CrossBread is a scripted comedy podcast written by Declan Fay, Megan Washington, and Chris Ryan. The show was commissioned and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and executive produced by Tom Wright. The six-episode series follows protagonists Josh and Joan Burns as they form the eponymously named Christian rap duo. The show was nominated for a ARIA award and won an AWGIE award in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Production
editThe show was executive produced by Tom Wright and written by Declan Fay, Megan Washington, and Chris Ryan with original music composed and performed by Megan Washington and Chris Ryan.[1] The writing for the show began in September 2019 after being commissioned by ABC Comedy and ABC Audio Studios.[2]
The podcast is a scripted comedy podcast in the form of a mockumentary.[1] The podcast is six episodes long.[3] Each episode is between 14 and 35 minutes in length.[4] Fay, Ryan, and Washington all grew up in Christian youth groups.[5]
Cast and characters
edit- Aaron Chen as Ken Lim
- Chris Ryan as Josh Burns (aka MC Cross)
- John Waters as Reverend Philip Brock
- Kate McLennan as Amanda
- Megan Washington as Joan Burns (aka Dr. Bread)
- Sami Shah as DJ D
Plot
editThe story is set in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia where the protagonists, Josh and Joan Burns, start a Christian hip-hop group called CrossBread. Their songs are a hit on Christian streaming platform GodTube in 2015, which launches them into stardom. Joan and Josh are not religious, but see this as an opportunity for a musical career.[1][6] The story is told by the rap duo's former social media manager who is sharing footage from their archives. The two members of the rap group are fraternal twins from Boronia, Victoria. He traces the story of their beginnings working at a donut shop to the point when the group fell apart.[3] Josh Burns pretends to be part of a Christian rap group to impress a date and picks the name CrossBread because his date is wearing a crucifix and was buttering a piece of bread.[7] CrossBread competes in the Battle of Believers for a $1,000 prize.[8]
Reception
editWriting for the Christian website Eternity News, Ben McEachen praised the show saying that it "presents an excellent opportunity to humorously consider what you live for."[9]
Awards
edit| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARIA Music Awards | 2020 | Best Comedy Release | "Just Jesus" | Nominated | [10][11][12] |
| Apple Podcasts Annual Charts | 2020 | Shows We Loved This Year (selected by Apple’s podcast team) | CrossBread | 1 | [13][14] |
| AWGIE Awards | 2021 | Audio | "In The Beginning" | Won | [15][16] |
References
edit- ^ a b c George, Eric (19 June 2020). "Religion meets rap in ABC's CrossBread". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Wright, Tom; Dulaney, Michael (14 August 2020). "ABC podcast CrossBread, about a Christian youth group, resurrects radio comedy for the 21st century". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ a b "9 mockumentary podcasts delivering satirical takes, fictional crime investigations, a musical, funny news, and more". Podsauce. Audacy, Inc. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Delaney, Brigid (15 July 2020). "CrossBread: Megan Washington's musical megachurch mockumentary is a joy to listen to". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Wells, Peter (2 July 2020). "ABC's Christian musical mockumentary avoids the cheap gags". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Manning, James (11 June 2020). "Podcast Week: Favourites from Howcroft, Fennell & The Briefing". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Gibson, Danae; Strano, Taylah (30 September 2020). "Pick A Pod: Crossbread & Reply All (Ep 9)". RTRFM. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Passell, Lauren (5 September 2023). "12 of the Funniest Comedy Fiction Podcasts". Lifehacker. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ McEachen, Ben (19 June 2020). "ABC comedy series about fake Christians. No joke". Eternity News. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Bond, Nick (25 November 2020). "Aria Awards 2020: Full list of winners including Tame Impala, Sampa the Great and Guy Sebastian". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Jenke, Tyler (25 November 2020). "Tame Impala and Sampa the Great Lead 2020 ARIA Award Winners List". Rolling Stone Australia. The Brag Media. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (26 November 2020). "Tame Impala, Sampa The Great Dominate 2020 ARIA Awards". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Campbell, Amy (4 December 2020). "Are these the best podcasts of the year? Data says yes". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Wells, Peter (1 December 2020). "Top of the pods: the best podcasts of 2020". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Slatter, Sean (7 December 2021). "Wins for Shaun Grant, Tony McNamara, Harry Cripps at AWGIE Awards". IF Magazine. The Intermedia Group. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Siemienowicz, Rochelle (26 October 2021). "Nominees announced for the 54th AWGIE Awards". ScreenHub. Creative Hubs Group Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023.