Chas Licciardello
Encyclopedia
Chas John Licciardello is a comedian from Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser
. A former student of Sydney Grammar School
and a law graduate of The University of Sydney, Licciardello has appeared as a regular in the two series of CNNNN, as well as on The Chaser's War on Everything
.
football match between the Canterbury Bulldogs
and the St George Illawarra Dragons
on 14 July 2006, dressed up as a Bulldogs fan and attempting to sell fake knives, knuckledusters and balaclavas (all coloured blue and white, the Bulldogs' club colours) in a stunt for The War, satirising the then-recent violent action of Bulldogs fans. Licciardello explained that the skit "poked fun at the misbehaviour of Bulldogs fans" knowing that "a lot of people thought it was funny."
Licciardello was quick to dispute his charges on the show. The following Friday, he appeared on The War in a cage before referring to the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma
's own joke regarding residents of crime-riddled suburbs wearing balaclavas.
On 29 August 2006, in Kogarah Local Court, Licciardello pleaded not guilty
to the charge. The matter was adjourned until 12 October. On 22 January 2007, magistrate Joanne Keogh said she would view an unedited video of the incident, totalling 50 minutes, to decide Licciardello's fate. Licciardello gave no evidence in the matter, letting The Chaser team's film speak for him. He was subsequently found not guilty of offensive behaviour.
The decision was hailed a "victory for free speech". Licciardello was in the best of humour after the decision, reported as saying he would "appeal to the Supreme Court
, the High Court
, to the UN
, the Jedi High Council and the Snickometer
".
claimed that he and Licciardello aimed to get a majority of their members arrested amidst the high security surrounding the APEC Australia 2007
summit in Sydney
, adding jokingly that they also aimed to get Licciardello shot.
Footage aired on The Chaser's War on Everything
on 12 September 2007 showed the fake "motorcade" consisted of two SUV
s, a black Holden
limousine flying a Canadian flag on the bonnet, four "runners" (one of which was Morrow) carrying hand-held video cameras and two motorcycles. They passed through two security checkpoints without being stopped by police or asked for identification; at one point, the footage showed Morrow offering to present identification to a police officer, however he was waved through without this occurring. The motorcade reached a point 10 metres outside the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush
was staying. Police only realised that the motorcade was a hoax when Licciardello, dressed as Osama bin Laden
, voluntarily stepped out of the limousine.
Following the incident, Licciardello and Morrow were detained and questioned by NSW Police on 6 September 2007 outside the InterContinental Hotel, and were charged under the APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007. The charges were dropped in April 2008. They were dropped because his lawyers stated that he was waved through the blockades and he had to do what the police said.
an ABC TV
special, showcasing Australia's top ten albums as voted by the public. He also filled in on Triple M
's drive time slot during the summer of 2007 with fellow Chaser colleague Dominic Knight
with their show Chas and Dom from 'The Chaser'
.
On 25 May 2008 Licciardello and Craig Reucassel
were guests on channel Ten's Rove. Their interview concluded with the '20 Bucks in 20 Seconds' segment. When Rove McManus
asked the only question that is asked to every guest, "Who would you turn gay for?", Chas responded in annoyance that everyone answered "I'd turn gay for you, Rove" but that nobody ever followed up on it. He then leapt on Rove and French kiss
ed him, before licking Rove on the face.
In 2009, for a stunt featured in the series finale of The Chaser's War on Everything, he received heavy dosages of botox, lip injections and spray tanning on the left side of his body so as to bear a similarity to Daniel Craig
. The amount of botox was so heavy that it lasted when he made his appearance on The 7pm Project, over 3 months after the botox was injected into the right side of his face. Chas is currently the Script Comedy Consultant for the ABC topical news show, Hungry Beast
.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
. A former student of Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, selective, day school for boys, located in Darlinghurst, Edgecliff and St Ives, all suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
and a law graduate of The University of Sydney, Licciardello has appeared as a regular in the two series of CNNNN, as well as on The Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything is an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts...
.
Offensive conduct charges
In July 2006, Licciardello faced charges of "offensive conduct" by the New South Wales Police Force, after turning up at a National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
football match between the Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
and the St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
on 14 July 2006, dressed up as a Bulldogs fan and attempting to sell fake knives, knuckledusters and balaclavas (all coloured blue and white, the Bulldogs' club colours) in a stunt for The War, satirising the then-recent violent action of Bulldogs fans. Licciardello explained that the skit "poked fun at the misbehaviour of Bulldogs fans" knowing that "a lot of people thought it was funny."
Licciardello was quick to dispute his charges on the show. The following Friday, he appeared on The War in a cage before referring to the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
's own joke regarding residents of crime-riddled suburbs wearing balaclavas.
