Andrew Hansen

Hansen has worked with Benjamin Maio Mackay twice, once on stage in 2016's Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Live and again in 2017 as a supporting role in the audio drama adaptation of The Phoenix Files.

The members of The Chaser are running Giant Dwarf, a theatre in Sydney for regular comedy and storytelling shows featuring various performers. It opened in February 2014.

In 2014, Hansen and Chris Taylor toured Australia with a revue show of new songs and sketches entitled One Man Show. In 2015, they toured In Conversation with Lionel Corn, a parody of writers festival sessions.

He was a producer and regular panellist on the comedy show The Unbelievable Truth, a TV version of the BBC Radio 4 program of the same name. It aired on Australia's Seven Network in 2012.

In 2011, Hansen joined various combinations of The Chaser team's members for a series of live shows in Sydney entitled The Chaser's Empty Vessel.

He played the character 'Dex' in the 3D movie Sanctum, produced by Andrew Wight and released in 2011.

Hansen was the host of Strictly Speaking, a speechmaking competition series, which aired on ABC1 in 2010.

He composed the music for and starred in The Blow Parade, a scripted radio comedy series he made with Chris Taylor. It premiered on triple j on 28 April 2010. The series was released on CD and through the iTunes Store with bonus tracks. This album won the 2010 ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release.

In October 2009, Hansen hosted The Goodies: Before, During and After, a live show by British comedy trio The Goodies at Sydney's Riverside Theatre (Parramatta) and at the World's Funniest Island comedy festival. The show involved Hansen interviewing Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, as well as performing a Goodies song with them.

In 2008, Hansen toured Australia with The Chaser's second stage show, The Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour.

The most controversial song that Hansen has performed was The Eulogy Song, which was originally written for Chris Taylor's play Dead Caesar, with music by Hansen and lyrics by Taylor. On 17 October 2007 episode of The War, Hansen performed the song which satirised the lives of several deceased celebrities, including Peter Brock, Stan Zemanek, Princess Diana, Donald Bradman, Steve Irwin, John Lennon, Jeff Buckley and Kerry Packer, expressing the view that people with flaws during life are often disproportionately hailed as "top blokes" after death. The song became the target of significant media attention, with several radio and television personalities saying the song was in "bad taste", and both the then Prime Minister of Australia John Howard and then Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd expressing negative views.

Hansen composed and performed the music for the Sydney Theatre Company's 2007 musical comedy Dead Caesar, which was written by Chaser colleague Chris Taylor. He also played the roles of Marc Antony and Lucius. The Eulogy Song was originally written for and performed during this play.

Hansen has had writer/performer contributions to the Nine Network's Comedy Inc. and the ABC's My Favourite Album. He has performed occasional voice-overs for ABC programs including First Tuesday Book Club and Media Watch. He composed the music for Nickelodeon's Sarvo and Napman, and songs for the Sesame Street character Ollie. Hansen appeared and presented at the 2007 MTV Australia Awards and the 2007 and 2011 ARIA Music Awards. In 2007, he made a guest appearance on Nine's The Nation. In 2008, he appeared in a sketch on SBS's Newstopia, as well as an episode of the Australian gaming TV show Good Game on the ABC, challenging the hosts to a 'Roffle Cup'. He also made an appearance as a guest host on the program in 2010, filling in for host Steven O'Donnell, again in 2011 filling in for host Stephanie Bendixsen and 2012 filling in for O'Donnell. He also made an appearance as a special guest in Good Game 10th year birthday special in 2016. In 2009, he made guest appearances on Network Ten's Rove and Good News Week. He appeared again on Good News Week in 2010, this time with Chris Taylor, in the guise of characters from their radio show The Blow Parade. The same year, he was a guest on Top Gear Australia, where he drove deliberately slowly around the celebrity track for humorous effect.

Hansen is a pianist and guitarist and in addition to his songwriting, Hansen composed the show's theme music, which received the APRA-AGSC Screen Music Award for Best Television Theme (2006).

For Season 1 of the program, he received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Performance in Television Comedy (2006).

Hansen co-wrote and appeared in the live show Cirque du Chaser, which toured Australia in 2005.

Hansen co-wrote the short film Garbage Man with Charles Firth and British comedian Henry Naylor. It was a Tropfest finalist in 2005 and a prizewinner at Germany's Ohne Kohle festival. Hansen has also been known to feature on the musical comedy circuit, including a recorded performance of one of his more famous songs, 'I Wish I Was A Scottish Stand-Up Comedian', for the Laugh-A-Poolooza 2006 DVD release.

Hansen was the guitarist and one of the vocalists for independent Sydney band The Fantastic Leslie. The Fantastic Leslie was composed of Cameron Bruce, Tom Gleeson, James Fletcher and Hansen. In July 1999 the band released their 6-track EP A Tiny Mark which was distributed through MGM Distribution. He was also a member of independent alternative band Mending.

In 1996 he appeared as a subject in Simon Target's documentary Uni about three students studying at the University of Sydney (Hansen later satirised Target in CNNNN where he played the network's British correspondent who was also called Simon Target). Soon-to-be fellow Chaser member Charles Firth was one of the other two students featured, with Craig Reucassel also making occasional background appearances. During the documentary it was revealed that Hansen suffered from clinical depression while attending the university.

Andrew John Hansen (born 18 September 1974) is an Australian comedian, musician and author, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser. As a member of The Chaser, Hansen's television work includes co-writing and starring in ABC Television shows CNNNN (2002–2003), The Chaser Decides (2004, 2007), Chaser News Alert (2005), The Chaser's War On Everything (2006–07, 2009), Yes We Canberra! (2010), The Hamster Wheel (2011–12), The Hamster Decides (2013) and The Chaser's Media Circus (2014–2015). He was a producer and regular panellist on The Unbelievable Truth (2012). He has also co-written and performed in The Chaser's stage shows, Cirque du Chaser (2005) and The Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour (2008). With Chaser colleague Chris Taylor, Hansen starred in a scripted radio comedy series on triple j titled The Blow Parade, which was released on CD and the iTunes Store.