Toffs gone wild? 

Melbourne’s Bar 20, a lively strip club on King Street, has become the talk of the town after a video featuring an amusing altercation went viral. The unexpected antics within the video have not only amused locals but have also captured international attention, sparking a wave of discussions about the two individuals involved.

Dubbed the ‘chairman’ and his companion, the two men have become local legends of sorts, drawing laughter and speculation about their true identities. Could these two be more sophisticated than they appear, perhaps members of a more upscale club than Bar 20?

Intrigued by this possibility, Costello’s Melbourne has taken on the task of uncovering the truth behind these viral figures.

The footage in question has taken the internet by storm, amassing a staggering 27 million views. I’ve even had inquiries from friends in the UK, all eager to learn more about the scene that has captivated so many.

In the video, two men find themselves being escorted out of the adult entertainment venue. In a comedic twist, one of them, who is bald, grabs a chair from a nearby Korean restaurant and attempts to throw it at the venue’s bouncers. Instead, the chair ends up striking his own friend, adding an unexpected punchline to their night out.

The bald half of the duo then steals a chair from a nearby Korean restaurant and hurls it at the bouncers. He misses – and instead clocks his mate in the head.

Bar 20 lies just a few blocks from The Australian Club – a ritzy, men‑only private members’ enclave established in 1878.

Costello’s Melbourne has been told that there was a gathering of rurally-based members at the ‘Aussie Club’ on the night in question.

Could the well-refreshed pair of stripper-seekers actually have been a couple of well-to-do country boys? That might explain the cream chinos and R. M. Williams boots.

We spoke to one member of the Australian Club who said: ‘I’ve watched the video 50 times and I don’t recognise them.’

‘There’s no coats or ties either!’ he added, referring to the Club’s strict dress code. 

We also checked in with Bar 20 to see if they had any records of the men’s names.

‘We used to have the Scantek system that took an image of people’s ID, but patrons weren’t comfortable with it and it ended up being bad for business,’ Michael Trimble, the co-owner of Bar 20, told Costello’s Melbourne.

A former Gold Coast car salesman, Michael has been running Bar 20 for 12 years, after the brand was established by his father, Joe Trimble.

‘We’ve got more exposure out of this than we could ever have imagined,’ he said, adding that two men making fools of themselves ended up giving them the sort of publicity money can’t buy.

According to Trimble, the pair had been rude to dancers and bar staff. After being asked to leave, they resisted for eight minutes before being turfed onto King Street.

Clearly the Korean restaurant was feeling generous, because Trimble now has the famous flying chair in his possession.

He’s keen to see if the humble piece of furniture could raise money for a good cause.

‘We were going to keep the chair as a bit of memorabilia. I thought about incorporating it onto the stage and making it part of our feature shows,’ Trimble said.

‘But I’d also like to raise some money for charity by auctioning the chair off.

‘Maybe if we got some interest from people who want to bid on it, we could bring something positive out of the situation. I’d let the girls choose a fitting charity that matters to them.’

Dan’s health lockdown

Dan Andrews is undergoing speech therapy after his recent medical emergency, according to a Labor powerbroker speaking anonymously to Costello’s Melbourne.

‘It must be fairly bad,’ they said.

Just how impaired his speech is remains unclear, but it may explain why he has not issued a public statement in recent weeks.

The source has worked with Andrews and knows the former Victorian premier well.

The ailing health of the state’s most polarising public figure has been a closely guarded secret for months.

In December, Andrews was rushed to Monash hospital. His wife Kath was spotted visiting him at the Clayton facility.

‘She was in the lift with me. I wanted to say a few things about Victoria, but it wasn’t appropriate,’ an insider – who is no Andrews fan – told me.

It was reported at the time that Dan had a stroke. This was denied by his inner circle.

In any case, Andrews spent about a week at Monash and had left by early January, after which he began rehab treatment at another hospital – or so the story goes.

We made enquiries but got nowhere.

‘We do not comment on any individual matters for strict privacy reasons,’ was that hospital’s reply.

Alarm bells about Andrews’ health were first raised last month when close friend and former Labor powerbroker Tim Picton died, and insiders noted Andrews unusually made no public comment.

In the absence of facts, speculation inevitably rushes in to fill the void.

It is a dynamic with which Andrews will be intimately familiar, given the conspiracy theories that have followed him throughout his years in public life.

One of the most persistent rumours is that Andrews suffered a second neurological emergency in recent weeks.

As a former premier, Andrews is entitled to maintain a taxpayer-funded office, but as yet no public statements have been issued about his health from his team.

It’s a lockdown. No transparency. Déjà vu, indeed.

I can’t say I’m surprised. Andrews never harboured much affection for the free press while in office – an attitude that hardened after back‑to‑back electoral victories.

‘He never thought he needed the media – and with three election wins, he might have been right,’ one political pro told Costello’s Melbourne.

Still, the silence is irking many.

Usually, even the most reviled public figures attract sympathy when sickness strikes. Yet Dan’s condition has instead prompted a number of jarringly insensitive responses.

