Chaser “Make a Realistic Wish” branded tasteless
UPDATED: The ABC has apologised to viewers for a sketch with child actors playing terminally ill patients and will delete it from a repeat tonight.
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UPDATED: Statement from Kim Dalton, Director of ABC TV and Julian Morrow, Executive Producer The Chaser’s War on Everything
The Chaser’s War on Everything is a satirical program aimed at provoking debate and providing social commentary on topical issues, current affairs and public life in general.
The sketch in last night’s show called ‘Making A Realistic Wish Foundation” was a satirical sketch and black comedy.
The ABC and The Chaser did not intend to hurt those who have been affected by the terminal illness of a child. We acknowledge the distress this segment has caused and we apologise to anyone we have upset.
As a result, ABC TV will edit the segment out of tonight’s repeat screening on ABC2 and on-line.
It hasn’t taken long for The Chaser’s War on Everything to land back in hot water after a sketch last night on “terminally ill” children.
The ABC was inundated with callers outraged by the “Make a Realistic Wish Foundation” skit in which Andrew Hansen and Chris Taylor ask actors playing hospital bed-ridden children what they wish for.
ABC’s website has begun attracting criticism:
– “What on earth were the people involved with the show thinking? not only the morons that came up with the idea of the skit but also all the people down the production line who approved it.”
– “As a half decent person I can only apologise for their poor behaviour. It is a sad inditement on our society that this is entertainment and even sadder are the people that pay them to do it.”
– ‘When television entertainment has to stoop as low as these b@stards did tonight (the ‘skit’ about the Unrealistic Wish society for sick kids) for laughs, the entire thing is damaged beyond repair.”
– “The make a realistic wish skit was the most appalling thing I have ever seen on TV. Are these idiots so insensitive that they would send up children in such a sad situation.”
Last week the return of the ABC attracted considerable criticism for not being funny enough.
Source: news.com.au, ABC
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130 Responses
The outrage the sketch has provoked has me in stitches. I’m glad my tax dollars have been so well spent.
Keep up the good work Chaser!
The ABC should be ashamed for allowing a segment like that to air. This is completely negligent on their behalf.
Where is that whining old cow from Government now that screamed when Big Brother hows some controversy.
For those that found it funny or couldn’t care either way and who have not had a child dying, or know of one that is – imagine it a little.
I have no doubt that the ABC allowed this for water cooler gossip to get ratings. When do ratings mean pointed disregard for humanity for the sake of humor…………..Stick your apology up your butt (have a few other great places that i am sure cannot be published).
I will never watch the ABC again.
I too found the Inbredy Bunch sketch more distasteful than this sketch.
I don’t see why people are getting so angry about this sketch – sketches of similar humour were made for years on Comedy Inc.
I’m on the fence. Sure it was tasteless, but it was also funny, and they make fun of everything. It’s a bit like south park, where the creators say that if they are prevented from making fun of one particular thing, soon enough everything will be off limits. I know the comparisons are a bit different though.
tanya says:” you ppl make me sick how dare you go into a hosp and stand next to bed of a sick child and make fun of them”
Tanya i agree the skit was in bad taste, but they did not go into a hospital and stand next too sick kids and make fun of them… the kids were actors.
Ive always found The Chasers humour very hit and miss. This season has been very unorigional, most of the skits seeming more in place for Comedy Inc than a satirical cutting edge programme.
Most of their stuff has been done before by others and a hell of a lot better.
The Make A Wish skit where they, yet again, poked fun at terminal illness was enough for me not to tune in again. Such a delicate subject can either be darkly satirical or just juvinile and offensive – they are always the latter.
One other thing: you didn’t hear any outrage for the disabled Jewish skit (“Oscar Bait” or whatever it was)…. not a peep, for something which could potentially have caused international problems… not one word about that… (I wasn’t offended by it, but I thought it was potentially more offensive than the “Make a Realistic Wish” skit
Chaser are a bit like that annoying nephew who did something great once and now keeps trying to top it. But each time it just gets worse and worse. Everyone in the family is polite and no one wants to tell him its over.
The Chaser is a shadow of its former self. Use to be controversial and funny, now just controversial. Honestly, I dont care about the skit in question but it’s amazing how tv shows can just all of a sudden lose their magic. The fab APEC days seem so long ago. This reminds me of the final year of the Comedy company when they took on environmental themes – the laughs just disappeared.
Ha! Its not that bad.
English please tanya.
Similar sketches/bits have appeared on lots of other shows with no backlash whatsoever (Chappelle’s Show, for example). This only made headlines because it’s the Chaser, same with the Eulogy Song. Selective outrage is getting out of hand.
Lol Tanya, you are kidding right?
