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{{Short description|Australian comedy duo}}
{{unreferenced|date=December 2006}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
]'''Merrick Watts''' and '''Tim Ross''' ('''Merrick and Rosso''') are an ]n ] duo, best known for their typically Australian attitude and form of humour. They first came to prominence performing a weekly guest spot on the ] program on ] radio in 1998. Following this, they became fulltime presenters for that segment for the next two years. In ], they were snapped up by commercial ] rival ] for the breakfast radio shift (6am to 9am). They currently hold this time slot as breakfast broadcasters (] and parts of ]) as ] became a national radio station.
{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}
{{infobox comedian
| name = Merrick and Rosso
| nationality= Australian
| medium = Radio, television, DVDs, books, tours, podcast
| genre = Stand-up comedy
| notable_work = {{bulleted|'']'' (TV)|''Planet Merrick and Rosso'' (Television)|'']'' (TV)|'']'' drive program (radio)|'']'' (radio breakfast program)}}
| past_members = ]<br>]
}}
'''Merrick and Rosso''' were an ]n ] duo active from 1996 to 2009, composed of ] (Merrick) and ] (Rosso). The duo began in ], and first came together when they teamed up for what was intended to be a one-off comedy show in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merrickandrosso.com/about.html |title=Print |accessdate=2010-07-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711045815/http://www.merrickandrosso.com/about.html |archivedate=11 July 2010}}</ref> They are best known for their syndicated radio programs, TV shows, stand up comedy tours, comedy DVDs and books.


==Radio program==
In ] their television show '']'' debuted on the ], based on the antiformat established by '']'' in the UK. This was not their first foray into television - they had a short-lived cable television show, ''Planet Merrick and Rosso'' (later known as ''Super Planet Merrick and Rosso'').
Merrick and Rosso first came to prominence on radio ] performing a weekly guest spot on the drive-time program in 1998. They became full-time presenters for that segment for the next two years; regulars on their show included ] and ].


In 2001, they moved to newly launched commercial ] station ] for the breakfast radio shift (6am to 9am). They remained in this time slot from the station's launch until the show's end. ] at one time served as a co-host until she moved to Brisbane at the end of 2007. In 2008, actress ] began to co-host the show.
==The B Team==
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] -->Around September 2005, Merrick and Rosso began filming for their second television series, ''The B Team''. It was in a completely different format made entirely of short skits with minimal audience interaction. This was a substantial change from ''Merrick and Rosso Unplanned''. ''The B Team'' aired in late 2005 on ] at 9.30pm on Wednesday throughout Australia. It rated poorly.


In 2009, previous co-host Lukis started co-hosting a breakfast program on ] in Sydney, directly competing with Merrick and Rosso. On 10 November 2009, Ross announced his impending departure from the Merrick, Rosso & Kate breakfast show. Ritchie also announced her departure from the show, while Watts planned to continue on radio. Ross's departure ended an 11-year radio partnership with Watts.<ref>{{cite news | date = 10 November 2009 | title = Breakfast radio shake-up as Merrick, Rosso split | url = http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,26329246-5013560,00.html | work = ] | accessdate=2009-11-10}}</ref> Merrick and Rosso's final radio show as a duo on Nova 969 took place on 4 December 2009. Tributes were paid to them by comedians including ] and ], as well as celebrities such as ] and ]. Snippets of the duo's favourite prank calls were played, as well as an audio montage of highlights from the past nine years.
Some characters created by the boys include ], Dimitri the dodgy mobile phone dealer, ] and ].


==Television programs ==
] are satires of the traditional "] bogan" and are supposedly from ].
Their first foray into television was a short-lived pay TV show, ''Planet Merrick and Rosso'' (later known as ''Super Planet Merrick and Rosso'') on ]. In 2003 their television show '']'' debuted on the ], based on the antiformat established by '']'' in the UK. It featured comedy, chat and audience interaction which ran for three seasons. In 2005, Merrick and Rosso starred in the television series '']'' on ]. On 7 July 2007 they presented at ].


Merrick Watts has also appeared in the comedy series '']'' and '']''. In 2008, the duo starred in a new comedy series, '']'' on ]. He has also appeared as ], a New Zealand drug dealer who was originally the leader of the Mr Asia drug syndicate in the hit series '']''.
The character 'Dimitri' is of Mediterranean heritage or Middle eastern descent and appears to be very temperamental. He regularly misinterprets what other characters say and takes offence presuming they insulted his sister. Immediately thereafter, his aggression turns physical and he generally kicks or punches the air. Finally, he tells himself to calm down ("what would ] do in this situation? .... walk away") and approached the "offending character" with a proposition.