Former Collingwood footballer Mark Orval, known on social media as ‘Angry Dad’, probably took things a bit far.

‘I would never normally wish anyone any harm or ill will… except this prick. I say you deserve all the karma that comes your way,’ Orval wrote on Instagram.

We can report that Andrews’ condition was being taken very seriously by the judge in the so-called ‘Bike Boy’ defamation case.

A car carrying Dan and Kath Andrews collided with teenager Ryan Meuleman in January 2013. Meuleman is suing over statements made in the aftermath.

Team Andrews was due to submit its defence on December 19.

News of Andrews hospitalisation broke on December 17.

Costello’s Melbourne understands that the judge has granted an adjournment – based on Andrews health issues – of at least three months.

Andrews last appeared in front of a judge as part of Victoria’s inquiry in the Covid-19 hotel quarantine program, with Judge Jennifer Coate presiding.

Andrews was struggling with his memory in an appearance that infuriated many.

‘I don’t recall’ was Andrews’ regular refrain to the probing questions.

The ‘Bike Boy’ collision took place 13 years ago. Here’s hoping this latest neurological episode won’t affect Dan’s memory this time around.

Footy reckoning

The AFL is facing a ‘world-first’ investigation following the deaths of former premiership stars Adam Hunter and Adam Selwood.

League figure and player agent Peter Jess has filed a complaint with WorkSafe WA in January and is asking the organisation to formally scrutinise the league.

Jess believes the concussion-based condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) should be viewed as an ‘industrial disease’ by the AFL and has been a factor in the premature deaths of former players.

‘The AFL has known that CTE exists in football and they have failed to understand it or mitigate it,’ Jess tells Costello’s Melbourne.

‘This is the first time in the world that a sporting organisation might be made accountable for concussion. This could send a world-first precedent to all contact sports bodies.’

WorkSafe WA will consider the complaint and decide whether to take further action.

Adam Hunter died in Bunbury, south of Perth, in February 2025 at the age of 43.

Hunter’s brain was donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank and he has since been posthumously diagnosed with CTE.

‘Adam had stage 1 CTE, which is a low-stage,’ said Professor Alan Pearce from Swinburne University and the Australian Sports Brain Bank.

‘That doesn’t mean that it was minor. But we’ve got a lot more to understand about stage 1. We still need to really understand how stage 1 could have affected someone’s behaviour or their decision-making,’ added Prof Pearce.

‘We have some real concerns about the exposure risk for footballers when it comes to CTE, but we also need to understand that concussion and CTE are not the same.

‘Someone can have 20 concussions in their lifetime and it doesn’t mean they will get CTE. What we do see is that people who play contact sport for a long time – especially for players who go back to their local club after a professional career – that causes the type of exposure risk that can lead to CTE.’

Adam Hunter played local football until his death.

Last week, the AFL released the first-ever ‘Australian Football Headgear Standards’ as part of its response to the concussion issue.

‘There is no higher priority for the AFL than the health and safety of players at all levels, with concussion continuing to be an extremely complex and evolving subject,’ AFL Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael Makdissi said at the time.

WorkSafe WA considers any complaint made by the general public.

Jess has made this complaint himself and is not working directly with the families of Hunter or Selwood.

The Selwoods – who lost Adam last May at the age of 41 – declined to comment, but this column understands they are not involved in Jess’ action.

‘We have a beautiful game and I want it to be safe. I don’t want this beautiful game to kill anybody,’ Jess said.

One Nation, two lovers

As One Nation surges in the polls, Costello’s Melbourne hears the party has scored a new member – and he’s a familiar face to millions of TV viewers.

Former MAFS groom Tim Smith – who is based in South Yarra and has recently been pulling FIFO shifts on a Queensland nickel mine – has signed up to Pauline’s party in recent days.

‘I’m pro-Australia and One Nation are the only ones who are also pro-Australia,’ Smith tells Costello’s Melbourne.

‘We have a pathetic prime minister who is surrounded by pathetic politicians. I want a party that stands behind what they say and has some balls!’

One Nation currently holds a seat in Victoria’s upper house, with Rikkie‑Lee Tyrrell representing the Northern Victoria Region.

As parliament went back this week, Tyrrell understandably bristled at the common suggestion that hers is a party of bigots.

‘I value and admire people from all backgrounds. That’s what our party stands for, and that’s why people are coming to us,’ Tyrrell told Costello’s Melbourne

We’d recently heard a bit of immortal gossip that Tyrrell, whose marriage ended some time ago, was dating a South African-Malaysian man ‘of immigrant background’.

‘Yes. But that’s over now,’ she said.

Never mind – there’s plenty of fish in the sea, Rikkie‑Lee!

3AW’s grand sale

Famous Footscray furniture flogger Franco Cozzo used to bellow at TV viewers whenever he was having a ‘grand sale, grand sale, grand sale!’

At 3AW last week, the reaction was far quieter, as staff greeted confirmation of their own long‑awaited ‘grand sale’ with something closer to relief.

The Nine Radio assets, which also include Sydney’s 2GB, have been offloaded to NSW-based pub barons the Laundy family.

Megalo!

