William James Anderson (born 31 January 1974) is an Australian comedian, writer, presenter, and podcaster.

Early life

William James Anderson was born on 31 January 1974 in

Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria and the council seat of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated urban population of 15,682 according to the 2021 census. The total population including the ...

, and grew up on a dairy farm near

Heyfield, Victoria Heyfield is a town in Victoria, Australia, with a population of 1,993. It is east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington local government area. Located on the Thomson River, Heyfield is a gateway to the Victorian High Country. History In 1 ...

.Twenty Questions Tuesday
Retrieved 3 March 2016 He attended

Gippsland Grammar School (The truth will set you free) , established = 1924 , type = Independent, co-educational, day & boarding , denomination = Anglican , slogan = , principal = Mic ...

in Sale, and later studied newspaper journalism at the

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...

, graduating top of his class in 1995. He is the cousin of former

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

footballer Stuart Anderson.

Career

Media

Anderson has appeared on ''

Good News Week ''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in ...

'', ''

Under Melbourne Tonight ''Under Melbourne Tonight'' was a weekly live variety hour television program produced by RMITV that broadcast on C31 Melbourne. Reaching a weekly viewership of 55,000 people each week, the show was reviewed in ''The Age''s Green Guide by Jim Sch ...

'', '' What's Goin' On There?'', '' The Project'', and ''

Have You Been Paying Attention? ''Have You Been Paying Attention?'' (abbreviated on social media as HYBPA? and stylised on-screen as Have you been paying attention? in sentence case) is an Australian panel game television quiz show on Network 10. The series, which is produced ...

'' From 2000 to 2004, Anderson co-hosted the

triple j Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

breakfast radio show with

Adam Spencer Adam Barrington Spencer (born 29 January 1969) is an Australian comedian, media personality and former radio presenter. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search ''Raw Comedy'' in 1996. Soon thereafter, he began ...

. Between 2001 and 2006, Anderson hosted the comedy talk-show '' The Glass House'', broadcast on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, alongside

Corinne Grant Corinne Grant (born 12 June 1973) is an Australian lawyer, comedian and television presenter. Career After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, Grant started her career as an actor in Melbourne, obtaining a degree in drama. After graduating, ...

and

Dave Hughes David William Hughes (born 26 November 1970) is an Australian stand-up comedian, television and radio presenter. He is known for his larrikin personality, drawling Australian accent, and deadpan comedic delivery. Hughes co-hosts ''Hughesy, ...

. In November 2006, the show was cancelled amid media speculation that the cancellation was made due to pressure from the Howard Government. By staff writers, Gerard McManus and AAP Howard responded with, "I do not tell the ABC what programmes it should run. I respect the independence of the ABC." In 2007, Anderson was nominated in the "Most Popular Presenter" category at the

Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

for his role on the show. Anderson was the subject of controversy after he made jokes about the late father of ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...

'' finalist

Shannon Noll Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top ten albu ...

at the 2006

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

. From April 2007 to November 2008, Anderson joined with

Lehmo Anthony Lehmann (born 20 August 1969) is an Australian comedian, actor, television and radio presenter. Career Born in Peebinga, South Australia, Lehmo started out working as a chartered accountant before realising he did not actually like acc ...

to host ''

Wil & Lehmo ''Wil & Lehmo'' was an afternoon drive time radio program broadcast nationally on Triple M and was hosted by Wil Anderson and Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann. It began broadcasting on 2 April 2007. The timeslot for this show was previously held by ''Th ...

'', an afternoon drive-time radio program on Triple M. He also replaced Mick Molloy as co-host of the station's Hot Breakfast early morning show alongside Luke Darcy and Eddie McGuire in 2018, leaving the show at the end of 2019. In May 2008, Anderson became the executive producer and host of ''

The Gruen Transfer ''Gruen'' (previously known as ''The Gruen Transfer'') is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on the ABC on 28 May 2008. The program is hosted by Wil Anderson and produced by Andrew Denton's production co ...

'', a panel talk show about advertising televised on ABC. The show debuted with a record-breaking audience of 1.287 million viewers, the highest-rating debut entertainment program in the history of the ABC.

Standup comedy

While Anderson's television and radio career has made him a recognised figure in Australia, standup comedy remains his foremost discipline. Anderson started his career in newspaper journalism before venturing into standup comedy. In his early career, Anderson made numerous appearances on ''Good News Week'', on both the original and revamped versions. On 19 June 1996, Anderson appeared as the guest comedian on the

RMITV RMITV is a not-for-profit, community access television production facility based at RMIT University City Campus in Melbourne, Australia. It is a full member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium, a not-for-profit consortium that ...

Show ''Under Melbourne Tonight'', and appeared with RMITV again on the ''Under Melbourne Tonight'' spin-off '' What's Goin' On There?'' on 3 June 1998.

Live shows

Anderson has performed at numerous festivals, including Just For Laughs in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. For over a decade Anderson has started every live show with the opening riff from “

Back In Black ''Back in Black'' is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the band's first album to feature lead singer Brian Johnson, following the death of ...