== The Merrick & Rosso Show ==
] is a character played by Rosso in which he dresses as ] within Sydney and Los Angeles. Amazingly there were a few members of the public that were fooled despite the only similarity between Rosso and Russell being facial hair and accent.
In 2008, Merrick and Rosso returned to Australia's Comedy Channel with an original format entitled '']''. A mixture of sketches, stunts and parodies, often featuring the guest star, it quickly became the highest rating show in the channel's fifteen-year history. Guests throughout the first season were ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].


One popular sketch that picked up a following on YouTube and FunnyorDie was 'The Almost Transformers' which featured the stars disguised as a fridge and a washing machine for the purpose of terrifying shoppers. Another stunt included adopting an entire village in PNG (a popular trend amongst Hollywood celebrities) and renaming it Merrick & Rosso Land, distributing T-shirts bearing slogans such as "Sorry Madonna, I'm Taken", "Angelina Rejected Me" and "Property of Merrick And Rosso".
The boys have acknowledged on ] that they had contacted ] and the actor himself has supplied Merrick and Rosso with some of his own clothing to help them pull off the stunt. Merrick and Rosso quoted ] by stating that he found them to be "funny bastards" in a letter he wrote to them accompanying the aforementioned supplied items. Clothing includes a navy blue vest, a blue ] Cap and a green and red ] Rugby League team jersey with a ] logo.


Guests for the second series included ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], ] and cricketer ].
== The Podcast ==

Merrick and Rosso record their own podcast daily after they complete their breakfast show on Nova 96.9. Their podcast is a mix of email reading and prank calls. In the middle of 2006 they held a "Podcast Reunion" in Auckland, New Zealand in an attempt to gather a large number of fans of the podcast for a few drinks. Apparently no more than six people turned up. Despite this fact, the podcast is a popular one, reaching thousands of listeners.
The show also created the anti-testimonial, where big-name celebrity guests who came into the Nova studios were given (often scripted) material and invited to explain why they could not or did not want to appear on the TV show. Anti-Testimonials were given by ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

==Podcast==
Apart from the official ] breakfast show podcast, Merrick & Rosso also recorded their own podcast Original Pirate Material on a daily basis. Their podcast is a mix of email reading, uncensored material and prank calls. The last Original Pirate Material podcast was published on 15 November 2006.

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:17em;"| Details
! colspan="1"| Peak positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="50"| ]<br/><ref>{{cite Ryan|page=185}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''Choice Cuts''
|
* Release date: November 2000
* Label: ABC Audio (5298442)
* Formats: CD
| —
|-
! scope="row"| '']''
|
* Release date: November 2002
* Label: Sony Music (5101842000)
* Formats: CD
| 52
|}

===Video albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Title
! Details
|-
! scope="row"| ''Live and Totally Wrong''
|
* Release date: November 2007
* Formats: DVD
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! Title
! Year
|-
! scope="row"|"Teenage Mullet Fury"<br />{{small|(with The Echuca Moama Sound Machine)}}
| 1998
|}

==Awards and nominations==
===ARIA Music Awards===
The ] are a set of annual ceremonies presented by ] (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the ]. They commenced in 1987.

{{awards table}}
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| ]
| ''Teenage Mullet Fury''
| rowspan="3"| ]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3"| <ref name="awards">{{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history/award/Best-Comedy-Release|title=ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)|access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>
|-
| ]
| ''From Us to Youse''
| {{won}}
|-
| ]
| ''Live and Totally Wrong!''
| {{nom}}
{{end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* *
*
*
* *
*
*
*


{{Authority control}}
{{Australia-comedian-stub}}


] {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrick And Rosso}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 08:58, 20 August 2024

Australian comedy duo

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Merrick and Rosso" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Merrick and Rosso
MediumRadio, television, DVDs, books, tours, podcast
NationalityAustralian
GenresStand-up comedy
Notable works and roles
Former membersMerrick Watts
Tim Ross

Merrick and Rosso were an Australian comedy duo active from 1996 to 2009, composed of Merrick Watts (Merrick) and Tim Ross (Rosso). The duo began in stand up comedy, and first came together when they teamed up for what was intended to be a one-off comedy show in 1996. They are best known for their syndicated radio programs, TV shows, stand up comedy tours, comedy DVDs and books.

Radio program

Merrick and Rosso first came to prominence on radio Triple J performing a weekly guest spot on the drive-time program in 1998. They became full-time presenters for that segment for the next two years; regulars on their show included Myf Warhurst and Peter Helliar.

