‘A masterclass in controlled chaos’: working with comedy legend, Chabuddy
Creative Moment caught up with The Romans’ executive creative director Dan Roberts to discuss its campaign dedicated to protecting the UK from financial scams.
The Romans teamed up with legendary wheeler-dealer Chabuddy, (played by Asim Chaudhry) and Remitly - the digital financial service brand - to launch ‘Don’t Get Scammed.FM’, a new radio station dedicated to protecting the UK from financial scams.
The campaign lifts the lid on risky, unregulated international money transfers such as hawala, a traditional, trust-based system that operates outside of official financial channels and exposes users to an increased risk of scams, fraud, and money laundering.
Broadcasting from the back of a van complete with state-of-the-art egg boxes for soundproofing and lava lamps for lighting, Chabuddy is paired with personal finance guru and ‘lady mate’, Bola Sol; together they blend comedy with educational advice for those sending money across borders.
Tom Hall (TH): How was it working with the man, the legend, Chabuddy?
Dan Roberts (DR): You rarely get to work with such an icon of your WhatsApp group. And whilst they say “never meet your heroes”, I couldn’t recommend it more. Not only did Chabuddy (Asim) see the potential in the campaign, he just got it, and instantly started building on the idea because it perfectly suited his persona.
On set, it was like watching a masterclass in controlled chaos.
He’d riff on the script, throw in lines we couldn’t have written if we tried, and somehow every take landed US closer to the truth. He was funny, but never careless. Because underneath the jokes, he understood what we were really talking about: people losing their hard-earned money to scammers.
He was a symphony of credibility and comedy—a rare mix. We couldn’t have asked for a better frontman - thank god he was able to take annual leave from his Mayor of Hounslow duties!
TH: What sorts of conversations took place to realise the vision of this campaign?
DR: It started with a problem that’s hard to talk about. Scams targeting South Asian communities were rising fast, especially ones exploiting trust around hawala - an old, informal money transfer system. People were getting conned because they trusted the wrong source.
We wanted to help Remitly, a trusted transfer brand, call it out. But how do you tell people “don’t get scammed” without sounding like you’re wagging a finger at them?
In one early meeting, Scarlet, our senior creative, joked, “Imagine if Chabuddy G started his own dodgy radio station to promote fake deals.” Everyone laughed - and then we stopped laughing. Because that was it. A scammer calling out scammers. That’s the kind of contradiction that makes people listen.
From there, every conversation was about getting the balance right. We didn’t want to mock anyone or turn the message into pure parody. The humour was the way in, not the point. We spoke to people in the community, heard real stories, and used that insight to ground everything.
Our number one rule was: If it doesn’t sound like something you’d hear on a real radio station in Southall, it doesn’t make the cut.
TH: When was the radio station idea floated, and did people take some convincing?
DR: As soon as we knew it had to be Chabuddy, we knew it had to be a pirate radio station.
But then came the awkward conversation of convincing a legitimate financial organisation that a fake pirate radio station fronted by a fictional scammer was the savvy choice to raise awareness of the issue.
But as we know, you miss all the shots you don’t take and to Remitly’s credit, they didn’t blink. They knew the idea was brave but also rooted in purpose. They trusted us and that made all the difference.
Sure, I’d be lying if I said there weren't a fair few nervous laughs along the way. But at The Romans, we’d rather have a brave idea that scares us a little than a safe one no one remembers.
TH: What’s the feedback and reach so far?
DR: The reaction’s been incredible. The campaign’s been shared like mad across nationals, South Asian community groups and most importantly…WhatsApp chats (I know because my group shared it without any prompt from me). People loved the nostalgia - that gritty, pirate radio feel mixed with Chabuddy using his “scammer” persona to stop scams flipped expectations perfectly.
But what’s really amazing is that we’ve had people from the South Asian community saying they’ve sent it to their parents and uncles - the ones who’ve actually been targeted by scams before. That’s when we knew, we didn’t just raise awareness; we started conversations that could stop real losses.
For Remitly, it’s been huge. Brand trust is up. Engagement’s through the roof. And we’ve even had other brands asking how we pulled it off. But the best feedback came from the community itself - people saying, “Finally, someone’s talking about this properly.”
That’s what happens when you mix cultural insight with creative bravery. And maybe that’s the real lesson here? If you want to stop scammers, you might just need to hire one…
Credits
Client lead: Tatiana Wheeler-Brown
Executive Creative Director: Dan Roberts
Senior Creative: Scarlet Pughe
Project lead: Tom Winterton
Project oversight: Laura Winch
Project management: Hannah Jones
Media lead: Chana Chadwick-Clarke
Production and media support: Lucy Judge
Website Development: The Vibe Coder
Production: Digital Bath
Image credits: The Romans
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