” as a tribute to his late friend, comedian Dave Grant. Since 1997, he has used a pun regarding his first name for the title of his live shows: *''Wiluminate'' (2022-2023) *''Wilogical'' (2022) *''Whatchu Talkin' 'Bout WIL?'' (2020) *''Wil-Informed'' (2019–2020) *''Wilegal'' (2018, 2020) *''Critically Wil'' (2017) *''Fire at Wil'' (2016) *''Free Wil'' (2015) *''Political Wil'' (2015) *''What You Talking 'bout Wil?'' (2015) *''Wiluminati'' (2014) *''Goodwil'' (2013) *''Wilarious'' (2012) *''Man vs Wil'' (2011) *''Wilful Misconduct'' (2010) *''Wilosophy'' (2009) *''BeWILdered'' (2008) *''Wil of God'' (2007) *''Wil Communication'' (2006) *''Kill Wil'' (2005) *''Licence to Wil'' (2004) *''Jagged Little Wil'' (2003) *''Wil By Mouth'' (2002) *''Wil of Fortune'' (2001) *''Who Wants To Be A Wilionaire'' (2000) *''Willenium'' and ''Terra Wilius'' (1999) *''I am the Wilrus'' (1998, 2006

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

) *''Diet Life'' (1997) *''Show Pony'' (a 10-week season with Corinne Grant)

Podcasts

Anderson has created a number of podcasts, including ''

TOFOP ''TOFOP'' (an acronym of ''Thirty Odd Foot Of Podcast'') is a weekly Australian comedy podcast created and hosted by Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen, and launched in July 2010. Episodes are roughly an hour in length, and primarily consists of c ...

'', a comedy podcast with friend and actor

Charlie Clausen Charlie Clausen (born 31 July 1977) is an Australian actor most known for his role as Jake Harrison on ''McLeod's Daughters'' in 2003 and as Acting Sergeant Alex Kirby on the police drama series ''Blue Heelers'', which he starred in for the ma ...

; '' FOFOP'', where he chats with "Guest Charlies" in lieu of Clausen; ''Wilosophy'', where he interviews guests about their life philosophies; and ''2 Guys 1 Cup'', an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

podcast with Clausen. He has also expressed interest in starting a ''Survivor'' recap podcast entitled ''Outwil, Outplay, Outlast''. ''TOFOP'' (''Thirty Odd Foot of Pod'') debuted in 2010 as a weekly podcast in which Anderson and Clausen discussed a variety of subjects, including film, popular culture, sport, personal anecdotes, and detailed discussions on bizarre hypothetical situations. Following significant media coverage in June 2012, TOFOP rose to become the most popular comedy podcast in Australia. In September 2012, the podcast was placed on hiatus as a result of Clausen gaining a starring role as Zac MacGuire in popular Australian soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

''. The podcast resumed in June 2014. In February 2013, Anderson launched the spin-off podcast ''FOFOP''. Anderson launched his ''Wilosophy'' podcast in December 2014. The inaugural episode featured

Todd Sampson Todd Sampson is a Canadian-born Australian award-winning documentary-maker and television presenter. He appears as a co-host on the marketing discussion program '' Gruen'' and as a guest host on '' The Project''. He wrote, produced and presented ...

, while subsequent guests include

Judith Lucy Judith Mary Lucy (born 25 March 1968) is an Australian comedian and actress, known primarily for her stand-up comedy. Lucy joined the team of the ABC's ''The Weekly with Charlie Pickering'' in 2019. Early life Lucy's adoptive parents emigrat ...

John Safran , citizenship = , education = , occupation = DocumentarianJournalistRadio presenterAuthor , years_active = 1997 – present , known_for = ''John Safran's Music Jamboree'' ''John Safran vs God'' ''Race ...

, Felicity Ward,

Osher Günsberg Osher Günsberg (born Andrew Jonas Günsberg), recognised by his former stage name Andrew G, is a British-Australian television and radio presenter and journalist. He is the host of the reality TV series '' The Bachelor Australia'', ''The Bachel ...

, Jarrod McKenna,

Annabel Crabb Annabel Crabb (born 1973) is an Australian political journalist, commentator and television host who is the ABC's chief online political writer. She has worked for Adelaide's '' The Advertiser'', ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', ''The Age'', the ...

Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...

, Dee Madigan,

Nazeem Hussain Nazeem Hussain (born 21 April 1985) is an Australian comedian, actor, television and radio presenter. He is best known as creator and star of two television comedy shows, ''Legally Brown'' (2013-14) and ''Orange Is the New Brown'' (2018). His ...

, Corinne Grant,

Namila Benson Namila Benson is an Australian radio broadcaster, podcaster and television presenter. Early life Benson was born in Australia of Papua New Guinean parents. She is a Tolai woman from Rabaul in the East New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea, a ...

and

Karl Kruszelnicki Karl Sven Woytek Sas Konkovitch Matthew Kruszelnicki (born 1948), often referred to as "Dr Karl", is an Australian science communicator and populariser, who is known as an author and a science commentator on Australian radio and television. K ...