In 2001, they moved to newly launched commercial radio station Nova 96.9 for the breakfast radio shift (6am to 9am). They remained in this time slot from the station's launch until the show's end. Sami Lukis at one time served as a co-host until she moved to Brisbane at the end of 2007. In 2008, actress Kate Ritchie began to co-host the show.

In 2009, previous co-host Lukis started co-hosting a breakfast program on Triple M in Sydney, directly competing with Merrick and Rosso. On 10 November 2009, Ross announced his impending departure from the Merrick, Rosso & Kate breakfast show. Ritchie also announced her departure from the show, while Watts planned to continue on radio. Ross's departure ended an 11-year radio partnership with Watts. Merrick and Rosso's final radio show as a duo on Nova 969 took place on 4 December 2009. Tributes were paid to them by comedians including Peter Helliar and Judith Lucy, as well as celebrities such as Tom Williams and Ray Hadley. Snippets of the duo's favourite prank calls were played, as well as an audio montage of highlights from the past nine years.

Television programs

Their first foray into television was a short-lived pay TV show, Planet Merrick and Rosso (later known as Super Planet Merrick and Rosso) on The Comedy Channel. In 2003 their television show Merrick and Rosso Unplanned debuted on the Nine Network, based on the antiformat established by Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned in the UK. It featured comedy, chat and audience interaction which ran for three seasons. In 2005, Merrick and Rosso starred in the television series The B Team on Network Ten. On 7 July 2007 they presented at Live Earth.

Merrick Watts has also appeared in the comedy series The Hollowmen and Thank God You're Here. In 2008, the duo starred in a new comedy series, The Merrick & Rosso Show on The Comedy Channel. He has also appeared as Marty Johnstone, a New Zealand drug dealer who was originally the leader of the Mr Asia drug syndicate in the hit series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.

The Merrick & Rosso Show

In 2008, Merrick and Rosso returned to Australia's Comedy Channel with an original format entitled The Merrick & Rosso Show. A mixture of sketches, stunts and parodies, often featuring the guest star, it quickly became the highest rating show in the channel's fifteen-year history. Guests throughout the first season were Ray Martin, Brendan Cowell, Kate Ritchie, The Veronicas, Stephen Curry, Ian Thorpe, Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald, Peter Helliar, Hugh Jackman, Dicko and Judith Lucy.

One popular sketch that picked up a following on YouTube and FunnyorDie was 'The Almost Transformers' which featured the stars disguised as a fridge and a washing machine for the purpose of terrifying shoppers. Another stunt included adopting an entire village in PNG (a popular trend amongst Hollywood celebrities) and renaming it Merrick & Rosso Land, distributing T-shirts bearing slogans such as "Sorry Madonna, I'm Taken", "Angelina Rejected Me" and "Property of Merrick And Rosso".

Guests for the second series included Will Ferrell, The Wiggles, Ed Phillips, Tommy Williams, Magda Szubanski, Bob Evans, Eskimo Joe, David Wenham, Asher Keddie, Charlotte Dawson and Alex Perry, Antonia Kidman and cricketer Stuart MacGill.

The show also created the anti-testimonial, where big-name celebrity guests who came into the Nova studios were given (often scripted) material and invited to explain why they could not or did not want to appear on the TV show. Anti-Testimonials were given by Will Smith, Lily Allen, Russell Brand, Chris Rock, Ryan Reynolds, Kelly Clarkson, Rhys Darby, Seth Rogen, Macy Gray, Eric Hutchinson and Cesar Millan.

Podcast

Apart from the official Nova 96.9 breakfast show podcast, Merrick & Rosso also recorded their own podcast Original Pirate Material on a daily basis. Their podcast is a mix of email reading, uncensored material and prank calls. The last Original Pirate Material podcast was published on 15 November 2006.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak positions
AUS
Choice Cuts
  • Release date: November 2000
  • Label: ABC Audio (5298442)
  • Formats: CD
 —
From Us to Youse
  • Release date: November 2002
  • Label: Sony Music (5101842000)
  • Formats: CD
 52

Video albums

Title Details
Live and Totally Wrong
  • Release date: November 2007
  • Formats: DVD

Singles

Title Year
"Teenage Mullet Fury"
(with The Echuca Moama Sound Machine) 		1998

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1999 Teenage Mullet Fury Best Comedy Release Nominated
2003 From Us to Youse Won
2008 Live and Totally Wrong! Nominated

References

  1. "Print". Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  2. "Breakfast radio shake-up as Merrick, Rosso split". news.com.au. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  3. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 185.
  4. "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 17 April 2022.

External links

Categories: