What do you get when you put two members from The Chaser team, one of those responsible for Hungry Beast and a representative from consumer group CHOICE? Quite a few very nervous corporations and current affairs programs, we imagine.
You also get, from March, The Checkout - a ten part series that looks to expose some of the nastier tricks that see Australian consumers ripped off and manipulated and will hopefully inform people so they can make some better informed spending decisions.
The Chaser's Craig Reucassel and Julian Morrow are onboard, as is Hungry Beast presenter Kirsten Drysdale and CHOICE journalist Kate Browne. The show is a co-production between ABC TV, Chaser production team Giant Dwarf and so-called "super-indie" TV production company Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder.
Issues such as parental guilt, sneaky photographic tricks, consumer psychology and more will be addressed and, because it's 2013, the show will have a strong focus on social media, with angered consumers encouraged to send in their own complaints, tips and rumours for inclusion on the show.
The show premieres Thursday 21 March at 8pm on ABC TV.
And, just because they're funny, here are a few quotes from the press release.
“The Checkout is consumer affairs TV for the 21st century, and who better to go into battle for consumers than Julian Morrow and Craig Reucassel?” Jennifer Collins, ABC TV's Head of Entertainment said.
“I can think of so many people who would be better to go into battle for consumers, countered Presenter and Executive Producer Julian Morrow. "But the election's not until September so this should pass the time."
“Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder has a proud track record of producing innovative and engaging factual television. There's every chance that working with Craig and Julian will ruin that,” said Executive Producer Nick Murray.
Former ABC Director of Television Kim Dalton said: “I am so glad I'm not going to be at the ABC for this.”
