Craig Reucassel
Encyclopedia
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
. He currently hosts the Australian version of Balls of Steel, which premiered in April 2011.
and later moved to Adelaide
with his parents. There, he attended Semaphore
Park Primary School. Reucassel later attended Bowral Public School in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, becoming the only Chaser member to be public school educated. In 1993 while attending the school he represented the school in the The Sydney Morning Herald
Plain English Speaking competition, as did future Chaser member Julian Morrow
. At the time he was noted for using game theory
in his selection of HSC subjects, choosing to major in the humanities. He graduated from Bowral High School
with a UAI
of 99.90.
Reucassel attended the University of Sydney
, graduating with Arts and Law degrees. With a strong dedication to extracurricular activities on campus, Reucassel ran the Arts revue, the rowing club, and debated at several World Championships including ranking 30th in the World at Manila in 1999, and ranking 167th in Glasgow in 2001. Furthermore, in 2000 he competed in the Philip C. Jessup Cup international law mooting competition, his team winning the Australian rounds. He graduated from the Sydney Law School
, along with Chaser colleagues Julian Morrow
, Dominic Knight
and Chas Licciardello
.
on Triple J
with fellow Chaser Chris Taylor
. The pair returned with their Sunday afternoon show Bloody Sunday to do relief shifts in mid-2006 and summer 2006-07.
Craig to return Triple J radio as moved to ABC TV entertainment shows.
team, and worked to produce their satirical newspaper
, as well as television shows on ABC TV
including The Election Chaser, CNNNN, The Chaser Decides
and The Chaser's War on Everything
.
He has been one of the main presenters on The War since the pilot episode.
He and his wife Keisha have three children together, and their son Ollie has appeared on some of the sketches on The War. Reucassel was often the one selected to confront former Prime Minister John Howard
on his morning walks, most famously in the axe stunt (see below).
was confronted by Reucassel wearing nothing but Speedos and a baseball cap, making fun of Debnam's campaign appearances in the swimwear. When TV cameras remained focused on Reucassel rather than Mr Debnam, he said, "Sorry, I'm not Peter Debnam, he's over there. Just because I'm wearing this doesn't mean I'm Peter Debnam". Reucassel stuck around for the press conference but failed to draw a response from the opposition leader, and was again ignored when he went to shake Mr Debnam's hand.
while holding a screwdriver
during one of the PM's morning walks. To test the Prime Minister's security arrangements, he approached John Howard during a morning walk and asked for a hug while holding a large plastic battle axe
. Reucassel did receive the hug, but a later approach while holding a running chainsaw
was not so successful. There was much debate surrounding whether to turn on the chainsaw and whether they would be shot at for doing this. Cut out from this segment was an unsuccessful attempt that took place between the axe and the chainsaw, in which Reucassel was holding a four-point-star mace.
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...
. He is 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...
. He currently hosts the Australian version of Balls of Steel, which premiered in April 2011.
Early years
Reucassel was born in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and later moved to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
with his parents. There, he attended Semaphore
Semaphore, South Australia
Semaphore is a north-western seaside suburb of Adelaide of the LeFevre Peninsula 14km from the CBD, in the state of South Australia, Australia and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Semaphore South, Glanville, Exeter and Largs Bay. The postcode for Semaphore is 5019...
Park Primary School. Reucassel later attended Bowral Public School in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, becoming the only Chaser member to be public school educated. In 1993 while attending the school he represented the school in the The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
Plain English Speaking competition, as did future Chaser member Julian Morrow
Julian 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...
. At the time he was noted for using game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
in his selection of HSC subjects, choosing to major in the humanities. He graduated from Bowral High School
Bowral High School
Bowral High School is a secondary public school in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. The school is one of two major public high schools in the Southern Highlands, the other being Moss Vale High School...
with a UAI
Universities Admission Index
The Universities Admission Index was used in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, as the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs...
of 99.90.
Reucassel attended the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, graduating with Arts and Law degrees. With a strong dedication to extracurricular activities on campus, Reucassel ran the Arts revue, the rowing club, and debated at several World Championships including ranking 30th in the World at Manila in 1999, and ranking 167th in Glasgow in 2001. Furthermore, in 2000 he competed in the Philip C. Jessup Cup international law mooting competition, his team winning the Australian rounds. He graduated from the Sydney Law School
Sydney Law School
Sydney Law School is the law faculty of the University of Sydney and is regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions of legal education in Australia and the Asia Pacific. Located in the main Camperdown campus of the University, with some operations at the St...
