Latest news with #AustralianComedy
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Comedian Jim Jefferies on classic Aussie humour and starring in Jordan Peele's horror film Him
When Paul Hogan brandished a Bowie knife in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee and told a scared New York mugger 'that's not a knife... that's a knife', he introduced the world to some of the traits of Australian comedy: dry, brash and anti-authority. More than 30 years later, the template has been shaped by a new wave of Australian comedians, led by Jim Jefferies, whose credits include multiple Netflix specials, the sitcom Legit and his eponymous Comedy Central talk show. Speaking to The National ahead of his Saturday show in Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena, Jeffries calls the Crocodile Dundee scene as his go-to description of humour Down Under. 'That famous and iconic line by Hogan, to me, is really what we are all about,' he says. 'There is a bit of that Hogan line in all of us.' While Jefferies's material, whether it's on his family life or society's evils, skates close to the edge at the best of times, he says it is always underscored by gratitude, because he is able to do what he loves. 'I feel it when I travel and land at airports, filling out the customs form where it says 'occupation'. I get to write 'comedian'. How cool is that?' he says. 'You get to the desk and the guy behind it says: 'So, you're a comedian, are you?' And they want you to tell a joke. But I'm like, if you had told 14-year-old me that one day I'd be writing 'comedian' on my customs form ... what a blessing.' It's a view increasingly shared by Aussie comics who Jefferies predicts will become future stars, including Amos Gill and Mel Buttle. He describes the latter as 'the funniest person I have ever seen'. Like him, they build on the work of numerous lesser-known but influential veterans such as Rod Quantock, Wendy Harmer and Kevin Bloody Wilson – comedians who, Jefferies says, never reached the heights they deserved because of Australia's geographic isolation and the absence of international streaming platforms. 'There were world-class comedians who never really got to perform outside of Australia because it was just too much of a hassle. It takes you all those years to conquer Australia, so why would you bother going to another country?' he says. 'I just consider myself a lucky man who got a few opportunities. I had a lot of luck in my career and I took advantage of it.' The offers have been varied, with Jefferies recently returning from South America where he hosted the US reality show The Snake, set for release later this year. He also has a small role in the Jordan Peele sports-horror film Him, due out in September. 'It's a couple of scenes,' he says. 'I haven't seen the movie yet, but when we were making it, I knew it was going to be awesome – and the trailer for it was killer. The film is about American football, so it will come out once the NFL season begins, which will be exciting. But standup will always remain my first job. It allows me to control my destiny and pick where I get to go.' That path wasn't so clear in 1994 when Jefferies, then a 17-year-old musical theatre graduate, began performing at open mic nights in Sydney. 'Two of them went really badly and one of them went OK,' he recalls. 'In fact, the one that went badly hurt me so much because I thought: 'This is all I'll ever do in my life.' So I didn't get back on stage until I was 20. Now, it's all I could ever do in my life and the only real job I've had. I think about it a lot, and I do feel really lucky.' As for his Dubai show, part of a world tour, Jefferies says to expect material as edgy as a Bowie knife. 'I still push boundaries, but it's less about shock and more about clarity now,' he says. 'The funny thing about comedy is that it's a lot more universal than people think. People everywhere relate to having kids, hating their jobs, worrying about money. The accent changes, but the laugh is the same.' Jim Jefferies performs on Saturday at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai. Show starts at 8pm; tickets from Dh295
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
It was the TV series that took Australia by storm. But now, one of the child stars reveals the heartbreaking reality of Summer Heights High
Child actor Jansen Andre has opened up about the heartbreaking reality of his role on iconic Australian comedy series Summer Heights High. The mockumentary series, created by Chris Lilley, followed the goings on of the titular fictional high school. Appearing on the Mind Your Head podcast, Jansen revealed his turn in the popular series only served to exacerbate bullying he was already experiencing in high school. In the series, Jansen played Sebastian - a year seven student who begins a relationship with Year 11 student Ja'mie King, played by creator Lilley. 'My mum had a talent agency - I grew up a child model. 'I was always in the limelight and kids were always hanging s*** on me,' Jansen explained. 'The biggest one for me, I was in a show called Summer Heights High when I was 11 years old. 'That came out Year seven - first year of high school. My role in that was Sebastian. I was dating Ja'mie who's Chris Lilley in real life, who is actually a guy but was playing a girl.' 'I went to an all boys private school, so you can just imagine what I was copping. All of the terms.' Jansen added that it wasn't just taunts and jibes he was subjected to, but also physical violence. 'School is already a hard time for everyone so for them to have something to grab on to - they'd bash me for it,' he shockingly admitted. 'I would do anything to push those comments away so I could feel like I was part of the group.' Despite only appearing in two episodes of Summer Heights High, Jansen admitted the role haunted him long after its airing. 'I was always the one that was bullied,' he said. 'I had money extorted from he, I was bashed a few times when I was 13 or 14. I got myself into the wrong circles, they turned and we had fights and stuff.' Appearing on the Mind Your Head podcast, Jansen revealed his turn in the popular series only served to exacerbate bullying he was already experiencing in high school Despite his ordeal, Jansen said that he did not resent being cast in the series. 'I don't know if I resented it but it was just fuel to the fire for why I was getting picked on even more,' he said. 'I never look back and wish it never happened. 'I've grown from being that little scared boy that was constantly bullied and pining for validation into the man that I am today and I would never change it.' Jansen's admission comes after Chris Lilley recently revealed the comeback of beloved Summer Heights High character Mr G. The comedian took to Instagram in April to share a clip of himself as the iconic teacher he plays in the series In the video, Chris could be seen crossing his foot, straightening his tie, folding his arms and, of course, awkwardly bouncing on his pink yoga ball. The clip then cut to a grey background where 'Mr G is back' popped up on the screen in red, confirming rumours the Aussie funnyman was bringing his hilarious alter ego back to the screen In July 2021, four of his television shows were removed from Netflix due to concerns over 'blackface' portrayals. It was announced Jonah from Tonga, Angry Boys, Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes would be removed from Netflix in Australia and New Zealand. The shows raised questions about racial discrimination, as several characters were depicted using blackface and brownface.
ABC News
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Tommy Little: Pretty Fly For A D***head
Tommy Little: Pretty Fly For A D***head SPECIAL Stand-Up & Sketch Comedy Australian Watch Duration: 59 minutes 39 seconds 59 m Article share options Share this on Facebook Twitter Send this by Email Copy link WhatsApp Messenger Tommy Little is the reigning rock star of Australian comedy. While most of us were busy giving up on baking in lockdown, Tommy aimed for the heavens, taking flying lessons and nailing his first solo flight (well, sort of).
