Darren & Brose are Darren Chau[1][2] and Brose Avard, two Australian based comedy writers and performers who first met whilst studying media at Latrobe University. Chau had previously been working with the comedy ensemble Chop-Socky,[3] whilst Avard had been producing and broadcasting on several Melbourne radio stations.
In 1999, they co-founded the Latrobe Media Group. Chau and Avard then wrote, performed and produced comedy variety shows for the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Channel 31 where they were responsible for the station’s first ever nightly live television program, Darren and Brose. Other programs included The Rumpus Room with Darren & Brose and Saturday Night Darren and Brose. Their 100th episode on Channel 31 featured special guests Bert Newton, Tony Martin, Glenn Ridge, Gavin Wood, Stan Zemanek and State Minister Justin Madden.[4]
Chau and Avard's first television project together was the comedy variety program, The Rumpus Room with Darren and Brose.[5] While the early shows featured Chau and Avard sharing hosting responsibilities, the team took extended time-out after the conclusion of season three before returning with a format change. Much of the new format show revolved around Chau interviewing guests intercut with a variety of sketches, music video parodies and the new addition of animations. Avard was positioned as a comic sidekick, often counter-pointing Chau's structured comedy interviewing style.
The newer format resembled an adult comedy version of a morning kids show. A highlight of season four was their 50th episode celebrations featuring special guests Jeff Jenkins and Working Dog Productions' Santo Cilauro. The show came to an end after five seasons, concluding with an outside broadcast at the Athenaeum theatre as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
In mid 2002, Chau and Avard were commissioned by Channel 31 to produce the station's first live nightly program. In this new format they sat side-by-side, sharing a desk in a small studio space. The nightly one-hour live show featured special guest interviews, sketches and animations plus regular weekly guests, including Jeff Jenkins, Billy Pinnell, Paul McCarthy, Tony Wilson, Amy Parks and Melbourne rock band Man Bites God. After 40 shows the nightly show ended at the end of 2002, and the pair did not broadcast any material in the following year.
In 2004 they returned with the weekly formatted Saturday Night Darren and Brose.[6] The show featured a house band and always began with Chau doing a monologue to camera then moving behind a desk to interview guests between sketches, while Avard assumed the classic "second banana" role. Special guests included Glenn Robbins, Ian Smith, Suzie Wilks and Tracy Bartram, along with American comedian Kenny Kramer and Late Night with Conan O'Brien regular Todd Barry.
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