The Chaser's Craig Reucassel gears up for new panel show, The Unbelievable Truth

CRAIG Reucassel is well known to politicians of all stripes as a member of The Chaser.

reucassel

CRAIG Reucassel is well known to politicians of all stripes as a member of The Chaser.

Early last year he hosted prank comedy series Balls of Steel, which became The Comedy Channel's highest rating series ever. This week he begins filming a new panel show, The Unbelievable Truth, for Channel 7.

Finish this sentence. Any show (Balls of Steel) that features nude twins is ...

... one season away from nude triplets.

Did you ever think you would be sharing a TV show with "Baby" John Burgess?

Yes, but I thought I would be a contestant being told that if my name was called I had to act like someone with a maniacal desire to win white goods.

What character traits does a person need to win the "balls of steel" title?

They need to be devoid of shame. And they need to be dodgy enough to stack the audience with family members who will vote for them.

Are you much of a practical joker?

Not generally. But, despite having done it a million times, I am still amused by changing friends' phones to another language. I especially like it if they only realise several hours later, because they find it very hard to call and complain to me without learning Thai.

Who is your personal favourite among the Balls of Steel contestants and why?

I'm not going to choose one over another. Some of them are slightly unhinged and might come after me.

The Chaser team had a big hit with The Hamster Wheel last year. What can we expect from The Chaser in 2012?

We are considering another Hamster Wheel this year. Although we have some other show ideas on standby in case all Australian media is beyond criticism this year.

The crazy cat footage on The Hamster Wheel is gold. Are they the forgotten animals of comedy?

I think cats are now the overexposed animals of comedy. Cats need to do a trendy arthouse movie to get their cred back.

How does it feel to host a TV show solo? Do you miss The Chaser guys?

Strangely yes. We are all very comfortable hassling each other. I not only miss the abuse but also knowing that there is always someone there to tell me if something I've done is rubbish.

Why do TV viewers love seeing people getting pranked?

It is all about the responses. With so many parts of TV scripted or pre-planned, those moments when someone on the street just reacts with shock, anger or amusement to something out of character are what make pranks work.

Balls of Steel, The Comedy Channel, Tuesday, 9.30pm