Julian Morrow
Encyclopedia
Julian Francis Xavier Morrow (born 1975) 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
. As a member of The Chaser he has appeared on several ABC Television
programs including CNNNN and The Chaser's War on Everything
, of which he is also executive producer
.
, a playwright and English teacher at St Ignatius' College, Riverview
, who has written for musicals including "Shout! The Legend of the Wild One", and "Dusty - The Original Pop Diva". Before becoming a comedian, Morrow graduated in law at University of Sydney
. He then worked for the law firm Blake Dawson Waldron, now Blake Dawson
. Morrow is married to the Sydney Morning Herald columnist and former opinion page editor Lisa Pryor
. The couple had a child in September. He claims to be a lapsed Catholic.
correspondent, always appearing on a plasma screen behind the main news anchors.
Morrow has been a regular on The Chaser's War On Everything
since the pilot episode. His main field assignments include "Pursuit Trivia", where he poses random Trivial Pursuit
questions at press conferences, and as the "Citizens' Infringement Officer".
In the latter role, Morrow, while impersonating a parking inspector, hands out fines to unsuspecting passers-by identified as a nuisance to society. These menaces include parking inspectors themselves, people with annoying mobile phone ringtones, parents who give their children bad names, people with personalised "wanker" number plate
s, people over-proud of their tattoos, people who wear cheesy T-shirts with lame messages and people who wear their pants too low.
Another Morrow segment is "Open Mic", in which he uses the public address system of a shopping centre, grocery store
or pokies club to deliver a 'community service' announcement such as 'Please go home' or 'Can we please have a minute's silence?'.
In November 2006, Morrow filled in as presenter on 702 ABC Sydney
for the Breakfast and Evenings programs. He also presented the Breakfast Show on 702 for the 2008 Australia Day
Public Holiday.
In November 2009, Morrow was the lecturer for the 2009 Andrew Olle Media Lecture
, speaking on offensive items in the media.
summit in Sydney
. Despite high security, the team managed to get two SUV
s, a black limousine
flying Canadian flag
, four "runners" (one of whom was Morrow) carrying hand-held video cameras, and two motorcycles past 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. He was waved through. The motorcade got within 10 metres of the hotel where then United States
President George W. Bush
was staying. Police only realised the motorcade was a hoax when Chas Licciardello
, dressed as Osama bin Laden
, stepped out of the limousine.
Morrow joked that there were plans for most his fellow Chaser members to be arrested, and Licciardello shot, even though at the time of the interview, there were no plans, as stated by Morrow and fellow members of The Chaser in their DVD commentary.
After 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.
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 the 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...
. As a member of The Chaser he has appeared on several ABC Television
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....
programs including CNNNN 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...
, of which he is also executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
.
Personal life
Educated at St Aloysius' College in Sydney, Morrow is the son of Melvyn MorrowMelvyn Morrow
Melvyn Morrow is an Australian playwright.He co-wrote "Shout! The Legend of the Wild One" and "Dusty - The Original Pop Diva" with John-Michael Howson and David Mitchell....
, a playwright and English teacher at St Ignatius' College, Riverview
St Ignatius' College, Riverview
Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school for boys, located in Riverview, a small suburb situated on the Lane Cove River on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, who has written for musicals including "Shout! The Legend of the Wild One", and "Dusty - The Original Pop Diva". Before becoming a comedian, Morrow graduated in law at 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...
. He then worked for the law firm Blake Dawson Waldron, now Blake Dawson
Blake Dawson
Blake Dawson is a commercial law firm that operates in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia it is considered one of the "Big Six" law firms.Blake Dawson was previously known as Blake Dawson Waldron or BDW...
. Morrow is married to the Sydney Morning Herald columnist and former opinion page editor Lisa Pryor
Lisa Pryor
Lisa Pryor is an Australian journalist and author. Born in Sydney in 1978, she was educated at Ravenswood, where she achieved a TER score of 100, and the University of Sydney, where she graduated in arts and law. She is a journalist and columnist with the Sydney Morning Herald, where she has also...
. The couple had a child in September. He claims to be a lapsed Catholic.
The Chaser
Morrow first became known in the Chaser production CNNNN, in which he portrayed the WashingtonWashington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
correspondent, always appearing on a plasma screen behind the main news anchors.
Morrow has been a regular 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...
since the pilot episode. His main field assignments include "Pursuit Trivia", where he poses random Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
questions at press conferences, and as the "Citizens' Infringement Officer".
In the latter role, Morrow, while impersonating a parking inspector, hands out fines to unsuspecting passers-by identified as a nuisance to society. These menaces include parking inspectors themselves, people with annoying mobile phone ringtones, parents who give their children bad names, people with personalised "wanker" number plate
Number plate
A number plate may be:* a vehicle registration plate* a plate attached to a locomotive indicating their number, particularly in the UK and Australia, which are often collected as memorabilia....
s, people over-proud of their tattoos, people who wear cheesy T-shirts with lame messages and people who wear their pants too low.
Another Morrow segment is "Open Mic", in which he uses the public address system of a shopping centre, grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
or pokies club to deliver a 'community service' announcement such as 'Please go home' or 'Can we please have a minute's silence?'.
In November 2006, Morrow filled in as presenter on 702 ABC Sydney
702 ABC Sydney
702 ABC Sydney is an ABC radio station in Sydney, Australia. It is the flagship station in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 702 kHz on the AM dial....
for the Breakfast and Evenings programs. He also presented the Breakfast Show on 702 for the 2008 Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
Public Holiday.
In November 2009, Morrow was the lecturer for the 2009 Andrew Olle Media Lecture
Andrew Olle Media Lecture
The Andrew Olle Media Lecture was established in 1996 by the presenters and staff at 702 ABC Sydney to honour the memory of ABC Radio broadcaster Andrew Olle, who died in 1995 of a brain tumour.The Andrew Olle Lecturers have been:...
, speaking on offensive items in the media.
APEC 2007
Perhaps the most controversial stunt involving Morrow and the Chaser team was the fake motorcade during the APEC Australia 2007APEC 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...
. Despite high security, the team managed to get 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 limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
flying Canadian flag
Flag of Canada
The national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and , is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag...
, four "runners" (one of whom was Morrow) carrying hand-held video cameras, and two motorcycles past 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. He was waved through. The motorcade got within 10 metres of the hotel where then United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 the motorcade was a hoax when 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...
, 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...
, stepped out of the limousine.
Morrow joked that there were plans for most his fellow Chaser members to be arrested, and Licciardello shot, even though at the time of the interview, there were no plans, as stated by Morrow and fellow members of The Chaser in their DVD commentary.
After 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.
External links
- Profile of Julian Morrow from the website of his former employer Blake Dawson