. ''Wilosphy'' has, over the second half of 2018, released compilation episodes with themes such as religion, comedy and mental health. These episodes take clips from past ''Wilosophy'' episodes and compile them based on subject matter. In a January 2015 episode of podcast ''TOFOP'', Anderson recalled his first Logie Awards ceremony, held in 2008, when he garnered controversy for his live tweets from the event. Anderson explained that he has never been a fan of the event, as he believes that a large number of other causes for celebration exist in Australia that never receive the recognition they deserve. In 2020 he was a guest on the podcast ''

The West Wing Thing ''The West Wing Thing'' is a podcast series created by the screenwriters Dave Anthony and Josh Olson. First uploaded in 2019–22, the series discusses the TV drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006) on an episode-by-episode basis, from a left-wing ...

''. Wil is also a frequent guest on The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds.

Books

In 2006, Anderson published his first book: ''Survival of the Dumbest'', a comedic collection of rants and observations drawn largely from his 'Sunday Roast' columns in the ''

Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'' and'' Sunday Herald-Sun''. This was followed by a similar book, ''Friendly Fire'', in 2009. In 2022, Anderson published ''I Am NOT Fine, Thanks'', a political memoir and comedic reflection upon the preceding years, largely consisting of the same material as his 2022 show, ''Wilogical''.

Personal life

Anderson was born in

, and grew up on a dairy farm near

. He attended

Gippsland Grammar School (The truth will set you free) , established = 1924 , type = Independent, co-educational, day & boarding , denomination = Anglican , slogan = , principal = Mic ...

in Sale, and later studied journalism at the

. Between 2011 and 2017, Anderson split his time between Australia and the U.S. He has a form of

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...

, which he mentions in some of his performances. Anderson is a passionate supporter and longtime fan club member of the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

, who compete in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

. On 20 May 2014, he was named as a club ambassador for the 2014 season.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PJjqSVsGLE Will Anderson on Fox Footy

Awards

2017

*Winner: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Critically Wil "People’s Choice" (shared with

and

Denise Scott Denise Margaret Scott (born 24 April 1955) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, television and radio presenter. Career Scott has appeared frequently on Australian television since her regular slot on ABC TV's ''The Big Gig'' in 1990, an ...

)

2016

*Winner: Most Outstanding Entertainment program, Gruen "58th TV Week Logie Awards"

2015

*Winner: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Free Wil "People’s Choice"

2014

*Winner: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Wiluminati "People’s Choice"

2012

*Winner: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Wilarious "People’s Choice"

2011

*Winner: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Man vs Wil "People’s Choice" *Winner: GQ Man of the Year, "Media Performer of the Year" *Winner:

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

, ''

'', "Best Light Entertainment Series"

2010

*Winner:

Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer The Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer is an award, presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) at the annual Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by indu ...

"Wilful Misconduct" *Winner: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Wilful Misconduct "People’s Choice" *Nominee: Barry Award MICF, Wilful Misconduct "Best Show" *Nominee: Gold Logie, ''

'', "Most Popular Personality" *Winner: GQ Man of the Year, "Media Performer of the Year" *Winner: AFI Award, ''

'' "Best Light Entertainment" (Hosted by Anderson) *Winner: Couch Potato Awards, '' Gruen Nation'' "Best Light Entertainment" (Hosted by Anderson)

2009

*Nominee: AFI Award, ''

'' "Best Light Entertainment" (Hosted by Anderson) *Winner: Couch Potato Awards, ''

'' "Best Light Entertainment" (Hosted by Anderson)

2008

*Winner: GQ Man of the Year "Comedic Talent" *Nominee: GQ Man of the Year "Radio Presenter" *Nominee: GQ Man of the Year "TV Presenter" *Nominee: Australian Commercial Radio Awards "Best New Talent" *Nominee: Aust Commercial Radio Awards "Best Sketch" *Nominee: Logie Award, ''

'', "Best Light Entertainment" (Hosted by Anderson)

Recordings

*2015 DVD - ''Wiluminati'' released through Universal *2009 DVD – ''Wilosophy'' released through Universal *2009 DVD – ''The Gruen Transfer'': Season 2 released through ABC Enterprises *2008 DVD – ''The Gruen Transfer'': Season 1 released through ABC Enterprises *2007 DVD – ''MICF: Best of Gala Collection'' *2006 DVD – Release of ''The Best of The Glass House (2002–2006)'' by ABC Enterprises and distributed through Roadshow Entertainment *2001 CD – Release of the Melbourne Comedy Festival CD compilation through Rubber Music, distributed by BMG Australia

References

External links

*
Official Wil Anderson home page
(sub-

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

, alternatively navigate fro
Token front page

TOFOP podcasts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Wil Triple M presenters Triple J announcers 1974 births Living people Australian stand-up comedians Australian television presenters Helpmann Award winners People from Sale, Victoria University of Canberra alumni Australian male comedians Australian podcasters