That's Entertainment! 07/01/2009 10:14 AM
The naughty boys of Australian television, The Chaser comedy crew, have cracked the US market.
American cable TV channel G4 has bought the American broadcast rights to the The Chaser's War on Everything.
The show will make its US debut, ironically, on Australia Day.
G4 is available in 62 million homes across the US.
The channel targets male viewers aged 17 to 36. It will air episodes already shown to Australian audiences.
Most Americans had their first taste of the Chaser comedy style in September, 2007.
Team member Chas Licciardello, dressed as al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, drove in a fake motorcade through the heavily-guarded security zone for the APEC summit in Sydney.
The stunt made headlines across the world, including the US. Dr Who? Dr Who, that's who
Little-known actor Matt Smith is to be the latest Dr Who in the long-running sci-fi series of the same name.
The 26-year-old is the 11th and youngest actor to star in the popular BBC TV show.
Smith has appeared on the London stage and stars in the political TV drama Party Animals, but remains relatively unknown.
The BBC says the new role will make him a major star in Britain, where Doctor Who regularly draws 10 million viewers an episode.
Doctor Who was first broadcast in 1963 and centres on a time-travelling alien known only as The Doctor who can regenerate into new human bodies.
Current star David Tennant plans to leave the show after four special episodes this year.
The BBC says Smith will take over in 2010.
Thornbirds the musical
Thorn Birds the musical will tour Britain this year.
Australian author Colleen McCullough has previously guarded her epic novel from attempts to adapt it for the stage.
The reclusive 71-year-old has agreed to the UK production of her popular love story directed by acclaimed English theatre director Michael Bogdanov, reports The Observer.
The Thorn Birds, a sweeping tale of forbidden love between a young woman, Meggie Cleary, and a Catholic priest, became a hit after it was published in 1977. It has sold more than 30 million copies.
An American-made television mini-series based on the book and starring Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward was broadcast in the early 1980s.
The Thorn Birds will open for previews at Swansea Grand Theatre in Wales on April 3 and 4 before touring the UK. |
