Overview
The Jesus Chatline, was a popular mock-up christian phone-in show. It consisted of the two co-hosts: Richard Burnish and Steven Chilton, acting as fake christian presenters who would both share the broadcast hosting 1-2 hour long episodes on a weekly basis answering prank phone calls from Anonymous callers originating from 4chan’s /b/ board. The hosts actively encouraged the trolling of their own programme on an official thread and have since coined the phrase “trollception” due to the hosts who were under a fake act whilst being trolled by the 4channers themselves.
Background
The prank callers themselves usually referred to jokes which originated from the website 4chan, this included the overuse of the n-word, general obsessive profanity, 4chan memes and notable catchphrases eg. “triforces” or “battletoads.”The show was also notable for its hosts trying to maintain a straight face throughout these calls, when either Richard or Steven broke character (which was often) they would usually either go to a commercial break or quickly exit camera shot. During the shows lengthy tenure the hosts created many unique scenarios referring to them as ‘special editions’. These included a Prison Edition, Racial Harmony Edition, Funeral Edition, Redneck Edition and special Birthday Editions among many others.
Notable Developments
The internet show aired on various streaming sites across the span of its 2011-2012 run and eventually came to an end in July 2012. Following the dramatic finale of Jesus Chatline, Steven created his own show titled, Rumbled Feathers although this iteration was short lived. Since late 2012 both Richard & Steven have remained out of the public spotlight although the classic streamed footage has remained archived on YouTube.
Special Editions
- Firstly, the notable Prison Edition where both Richard and Steven had apparently been arrested for money-related offences. The duo broadcasted in-front of an obvious green screen in order to fictitiously gather enough funds to grant themselves bail. They were set a number of risqué tasks by the callers so the grand total could be raised. An example being Richard pecking Steven on the cheek which went against their strong homophobic views.
- The Racial Harmony Edition involved the show dedicating itself to racial issues as well as particular stigmas and stereotypes attached to certain ethnicities. There was a recurring montage segment exclusive to a particular race (ironically noting that races stereotypes) this included suggesting that Hispanics were all involved in jobs relating to manual labour and that a lot of Indians are cab drivers amongst other racial stereotypes.
- The Funeral Edition showcased the illegitimate funeral of Steven Chilton. For almost three hours Steven’s supposed dead body lies on a sofa whilst Richard hosts a memorial episode remembering the life of Steven. Callers contributed by speaking of their fondest memories of him whilst others blared emotional hard-hitting ballads down their phone-lines along with memorable film quotes which included extracts from the blockbuster Jaws and 2002 flop, The Master of Disguise (considered by some to be one of the worst movies of all time). Throughout the show Steven is clearly seen to be sniggering at certain caller contributions and progressively moving his arms and feet.
Recurring Segments
Recurring segments were limited although there were a select few. This included the Children’s Chatline which showcased a number of embarrassing high school photos and unintentionally provocative hand-drawn artworks by children usually sent in by the trolling contributors or the hosts themselves. Throughout the show a number of video fillers were used as break interludes for when the co-hosts were either switching roles or for when they’d begun uncontrollably laughing.The show also featured a number of mock advertisements including Dad’s Cream and many more.
Search Interest
External References
http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1097073
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/forum/Thread-The-Jesus-Chatline