First of all, learn to communicate in coherent, legible sentences with correct grammar.
Secondly, learn the difference between a hospital and a set, and sick children and actors! Lol!
love how everyone always spouts if you don’t like it don’t watch it- be careful what you wish for, if all those people offended do actually switch off the ratings could plummet and the show may not get another season, then where will you be.
plus a generic warning not to watch if you get offended is meaningless, offended by what? there is no context, it is way too vague to have any meaning. people may not be offended by the vast majority of things but there will always be at least 1 thing that offends a person, no one is totally incapable of ever being offended by anything.
what if some sick kids actually take this to heart and feel too guilty to request what they really want because they don’t want to be seen as selfish. children who are ill do not need guilt added to their burdens. and “why go to any trouble when they are only going to die anyway” in other words go off to some corner to curl up and die we don’t want to know about it or see it, we can see who is really selfish and spoilt can’t we. if they hit someone with their car they’d probably expect an apology for having their paint job messed up.
Very telling that the News Ltd press is seething with outrage about the skit, whilst The Age doesn’t even deem it worthy of a headline…
you ppl make me sick how dare you go into a hosp and stand next to bed of a sick child and make fun of them you ppl need to be taken of the air and never to be put back on abc you should be ashamed of yourself these ppl are loosers. Have you had a child in your life who is sick? i dont think so our you would never say anything like you did i have a lil boy in my life who has cancer he is 4 and has been sick for 2 and a half years he is having kemo daily and his family has been through more than you could ever imagine. If you are sorry as you say you are (which i dont think you would be as you would no better!!!) you should be giving a could donation to the make a wish and hey because you like to hang out in the hosp so much how about you donate your time to the hosp and do some bloody good for a change.
Personally I thought the Hans Frizl “Inbredy Bunch” skit was more appalling and in even poorer taste, but then, thats just a matter of my personal taste. If you dont like it then don’t watch it. If you watch the Chaser then you run the risk of getting offended. Getting your dander up over a comedy skit is totally pointless, people – get over it and get a life.
My biggest problem is that they don’t seem to understand the meaning on satire. That was not satirical.
Fine, let me get a dictionary:
noun 1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
Do cancer victims and charity count as “vice” or “folly”?
Hardly.
Black, sure, satirical, noooo.
Whether it’s funny or not is relative. While I don’t find it funny at all, other people would find it hilarious, and each view is as valid as the other. So rather than attack the viewing public for their taste in humour, I’m gonna go straight to the source on this one…
Chaser boys – what in the blue hell were you thinking? You’ve made a living off mocking public figures and, frankly, I’m all for it. Part of public life, as far as I’m concerned. But what on earth would drive you to lampoon the wishes of a dying child? A defenseless, terminally-ill child who wants nothing more than a brief distraction from the tragic reality that their future is going to be cut short. Never mind the parents. How would the parents feel, watching you mock their desperate plight as they prepare themselves for the reality of burying their child? Then there’s the siblings, the uncles, the aunties, the friends… Anybody who’s had the misfortune of losing a child. You’ve just taken a swipe at each and every one of them.
So take note Australia, the best thing you can do is vote with your remote and send The Chaser’s ratings down next week. Then maybe they’ll understand that this sort of stuff just isn’t on.
For those who are boycotting the show: good for you. Let the rest of us enjoy the Chaser in peace. 🙂
So basically, The Chaser is a reckless comedy show with
a Bart Simpson complex? Is that it?
“Absolutely disgusting!! How in Gods name was that funny??? I found it heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to people that are in the position of having a terminally ill child and may have been watching the show for abit of a laugh!
You’ve definately lost me as a viewer! Never again!!”
Really? Your going to stop watching a whole TV series because you thought one segment was offensive? Get over it. While it may have not been their funniest or more intelligent sketches it was a Joke!
They weren’t trying to demean the Make a Wish Foundation it was just dark humour. If you want to see something really offensive read Holocaust articles from encyclopediadramatica
The *idea* of the Chaser is to cause controversy. This is exactly what they want, and they will almost certainly have a much bigger audience next week.
What craziness will next week bring??
Absolutely disgusting!! How in Gods name was that funny??? I found it heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to people that are in the position of having a terminally ill child and may have been watching the show for abit of a laugh!
You’ve definately lost me as a viewer! Never again!!
Whether you like or dislike the skit (I don’t particularly really care either way, as the show is what it is), The Chaser have taken a page out of the Madonna school of marketing, which is generate a controversy, in order to get money can’t buy publicity. The episode would’ve been hit (ratings wise) by the State of Origin in NSW and Qld, but the national ratings for next week’s show will likely be double, so while ABC have to be politically correct and offer apologies, they’d wish
(as would other TV stations) all their shows could get this much free publicity.