trolling?
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Alarm Duck of Awesomeness    March 10th, 2007 - 2:37 AM
ok so it seems the pictures are photoshop jobs after all. they are some damn fine work.

I think the glacier one was a colour separation job...real footage of a chaser banner, with footage of a glacier background.


If only they were more pro American:

Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Keridwen    March 10th, 2007 - 5:35 AM
ahh. i was going to sign up but i couldnt think of a special talent. i put down 'can stick my fist in my mouth' but i can only get half my hand in these days since my wisdom teeth decided to make an appearance.

maybe internet forum trolling?

I was in your predicament as well, so I simply and unimaginitively put that my special talent was avoiding questions regarding special talents. I wonder what they want 'volunteers' for? And am I curious enough to hike it up to Ultimo to find out? Hmm...
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Nick 2    March 10th, 2007 - 6:32 AM
I think the glacier one was a colour separation job...real footage of a chaser banner, with footage of a glacier background.

That makes sense. The banner seems to be in a different colour cast to the background. It looks too red to me.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Star Fish    March 10th, 2007 - 10:49 PM
I was in your predicament as well, so I simply and unimaginitively put that my special talent was avoiding questions regarding special talents. I wonder what they want 'volunteers' for? And am I curious enough to hike it up to Ultimo to find out? Hmm...

Hehehe... I am actually going to be in Ultimo between the 16th and 18th... hmmm... do I have any special talents? Maybe not that would translate well to Wednesday night television...
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Star Fish    March 10th, 2007 - 10:51 PM
Just had an idea - maybe I could just happen to be passing and do a bonehead... Even better - I'd need a lifesize cut out of Chas to carry with me... But I couldn't get that on the plane as he's a declared terrorist...so, guess it's just not gonna happen...
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Keridwen    March 11th, 2007 - 7:37 AM
haha yes we have to be on the look out if we fly anywhere - we can't bring along our chaser DVDs else we'll be crash tackled and maybe even appear on Border Security...  rolleyes

Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     March 11th, 2007 - 7:46 AM
But they're actually not the first billboards for The Chaser. A mate of mine is a student in Tapei, he sent me this photo cause he knew I loved the show.



This was back when the first DVD came out over there, about a month after it came out here. The second DVD isn't out there yet.

Apparently the text on it (directly over Chris - haha) translates as "Bring home the funny today", which is hilarious.

You can tell they put the billboard in a student suburb, cause right beneath the Chaser ad is an ad about drug use.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     March 11th, 2007 - 7:52 AM
I think it's pretty obvious what they're going to do if you sign up at The Chaser countdown website. You'll become an audience member, where you'll be told to look under your seat, and if you find a key, you'll win a car.

The twist is: everyone will win! Not bad huh?

Considering this is the ABC, they won't be very good cars, or even lifesize. And one of them might be Chas' work car from last year, so it'll be filled with porn, juice containers and six meters of garden hose.

You can see a larger version of that Thai billboard at http://www.benmedia.com/chaserInTai2.jpg.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
blue    March 11th, 2007 - 10:28 PM
Such an awesome idea!  cheesy

I heard Chris talking about the billboards on the radio, and he swore that they're real...

I hope so.  smiley
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Nick 2    March 11th, 2007 - 10:33 PM
Fake fake fake!! I know some people in Iceland (they live in Reythingyavik, the capital) and they told me they've not seen that banner anywhere. It's a small place, ffs if it was there they'd know about it.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
~Julie~    March 11th, 2007 - 11:37 PM
I would have thought, timing-wise, they might be doing test screenings - new sets, format, segs etc.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
whophd    March 12th, 2007 - 1:58 AM
ok so it seems the pictures are photoshop jobs after all. they are some damn fine work.

Doug Bayne is a genius.  I'm going to presume this is his handiwork.

Quote
what the deuce is this 'countdown to the chaser' bizzo?

Dunno, but how the heck they're gonna get me in AFTER 9pm on Wednesday night, I really wonder!

CK.
Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Alarm Duck of Awesomeness    March 12th, 2007 - 4:49 AM
Oh, fuck me...they keep taking my chaser thing down...

Now it should work



Re: [Article]The Chaser rents world`s cheapest billboards
Erubadhriel    March 12th, 2007 - 5:04 AM
Considering this is the ABC, they won't be very good cars, or even lifesize. And one of them might be Chas' work car from last year, so it'll be filled with porn, juice containers and six meters of garden hose.

i was under the impression that Chas couldn't drive

(69) comments
 
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