Adam Hills
Encyclopedia
Adam Hills is an Australian comedian and television presenter. He has appeared on Australian and British television and is best known for his role hosting the Australian ABC
music trivia show Spicks and Specks. He has been nominated for a Perrier Comedy Award and Gold Logie Award.
He began performing as a stand-up comedian
in 1989 at the age of 19, and since 1997 has produced ten solo shows which have toured internationally. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
and the Montreal Just for Laughs
festival, earning three consecutive Perrier Award nominations for his Edinburgh shows in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
In 2002, he scored a minor hit with his single "Working Class Anthem", in which he sang the lyrics of the Australian National Anthem
to the tune of "Working Class Man
", a famous song by Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes
.
, Hills developed an interest in comedy after discovering an inflight comedy channel on a plane at the age of eight. Hills was born without a right foot and wears a prosthesis
, which has become a frequent source of comedy in his act. He studied a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) at Macquarie University
, graduating in 1991.
In December 2009, Hills married opera
soprano
Ali McGregor
.
The title of his 2001 show, "Go You Big Red Fire Engine", was coined during a 1999 performance in Melbourne. Hills asked an audience member to yell his name to the audience and for the audience to yell it back, but instead the man yelled "Go you big red fire engine!" The phrase quickly became an audience chant, and Hills promised he would make it the name of his next show because, he says, "it was such an uplifting and genuinely silly moment." "Go You Big Red Fire Engine" later became the name of a second stand-up show and a comedy album; it also appeared in a Detroit newspaper, on a Swedish website and was yelled by Senator Natasha Stott Despoja
in the Australian Parliament
.
His artificial right foot is commonly used as a source of humour in his shows and the comedian has been known to remove it and pass it around. However, Hills had been performing live comedy for over a decade before he made reference to his prosthesis on stage, and it was only after "Go You Big Red Fire Engine" was nominated for a Perrier Award in 2001 that he began incorporating it into his act. Hills says he felt he could too easily have become a novelty act and that he "didn't want to be known as the one-legged comedian ... I wanted to prove myself as a comic before talking about this."
Hills regularly has a sign language
interpreter at his festival shows, a move sparked by a performance he did in Adelaide
at a disability art conference. An interpreter had been provided at the show, and Hills found that it not only allowed the deaf audience members to enjoy his material but was also an entertaining and fascinating experience for the hearing audience members. "Now I have hearing people who will only book [for signer shows]," he says.
Hills is best known for his role on the Australian music trivia show Spicks and Specks, which he has hosted since its premiere in 2005. In late 2007, he joined the show on a national live tour dubbed the "Spicks and Speck-tacular", with appearances in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle and Perth. He has also made appearances on Australian shows Rove Live, The Glass House
and The Fat
, as well as the British Never Mind the Buzzcocks
, Mock the Week
and Ask Rhod Gilbert
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vjry8. Additionally he appeared on the first TV edition of BBC Northern Ireland's Great Unanswered Questions http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00q2pnt}. He conducted backstage interviews at Australia's 2005 and 2006 Logie Award
s and was one of three presenters at the 2007 awards.
In June 2008, Hills co-hosted the ABC coverage of the 2008 Summer Paralympics
.
In July 2009, Hills appeared in Thank God You're Here
; he also appeared on Good News Week
.
Hills presented his own weekly talk show on the ABC from early 2011, entitled Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight
.
", to the tune of "Working Class Man
", a famous song by iconic Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes
, titling it "Working Class Anthem". Around 40 comedians contributed to the song, which made the independent top 10 in Australia. All proceeds went to the Australasian Fire Authority Council, an organisation supported by Barnes and Jon Bon Jovi
that supports firefighter
s. Hills has performed the song several times on television, including a performance honouring Barnes' guest appearance on Spicks and Specks.
Between 2003 and 2005, Hills wrote as a columnist for the BBC
's disability website Ouch!.
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
music trivia show Spicks and Specks. He has been nominated for a Perrier Comedy Award and Gold Logie Award.
He began performing as a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
in 1989 at the age of 19, and since 1997 has produced ten solo shows which have toured internationally. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
and the Montreal Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
festival, earning three consecutive Perrier Award nominations for his Edinburgh shows in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
In 2002, he scored a minor hit with his single "Working Class Anthem", in which he sang the lyrics of the Australian National Anthem
Advance Australia Fair
"Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song...
to the tune of "Working Class Man
Working Class Man
"Working Class Man" is a song performed and made famous by Australian singer Jimmy Barnes. It was written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "Working Class Man" is generally considered Barnes' signature song as a solo artist....
", a famous song by Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
.
Personal life
Originally from the Sydney suburb of LoftusLoftus, New South Wales
Loftus is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Loftus is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, Hills developed an interest in comedy after discovering an inflight comedy channel on a plane at the age of eight. Hills was born without a right foot and wears a prosthesis
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
, which has become a frequent source of comedy in his act. He studied a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
, graduating in 1991.
In December 2009, Hills married opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Ali McGregor
Ali McGregor
Ali McGregor is an Australian opera singer, actress and cabaret performer.-Career:McGregor, who was born in Melbourne, studied music at the Australian National University before completing her Bachelor of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK as a Peter Moores Scholar...
.