We’re told the commercial strategy is to use the radio stations to flog Laundy pubs and offer key suppliers – like the brewing giants – good deals on advertising.

It’s a smart play.

Fortunately, none of the current crop of 3AW presenters appear to have any existing deals that could cause on‑air complications.

Drive host Jacqui Felgate has led 3AW into a new era of presenter agreements, with ten declared commercial partnerships – for comparison’s sake, breakfast host Russel Howcroft has one – but none of them are with pub chains that compete with the Laundy empire.

These kinds of deals have not traditionally been part of 3AW’s DNA.

When Neil Mitchell hosted 3AW Mornings for 30 years, he turned down daily offers to make money with ‘live read’ advertisements.

The decision cost him millions, but it was important to him to appear uncompromised.

The Laundys have committed to the existing 3AW talent line‑up, including Tom Elliott and Felgate.

That appears to put to bed talk of a cost‑cutting move that would have seen Sydney’s Ben Fordham broadcast across Australia’s two biggest markets. 

While running simulcast breakfast shows across multiple cities is becoming increasingly common on the FM dial – just look at Gold’s Christian O’Connell and KIIS’s Kyle and Jackie O – don’t expect this at 3AW anytime soon.

As for Mitchell, many believed he left radio in 2023 with more in the tank.

So would the talkback legend ever consider a comeback under new ownership?

‘I’m unavailable’ came the short reply.

Love all?

Only three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes and Abbie Chatfield crying on the internet.

But I’ve got to draw a line at her coming after Melbourne funnyman Elliot Loney.

Elliot is the Novak Djokovic of Melbourne comedy – he’s unbeatable in January.

For years, he has entertained us with his impersonations of the tennis pros. This year, he turned his satirical gaze towards one Keli Holiday.

Holiday – real name Adam Hyde – is the singer of music duo Peking Duk. He also happens to be Chatfield’s boyfriend.

Can you feel an online feud brewing?

Loney’s impersonation of Hyde attending the Australian Open hit 1.1 million views on TikTok.

His act isn’t groundbreaking, but it is funny. Wearing a wig and a dog leash, Loney skewers Hyde for leaning a little too hard into wokeness.

‘Did that umpire ask they/them permission before that ace was hit?’ Loney – dressed as Hyde – asks, before dancing off to Hyde’s summer hit Dancing2.

All in good fun? Not so, say Chatfield and Hyde, who are convinced that Loney has helped radicalise young men with his sketches.

During a joint podcast this week, Hyde told a harrowing story of being stalked around his suburb recently by a car of angry men.

‘It was, like, 7:30am and I was walking down the street… and the car came past and I just heard yelling. They were screaming homophobic slurs and really, really bad words,’ he said.

Chatfield and Hyde went on to explain why the car was targeting him. ‘Because I love my girlfriend,’ he reasoned.

Chatfield has since doubled down (has she ever not?), calling out the ‘targeted online harassment’ against Hyde that is veiled as ‘comedy’ – a not-so-subtle jibe at Loney.

Obviously, what happened to Hyde was totally unacceptable – but I hardly think a comedian is to blame. 

While no one expects Chatfield to enjoy the clips mocking her boyfriend, to suggest they are somehow sinister is absurd.

Now, I realise that by siding with Loney, I’m making myself a target here. But I’ll take Chatfield’s advice and urge her not to mock me online.

I’m seriously worried that if she mobilises her fans against me, it could lead to a gang of septum‑pierced librarians prowling my suburb at 7:30 in the morning.

Can’t we just live in peace?

Molan’s bad timing

More than a decade ago, Erin Molan and I were sounded out to co-host a rebooted Wide World of Sports show on Nine.

Molan was dominating the NRL world in Sydney and I was to be the southern face with extensive AFL connections.

In the end, the timing didn’t work out and the project was put on the backburner. We remain friends, though.

Molan was dealing with another case of less-than-ideal timing this week after interviewing film director Brett Ratner for her YouTube show.

Ratner – known for helming the Rush Hour series – is launching a comeback of sorts, after facing historical allegations of sexual impropriety, which he denies.

He was on Molan’s show to promote his documentary on First Lady Melania Trump – you know, the one that’s either a total bomb or a box-office bonanza, depending on who you ask.

Clearly emotional over his magnum opus, Ratner choked up while discussing it.

Costello’s Melbourne suspects Ratner may have choked up a second time when days later he was featured in a fresh batch of the Epstein Files. Whoops!

Among the new files was a cosy shot of Ratner and the dead pervert Jeffrey Epstein – each cuddled up to a woman. It wasn’t a good day for Ratner’s publicist.

After Molan’s show, Ratner conducted his next interview with Piers Morgan, and we hear Molan was keenly watching as he was asked about the Epstein photo.

‘That picture in particular happened around 20 years ago. That is a photo of my fiancée,’ Ratner insisted.

‘Who is the fiancée, if you don’t mind me asking?’ Piers enquired.

‘She doesn’t want me sharing her name. But that’s my fiancée, 100 per cent. Was my fiancée.’ Phew – thanks for clearing that up!