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Canada 150: The Farce is strong with Chris Wilson

麻豆传媒映画comedy pro joins Air Farce for July 1 special
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Chris Wilson (left) in the 'Air Farce' spoof of Alexander Bell inventing the telephone.

As one half of the uber-popular comedy duo Peter n鈥 Chris, Chris Wilson wears a lot of hats, including writer and actor. But, on CBC Television鈥檚 upcoming Air Farce 150 special, he was outfitted with a very different kind of headwear.

鈥淓ven in sketches where I was basically playing myself, they were like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 get you suited up in wig,鈥欌 the 麻豆传媒映画funnyman recalls in a recent phone interview. 鈥淚 need to wear a wig to play myself? And they鈥檇 say, 鈥榊eah. Yeah. We鈥檝e got one here.鈥欌

Wilson is one of two new recruits joining the iconic comedy troupe for Air Farce 150, a one-hour television special that examines Canadian history and culture through that distinctive lens. In the special 鈥 which will anchor CBC Television鈥檚 sesquicentennial line-up on July 1 鈥 the Air Farce gang presents a sideways spin on the Vikings landing in Newfoundland, the first hockey game, and cottage life with Justin and Sophie Trudeau. There are also pop culture parodies like Ca-Na-Da Land and an all-new take on the classic NFB animated short film Log Driver鈥檚 Waltz.


The sketch comedy veteran describes his entire Air Farce 150 experience as astoundingly fun and educational. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been doing it for years and it鈥檚 this machine that鈥檚 rolling already, and I was able to jump in and learn a lot about how you produce a large-scale TV show,鈥 says Wilson, who joins Air Farce regulars Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, Jessica Holmes, Craig Lauzon, Darryl Hinds, Emma Hunter, and fellow newbie Isabel Kanaan for the special. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been a part of something like that: all the writing in the writers鈥 room and then all of the read-throughs, and then seeing all of the sets being built. There鈥檚 something to learn from everybody.鈥

And given the roster of special guest stars 鈥 including Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, Lorne Cardinal, Kaniehtiio Horn, H茅l猫ne Joy, and Eric Peterson 鈥 Wilson鈥檚 Air Farce 150 experience was occasionally surreal. Case in point: Hadfield (arguably the coolest astronaut in NASA history) wanted to play his guitar in a sketch centered on upping NASA鈥檚 cool factor 鈥 and ended up singing a song with Ed Robertson from the Barenaked Ladies.

鈥淭hat was surreal, sitting across the table while they were practicing,鈥 marvels Wilson. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Chris Hadfield and a Barenaked Lady playing 鈥業f I Had a Million Dollars鈥 together and I get to be in the room while it happens.鈥

Wilson is widely known for the sketch comedy duo Peter n鈥 Chris (see video), which he formed with Peter Carlone in 2009 (鈥淧eter is a goofy kind of guy and there鈥檚 a positivity to it all. We both like the same kind of comedy and we both laugh at the same type of things鈥). They鈥檝e performed together at Just For Laughs, JFL42, sketch comedy fests in Toronto, Chicago, and San Francisco, and are three-time Canadian Comedy Award winners. 鈥淚 think I鈥檒l always like live performance best, in a small 150-seat intimate venue,鈥 says Wilson. 鈥淚 like the immediacy of live performance, and hearing laughs right away.鈥


Wilson and Carlone are also in-demand comedy writers. Their work has appeared on CBC Radio鈥檚 The Irrelevant Show and the cult favourite web series White Ninja; their 2016 Grocery Store Action Movie 鈥 which is, as its title implies, a fast-paced action movie set in a grocery store 鈥 was nominated for a 2017 Leo Award for Best Music, Comedy or Variety Program.

鈥淚 want to make that into a digital series, ideally, and make a bunch of these everyday action movie things where it鈥檚 like Ethan Hunt or Jack Reacher on their days off,鈥 muses Wilson.

Wilson grew up on the Island and honed his funny bone watching 鈥90s sitcoms like Home Improvement and Seinfeld. 鈥淚 remember writing down Seinfeld鈥檚 jokes during commercials,鈥 chuckles Wilson. 鈥淢y thinking as a kid was, 鈥極h, when I鈥檓 old enough to do stand-up comedy, I鈥檒l have all of this great material I can do, because no one will remember Jerry Seinfeld.鈥欌

But Wilson didn鈥檛 actually pursue comedy until his late teens; up until that point, he鈥檇 convinced his parents that he wanted to be a paramedic. 鈥淭hat was a lie; although it was a good fallback plan. I did a lot of lifeguarding as a kid, and I was well on the path to being paramedic, and then I was like, 鈥榊eah, no. Theatre school!鈥欌

鈥 Air Farce Canada 150 airs July 1 at 5pm on CBC Television. For more, visit or follow @ImChrisWilson, @PeterNChrisShow, and @AirFarceCBC.

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