Chris Taylor (comedian)

Christopher Thornton Taylor
Born	(1972-07-15) July 15, 1972 Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)	Comedian, writer, performer, broadcaster
Years active	2001–present
Known for	The Chaser, CNNNN, The Chaser's War on Everything, Today Today, The Blow Parade, Upright

Christopher Thornton Taylor (born 15 July 1972) is a Sydney-based Australian comedian, writer, performer, and broadcaster. As an original member of The Chaser, he gained recognition for co-writing and appearing in satirical programs on ABC Television, including CNNNN (2002–2003) and The Chaser's War on Everything (2006–2009). Alongside fellow Chaser member Craig Reucassel, he co-hosted the drive-time radio program Today Today (2004–05) on Triple J. In 2007, Taylor penned the musical comedy Dead Caesar. He also fronted the short documentary series Australia's Heritage: National Treasures. Together with Andrew Hansen, Taylor developed the musical comedy radio series The Blow Parade in 2010 for Triple J, which became Australia's leading podcast and earned the 2010 ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release. In 2019, he created and co-wrote the drama series Upright, featuring Tim Minchin, which was critically praised in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Early years

Taylor was raised on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and North Shore regions and attended Shore School in North Sydney.

He earned an arts degree from the University of Sydney and pursued playwriting studies at the NIDA. At age 21, he transitioned to studying journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney. In 1997, Taylor moved to Melbourne after obtaining a journalism cadetship with the ABC.

During five years as an ABC journalist, including two as a court reporter, he covered major cases such as the murder of toddler Jaidyn Leskie, the tragic Longford gas explosion, and Victorian premier Jeff Kennett’s defamation lawsuit against The Australian. Returning to Sydney in 2001, he committed full-time to work on The Chaser's newspaper, eventually becoming a key member of the team.

Outside his media endeavors, Taylor participates in amateur cricket with "The Mighty Ducks," playing alongside colleagues Julian Morrow and Charles Firth.

CNNNN

In 2001, after being offered a television opportunity by Andrew Denton, The Chaser produced their debut ABC show, The Election Chaser, focusing on the 2001 Australian federal election. This led to further ABC TV projects such as two seasons of the Logie Award-winning CNNNN (2002–03), where Taylor portrayed chief commentator, followed by The Chaser Decides in 2004, covering the 2004 Australian federal election.

Triple J

Beyond television, Taylor teamed up with fellow Chaser member Andrew Hansen to create the musical comedy series The Blow Parade for Australian radio station Triple J during April-May 2010, offered as a limited free download.

He also joined forces with fellow Chaser Craig Reucassel to host Triple J’s drive-time program Today Today from 2004 to 2005. During this period, Taylor wrote and performed the weekly Coma FM sketch, parodying commercial radio formats. He co-hosted Bloody Sunday with Reucassel in 2006 and 2007, encouraging listeners to engage in Wikipedia page vandalism as part of the show’s irreverent humor. In 2008, they returned with The Race Race, covering the US presidential election; it rapidly became Australia's most popular podcast.

Taylor also acted as official understudy to Roy Slaven at Triple J, broadcasting alongside HG Nelson on This Sporting Life, and substituting during Twenty20 cricket coverage when Slaven was unavailable.

A memorable moment occurred when Taylor streaked across the Sydney grounds during the Big Day Out festival after the theme song from Media Watch reached number seven in the 'Triple J Hottest 100' Countdown, fulfilling a widely publicized bet.

The Chaser's War on Everything

Taylor, affectionately called "Tayls" by his peers, is a key host on The Chaser's War on Everything. He holds the roles of script editor and lead writer for the show, crafting numerous segments, sketches, and songs, some of which have provoked public debate.

Appearance on Sunrise

In the sketch titled "Will You Divorce Me?", Taylor made an appearance on Sunrise, a live morning talk show broadcasted on Channel 7. During the segment, he addressed his wife before shouting "Get the fuck out of my life" directly at the camera. Although the scene appeared to be live, it was exclusively broadcast on The Chaser's War on Everything. The clip quickly gained viral status, with Taylor and the show’s hosts later clarifying that it was filmed on the Sunrise set after the program had ended. The expletive was improvised and took everyone by surprise.

Tim Freedman parody

Taylor stirred controversy involving Tim Freedman, frontman of indie group The Whitlams. On 7 October 2007, Freedman posted a statement on the band's official site regarding a parody featured in the 3 October episode of The War, penned by Taylor and performed by fellow Chaser Andrew Hansen. The parody suggested Freedman had an obsession with Sydney’s Newtown neighborhood. Freedman asserted that this was motivated by jealousy related to Anna Skellern, a non-regular cast member of CNNNN, whom both men had dated; Taylor denied any such connection. Hansen later disclosed that the matter was settled amicably, and in the final episode of Season 3, Freedman appeared in a cameo involving a humorous simulated oral sex scene with Taylor.

The Eulogy Song

On the 17 October 2007 installment of The War, Andrew Hansen performed The Eulogy Song, which was written by Taylor. The piece satirized several deceased public figures such as Peter Brock, Princess Diana, Donald Bradman, Steve Irwin, Stan Zemanek, John Lennon, Jeff Buckley, and Kerry Packer, emphasizing how flawed individuals are often idealized after their passing. The song attracted widespread media attention, with some radio and television personalities criticizing it as being in poor taste. Both then Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd publicly voiced their disapproval.

Taylor defended the composition as a valid commentary on how media tends to glorify celebrities posthumously. He mentioned it was a toned-down adaptation of an original number from the musical Dead Caesar, where a verse about Rene Rivkin was replaced by one focusing on Stan Zemanek.

Andrew Hansen later revived an updated rendition during his 2020 national tour.

Dead Caesar

Beyond his contributions to The Chaser's War on Everything, Taylor authored the musical comedy play Dead Caesar. It debuted at the Sydney Theatre Company on 1 February 2007, followed by a subsequent one-month engagement in July that year. The production, inspired by Julius Caesar’s life story, featured original compositions by Andrew Hansen, who also portrayed both Mark Antony and Lucius. Notably, the infamous Eulogy Song originated from this theatrical work.

Later career

Taylor has often taken on the role of substitute host at ABC Radio Sydney, including covering the breakfast show for his Chaser teammate Craig Reucassel.

Albums

Album catalogue

Title	Album information
The Blow Parade (collaborating with Andrew Hansen and Craig Shuftan)	Release date: April 2010 Label: Triple J, ABC (2740476) Available formats: 2xCD, digital download

ARIA Music Awards

Since 1987, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has hosted the ARIA Music Awards, an annual event celebrating outstanding achievements in various Australian music categories.

! Ref. |- | 2010 | The Blow Parade (featuring Andrew Hansen and Craig Shuftan) | Best Comedy Release | |

External links

• Today Today on Triple J
• 2003 Interview – The Thrill Of The Chase
• 2007 Sydney Morning Herald Interview
• 2007 ABC Interview
• Chris Taylor, Hell Is For Hyphenates, 31 October 2013