The makers of an Australian reality television show are trawling Tasmania for "bogans" to appear in their new comedy.

It may not be central casting, but the SBS producers obviously think a classified ad in Wednesday's Hobart Mercury will do just as well.

"BOGANS WANTED - For New TV Show", it reads.

"Tatts, missing teeth ... No pretenders, big cash prizes for the biggest bogans."

The ad asks for photos, video and an image of the applicant's teeth.

Comedy TV writer and director Paul Fenech (Fat Pizza/Swift and Shift) said he was behind the search for Australia's biggest bogan.

"I want to put flannelette on plasma. We want mullets, tattoos, AVOs and de factos. It will be like Bogan Idol," Fenech told News Ltd.

He said his new show for early next year would be a cross between "Cops, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Steve Irwin and Australia's Funniest Home Videos".

Fenech envisaged the show might take a State of Origin type format in running the bogan Olympics but would not divulge more for fear that Channel 9 might do a "hokey" rip-off, probably hosted by Eddie McGuire.

Fenech has promised the prizes beyond the "wildest Centrelink cheques" for the show's winners and may include a makeover to turn a bogan into something more socially acceptable.

"Bogans are Australians. It is not so much the underclass of Australia anymore, it's the overclass been kept low," Fenech said.

"This is the time for the white trash of Australia to shine."

A bogan is a mildly derogatory term for a person, generally from an outer suburb of a city or town and from a lower socio-economic background, viewed as uncultured, the Macquarie Dictionary says.

Variations of the noun exist, especially in Queensland where they are called bevans, or bev-chick, or in NSW where westie is used.

Tasmanians actually prefer chigger, after the Hobart suburb of Chigwell, while others go for barry, boonie, Charlene, Charmaine, feral or bog.