, along with Chaser colleagues Julian Morrow
Julian 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...
, 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...
and Chas Licciardello
Chas Licciardello
Chas John Licciardello is a comedian from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser...
.
Triple J
In 2004 and 2005, Reucassel co-hosted the drive-time radio show Today TodayToday Today
Today Today was a drivetime radio show on Australia-wide radio station Triple J, broadcast between 3:00pm and 5:30pm weekdays during 2004 and 2005. The title is a parody of the Australian current affairs program Today Tonight on Channel Seven....
on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
with fellow Chaser Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor (comedian)
Christopher Thornton "Chris" Taylor is an Australian comedian, writer and former radio host from Sydney. As a member of The Chaser, he is best known for co-writing and appearing on satirical ABC Television shows CNNNN and The Chaser's War on Everything...
. The pair returned with their Sunday afternoon show Bloody Sunday to do relief shifts in mid-2006 and summer 2006-07.
Craig to return Triple J radio as moved to ABC TV entertainment shows.
The Chaser's War on Everything
Reucassel was a founding member of the satirical multi-media group The ChaserThe 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...
team, and worked to produce their satirical newspaper
The Chaser (newspaper)
The Chaser was a newspaper, published in Australia by political satire group The Chaser from 1999 to 2005.The newspaper, first published on 9 May 1999, was The Chaser team's most famous enterprise. Among other things, they have published Australian Prime Minister John Howard's private, unlisted...
, as well as television shows on 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....
including The Election Chaser, CNNNN, The Chaser Decides
The Chaser Decides
The Chaser Decides is a Logie Award-winning Australian political satire based comedy program produced by The Chaser. The show provides commentary on Australian federal elections and has been broadcast in 2001, 2004 and 2007 on ABC TV...
and 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...
.
He has been one of the main presenters on The War since the pilot episode.
He and his wife Keisha have three children together, and their son Ollie has appeared on some of the sketches on The War. Reucassel was often the one selected to confront former Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
on his morning walks, most famously in the axe stunt (see below).
Speedos Incident
On 19 March 2007, during a campaign appearance for the New South Wales State Election, the then opposition leader Peter DebnamPeter Debnam
Peter John Debnam , is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Vaucluse between 1994 and 2011. Debnam is a former Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Western Sydney,...
was confronted by Reucassel wearing nothing but Speedos and a baseball cap, making fun of Debnam's campaign appearances in the swimwear. When TV cameras remained focused on Reucassel rather than Mr Debnam, he said, "Sorry, I'm not Peter Debnam, he's over there. Just because I'm wearing this doesn't mean I'm Peter Debnam". Reucassel stuck around for the press conference but failed to draw a response from the opposition leader, and was again ignored when he went to shake Mr Debnam's hand.
The Axe Stunt
On 2 August 2006, Reucassel responded to a news story about a private school student who had hugged then Prime Minister John HowardJohn Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
while holding a screwdriver
Screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...
during one of the PM's morning walks. To test the Prime Minister's security arrangements, he approached John Howard during a morning walk and asked for a hug while holding a large plastic battle axe
Battle axe
A battle axe is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes...
. Reucassel did receive the hug, but a later approach while holding a running chainsaw
Chainsaw
A chainsaw is a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine...
was not so successful. There was much debate surrounding whether to turn on the chainsaw and whether they would be shot at for doing this. Cut out from this segment was an unsuccessful attempt that took place between the axe and the chainsaw, in which Reucassel was holding a four-point-star mace.
Himself
- Good News WeekGood News WeekGood News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
- Episode #6.6 (2008) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode #6.1 (2008) TV Episode .... Himself
- The Einstein FactorThe Einstein FactorThe Einstein Factor is an Australian television quiz show that was broadcast on ABC1. The show's host is comedian and broadcaster Peter Berner. It was first broadcast in 2004 and in 2009 the show commenced its sixth and final season, with the ABC announcing the program would not be renewed in 2010....
- 01/03/2009 (2009) TV Episode .... Himself
- Rove
- 25/05/2008 (2008) TV Episode .... Himself