Stand-up career
Hills entered the comedy scene in 1989 when he made his first appearance at the Sydney Comedy Store at the age of 19. He spent several years from 1991 splitting his time between stand-up gigs and breakfast radio, but by the mid-1990s Hills says the hours had become exhausting and he decided to focus on live comedy. In 1997 he premiered "Stand Up and Deliver", the first of 10 solo shows, all of which have toured internationally. He has travelled widely, performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Montreal Just For Laughs festival. He has been nominated for three consecutive Perrier Comedy Awards for his 2001, 2002 and 2003 solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.The title of his 2001 show, "Go You Big Red Fire Engine", was coined during a 1999 performance in Melbourne. Hills asked an audience member to yell his name to the audience and for the audience to yell it back, but instead the man yelled "Go you big red fire engine!" The phrase quickly became an audience chant, and Hills promised he would make it the name of his next show because, he says, "it was such an uplifting and genuinely silly moment." "Go You Big Red Fire Engine" later became the name of a second stand-up show and a comedy album; it also appeared in a Detroit newspaper, on a Swedish website and was yelled by Senator Natasha Stott Despoja
Natasha Stott Despoja
Natasha Jessica Stott Despoja AM is an Australian former politician and former leader of the Australian Democrats. She was a Democrats senator for South Australia from 1995 to 2008...
in the Australian Parliament
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
.
His artificial right foot is commonly used as a source of humour in his shows and the comedian has been known to remove it and pass it around. However, Hills had been performing live comedy for over a decade before he made reference to his prosthesis on stage, and it was only after "Go You Big Red Fire Engine" was nominated for a Perrier Award in 2001 that he began incorporating it into his act. Hills says he felt he could too easily have become a novelty act and that he "didn't want to be known as the one-legged comedian ... I wanted to prove myself as a comic before talking about this."
Hills regularly has a sign language
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
interpreter at his festival shows, a move sparked by a performance he did in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
at a disability art conference. An interpreter had been provided at the show, and Hills found that it not only allowed the deaf audience members to enjoy his material but was also an entertaining and fascinating experience for the hearing audience members. "Now I have hearing people who will only book [for signer shows]," he says.
Television career
The Glass House (TV series)
The Glass House was a half-hour Australian comedy talk show which screened on the ABC from 2001 to 2006.It was hosted by stand-up comedian Wil Anderson, and co-hosted by fellow television and radio comedians Corinne Grant and Dave Hughes...
and The Fat
The Fat
The Fat was an Australian sports based talk show television series, broadcast and produced by ABC TV.The series began on 6 March 2000, and ended on 18 November 2003....
, as well as the British Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
, Mock the Week
Mock the Week
Mock the Week is a British topical celebrity panel game hosted by Dara Ó Briain that launched in 2005. The game is influenced by improvised topical stand-up comedy, with several rounds requiring players to deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.It is made by independent...
and Ask Rhod Gilbert
Ask Rhod Gilbert
-External links:*List of at TV.com*List of...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vjry8. Additionally he appeared on the first TV edition of BBC Northern Ireland's Great Unanswered Questions http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00q2pnt}. He conducted backstage interviews at Australia's 2005 and 2006 Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
s and was one of three presenters at the 2007 awards.
In June 2008, Hills co-hosted the ABC coverage of the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
.
In July 2009, Hills appeared in Thank God You're Here
Thank God You're Here
Thank God You're Here is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on Network Ten on 5 April 2006, and aired for the first three seasons with Seven for the fourth season...
; he also appeared on Good News Week
Good News Week
Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
.
Hills presented his own weekly talk show on the ABC from early 2011, entitled Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight
Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight
Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight is an Australian television interview show on ABC1 hosted by comedian Adam Hills. The show features celebrity guests, comedy and live music....
.
Other work
In 2002, Hills released a single titled Working Class Anthem, in which he sang the lyrics of the Australian National Anthem, "Advance Australia FairAdvance Australia Fair
"Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song...
", to the tune of "Working Class Man
Working Class Man
"Working Class Man" is a song performed and made famous by Australian singer Jimmy Barnes. It was written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "Working Class Man" is generally considered Barnes' signature song as a solo artist....
", a famous song by iconic Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
, titling it "Working Class Anthem". Around 40 comedians contributed to the song, which made the independent top 10 in Australia. All proceeds went to the Australasian Fire Authority Council, an organisation supported by Barnes and Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
that supports firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s. Hills has performed the song several times on television, including a performance honouring Barnes' guest appearance on Spicks and Specks.
Between 2003 and 2005, Hills wrote as a columnist for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's disability website Ouch!.
Solo shows
- Stand Up and Deliver (1997)
- Life Is Good (1998)
- My Own Little World (1999)
- Goody Two Shoes (2000)
- Go You Big Red Fire Engine (2001) – Perrier nominee
- Happy Feet (2002) – Perrier nominee
- Cut Loose (2003) – Perrier nominee
- Go You Big Red Fire Engine 2: Judgement Day (2004)
- Characterful (2006)
- Joymonger (2007)
- Inflatable (2009)
- Mess Around (2010)
- Mess Around (2011)
Awards
For his television work, Hills has been nominated at the Logie Awards on numerous occasions. The categories he has been nominated for are:- Most Popular New Male Talent: 2006
- Most Outstanding New TalentLogie Award for Most Outstanding New TalentThe Silver Logie for Most Outstanding New Talent, also known as the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding New Talent, is an award presented at the Logie Awards. Created in honour of Graham Kennedy following his death in 2005, it has been awarded annually since 2006.-Overview:-Recipients: Each...
: 2006 - Gold Logie: 2008–2011
- Most Popular TV PresenterLogie Award for Most Popular TV PresenterThe Silver Logie for Most Popular TV Presenter is an award presented at the Logie Awards. Since it was first presented in 2003, it has been won by Rove McManus every year, with the exception of the 2010 and 2011 award.-Overview:-Recipients:...
: 2008–2011