Adam Hills - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)

Non-comedy TV and film credits may be found here:
Adam Hills on IMDb

Born in Sydney, Australia, Adam Hills' first taste of stand-up comedy came in 1989, at the age of 19, and since 1997 he has performed ten solo shows across the globe. In 2001, 2002 and 2003, he earned three consecutive Edinburgh Award nominations.

In 2002 he went viral in Australia with a hit musical single "Working Class Anthem". This saw him sing the words of the Australian National Anthem to the tune of "Working Class Man", a song by Scottish-born Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes.

Hills began hosting the music trivia show Spicks And Specks from 2005, and alongside several appearances on Australian comedy shows, he started to feature on the British staples Never Mind The Buzzcocks, QI, and Mock The Week. He also presented his own weekly talk show, Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight, on the ABC from early 2001. It was renamed Adam Hills Tonight in 2012, but was brought to an end in 2013.

Hills became a household name in the UK with the triumphant success of The Last Leg, a Channel 4 show that began life as a daily comedy and late-night review of each day of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Hills has an artificial right foot, a fact which initially made him a perfect fit to host, alongside regular co-presenters Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker, the latter of whom was also born with hand and arm deformities, and had his right leg amputated when he was a baby.

The show, known during its first series as The last Leg With Adam Hills, has morphed since then into a weekly comedy and news review show looking back on the last days in politics and current affairs, featuring guests (memorably former Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg, but often comedians, sportspeople, or other public figures).

Hills once described the show as 'Three guys with four legs talking about the week', and is broadcast live, encouraging interaction with viewers using several polls and the hashtag #isitok (a feature whereby the public asks awkward, funny questions that are later read out in real time during the show).

Moreover, the show coined the 'Bullshit Button', used by Alex Brooker[/] during his aforementioned interview with Nick Clegg, which is pressed whenever the interviewer thinks that the interviewee is telling lies. Since 2017, after an appearance on the show, Armando Iannucci now provides the voice of this button, and more buttons have since been added, including 'A shite in shining armour' and 'Thomas the Wank Engine'.

Following the news of MP Jo Cox' murder by a far-right terrorist on 16 June 2016, a two-hour special was broadcast one year later, on 16 June 2017, entitled 'Re-United Kingdom'. Dozens of comedians and politicians took part, aiming to heal a divided nation and find common ground, even with people you dislike or even loathe with a passion. Politicians appeared together in pre-recorded skits with another MP with views often entirely opposite to their own; however, some harmony and 'agreeing to disagree' was possible.

Known for his energetic and politically committed style, it is often said that Hills is the nicest man in comedy.

Further contact details are available to BCG Pro members. See below.