On 29 August 2006, in Kogarah Local Court, Licciardello pleaded not guilty
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
to the charge. The matter was adjourned until 12 October. On 22 January 2007, magistrate Joanne Keogh said she would view an unedited video of the incident, totalling 50 minutes, to decide Licciardello's fate. Licciardello gave no evidence in the matter, letting The Chaser team's film speak for him. He was subsequently found not guilty of offensive behaviour.
The decision was hailed a "victory for free speech". Licciardello was in the best of humour after the decision, reported as saying he would "appeal to the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
, the High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
, to the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, the Jedi High Council and the Snickometer
Snickometer
A Snickometer, commonly known as Snicko, is used in televising cricket to graphically analyse sound and video, and show whether a fine noise, or snick, occurs as ball passes bat. It was invented by English computer scientist Allan Plaskett in the mid-1990s...
".
APEC 2007
One of the most controversial stunts Licciardello was involved in was the APEC stunt in 2007. Fellow Chaser Julian MorrowJulian Morrow
Julian Francis Xavier Morrow is an Australian comedian and television producer from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is best known for being a member of the satirical team The Chaser...
claimed that he and Licciardello aimed to get a majority of their members arrested amidst the high security surrounding the APEC Australia 2007
APEC Australia 2007
APEC Australia 2007 was a series of political meetings held around Australia between the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation during 2007...
summit in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, adding jokingly that they also aimed to get Licciardello shot.
Footage aired on The Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything is an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts...
on 12 September 2007 showed the fake "motorcade" consisted of two SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s, a black Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
limousine flying a Canadian flag on the bonnet, four "runners" (one of which was Morrow) carrying hand-held video cameras and two motorcycles. They passed through two security checkpoints without being stopped by police or asked for identification; at one point, the footage showed Morrow offering to present identification to a police officer, however he was waved through without this occurring. The motorcade reached a point 10 metres outside the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was staying. Police only realised that the motorcade was a hoax when Licciardello, dressed as Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, voluntarily stepped out of the limousine.
Following the incident, Licciardello and Morrow were detained and questioned by NSW Police on 6 September 2007 outside the InterContinental Hotel, and were charged under the APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007. The charges were dropped in April 2008. They were dropped because his lawyers stated that he was waved through the blockades and he had to do what the police said.
Other activity
During the Chaser recess, Licciardello appeared on the panel of My Favourite AlbumMy Favourite Album
My Favourite Album was a nation-wide poll conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to discover Australia's most popular album. Voting was by phone, SMS or over the ABC's website between 20 September 2006 to midnight on 18 October 2006. Much of the poll's promotion was through the ABC's...
an ABC TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
special, showcasing Australia's top ten albums as voted by the public. He also filled in on Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
's drive time slot during the summer of 2007 with fellow Chaser colleague Dominic Knight
Dominic Knight
Dominic Sebastian Knight is an Australian comedy writer, best known as a member of the Australian political satire comedy group The Chaser, as well as being an independent writer and former blogger for the Sydney Morning Herald...
with their show Chas and Dom from 'The Chaser'
Chas and Dom from 'The Chaser'
Chas and Dom from 'The Chaser was a summer drive-time radio program broadcast on the Triple M network. The program was hosted by Chas Licciardello and Dominic Knight from the Australian satirical comedy group The Chaser...
.
On 25 May 2008 Licciardello and Craig Reucassel
Craig Reucassel
Craig Bruce Reucassel is a television and radio comedian from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser...
were guests on channel Ten's Rove. Their interview concluded with the '20 Bucks in 20 Seconds' segment. When Rove McManus
Rove McManus
John Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises...
asked the only question that is asked to every guest, "Who would you turn gay for?", Chas responded in annoyance that everyone answered "I'd turn gay for you, Rove" but that nobody ever followed up on it. He then leapt on Rove and French kiss
French kiss
A French kiss is a kiss in which one participant's tongue touches the partner's lips or tongue and usually enters his or her mouth. A French kiss is a slow passionate kiss which is usually considered intimate, romantic, erotic or sexual...
ed him, before licking Rove on the face.
In 2009, for a stunt featured in the series finale of The Chaser's War on Everything, he received heavy dosages of botox, lip injections and spray tanning on the left side of his body so as to bear a similarity to Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
. The amount of botox was so heavy that it lasted when he made his appearance on The 7pm Project, over 3 months after the botox was injected into the right side of his face. Chas is currently the Script Comedy Consultant for the ABC topical news show, Hungry Beast
Hungry Beast
Hungry Beast is an Australian television program, that is broadcast on Wednesday nights on ABC1 and repeated on Thursday night on ABC2. It is produced by Andrew Denton's production company,...
.