Wil Anderson
Encyclopedia
William James "Wil" Anderson (born 31 January 1974) is an Australia
n comedian
, writer, performing stand-up, and television
and radio
presenter and personality.
, in the Gippsland
region of Victoria
on a dairy farm. He attended Gippsland Grammar School
in Sale
and later the University of Canberra
.
Anderson aroused controversy over some jokes he made about the late father of Australian Idol
finalist Shannon Noll
at the 2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
.
Anderdson has also performed at the Just For Laughs
Comedy Festival in Montreal.
TV show, The Glass House
from 2001 to 2006, with Corinne Grant
and Dave Hughes
. In November 2006 the show was cancelled amid speculation that the cancellation was made due to pressure from the Howard government. Howard responded with, "I do not tell the ABC what programs it should run. I respect the independence of the ABC." In 2007, Anderson was nominated for the "Most Popular Presenter" award at the Logies for his role on the show.
Anderson has also made numerous appearances on Good News Week
, both the original and the revamped version.
He is the current host of a panel talk show about advertising
called The Gruen Transfer
, which debuted on ABC1
on 28 May 2008. It was the water-cooler show of the year, debuting with a record-breaking audience of 1.287 million viewers, the highest rating debut entertainment program in the history of the ABC.
's breakfast radio team, co-presenting with Adam Spencer
on the show which aired nationally across Australia
. In 2005 after 5 years Wil and Adam stood down from breakfast radio to pursue their solo careers. They went on a national farewell tour together just before their final shows. They were replaced by Frenzal Rhomb
members Jay and the Doctor
.
From 2 April 2007 to 4 November 2008, Anderson and co-host Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann
presented a new show called Wil & Lehmo
in the 4–6 PM (Monday to Friday) timeslot on the Triple M
network. The show was cancelled due to less-than-average ratings. Anderson and Lehmo have maintained a close friendship.
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, writer, performing stand-up, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
presenter and personality.
Early life
Anderson grew up in the small town of HeyfieldHeyfield, Victoria
Heyfield is a town in Victoria, Australia, with a population of 2099. It is located 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 the Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
region of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
on a dairy farm. He attended Gippsland Grammar School
Gippsland Grammar School
Gippsland Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Sale, in the state of Victoria, Australia....
in Sale
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
and later the University of Canberra
University of Canberra
Over the years the Stone Day program has gradually become larger and larger, taking up a whole week and now Stonefest is one of Australia's most popular music festivals. The first foundation celebrations were held in 1971. In 1973 Stone Day celebrations were held over two days, which was expanded...
.
Career
Anderson is well known as host of popular Australian panel show The Gruen Transfer and prior to that The Glass House, both on ABC. His radio and television career has made Anderson a highly recognised comedian in Australia, but he is foremost a standup comedy performer and known for naming his solo shows with a pun on his name.Live shows
- Man vs Wil (2011)
- Wilful Misconduct (2010)
- Wilosophy (2009) This was also the title of Wil's debut DVD
- 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)
- 5ive Thirty with Adam SpencerAdam SpencerAdam Barrington Spencer is an Australian radio presenter, comedian, and media personality. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search Raw Comedy in the mid-1990s...
(2000) - Willenium and Terra Wilius (1999)
- I am the Wilrus (1998). Wilrus made a return tour for the 2006 Edinburgh FringeEdinburgh FringeThe Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
. - Diet Life (1997)
- Show Pony - a ten-week season with Corinne GrantCorinne GrantCorinne Grant is an Australian comedian and television presenter.-Career:After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, she embarked upon a career as an actor in Melbourne, obtaining a degree in drama. After graduating, Grant started doing stand-up comedy to overcome her stage-fright. Her first...
Anderson aroused controversy over some jokes he made about the late father of Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
finalist Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll first came to prominence as runner-up of the first series of Australian Idol which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. Since then he has released five Top 10 albums and ten Top 10 singles. His first two albums That's What I'm Talking About in 2004 and Lift in 2005 debuted at No...
at the 2006 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...
.
Anderdson has also performed at the 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 :...
Comedy Festival in Montreal.
Television
Anderson was the host of the ABCAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
TV show, The Glass House
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...
from 2001 to 2006, with Corinne Grant
Corinne Grant
Corinne Grant is an Australian comedian and television presenter.-Career:After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, she embarked upon a career as an actor in Melbourne, obtaining a degree in drama. After graduating, Grant started doing stand-up comedy to overcome her stage-fright. Her first...
and Dave Hughes
Dave Hughes
David William "Hughesy" Hughes is an Australian stand-up comedian, radio and television presenter. He is currently co-host on the Network Ten's The Project and Before the Game as well as the breakfast radio show Hughesy and Kate.-Television:Hughes co-hosted the ABC comedy talk show The Glass House...
. In November 2006 the show was cancelled amid speculation that the cancellation was made due to pressure from the Howard government. Howard responded with, "I do not tell the ABC what programs it should run. I respect the independence of the ABC." In 2007, Anderson was nominated for the "Most Popular Presenter" award at the Logies for his role on the show.
Anderson has also made numerous appearances 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...
, both the original and the revamped version.
He is the current host of a panel talk show about advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
called The Gruen Transfer
The Gruen Transfer
The Gruen Transfer is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on ABC1 on 28 May 2008 and has run for four seasons...
, which debuted on ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
on 28 May 2008. It was the water-cooler show of the year, debuting with a record-breaking audience of 1.287 million viewers, the highest rating debut entertainment program in the history of the ABC.
Radio
From 2001 to 2004 he was best known as one half of Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's breakfast radio team, co-presenting with Adam Spencer
Adam Spencer
Adam Barrington Spencer is an Australian radio presenter, comedian, and media personality. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search Raw Comedy in the mid-1990s...
on the show which aired nationally across Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 2005 after 5 years Wil and Adam stood down from breakfast radio to pursue their solo careers. They went on a national farewell tour together just before their final shows. They were replaced by Frenzal Rhomb
Frenzal Rhomb
Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1992 with mainstay Jason Whalley on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. In 1996, Lindsay McDougall joined the line-up on lead guitar and backing vocals. Two of the group's albums have peaked into the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart, A...
members Jay and the Doctor
Jay and the Doctor
Jay and the Doctor are the on-air names of Australian radio duo Jason Whalley and Lindsay McDougall, on radio station Triple J.Best known as members of punk band Frenzal Rhomb, they performed occasional late-night shifts on Triple J until 2004...
.
From 2 April 2007 to 4 November 2008, Anderson and co-host Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann
Lehmo
Anthony Lehmann, better known by his nickname Lehmo, is an Australian comedian, radio personality, television personality and movie actor. He is probably best known as co-hosting Before the Game for Channel Ten, and co-hosting Triple M's drive time show with Wil Anderson...
presented a new show called Wil & Lehmo
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....
in the 4–6 PM (Monday to Friday) timeslot on the Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
network. The show was cancelled due to less-than-average ratings. Anderson and Lehmo have maintained a close friendship.
Podcast
From 2010, Anderson has collaborated on a free weekly podcast, TOFOP (aka 30 Odd Foot Of Pod), with actor Charlie ClausenCharlie Clausen
Charlie Clausen 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 majority of Season 12 and Season 13...
.
2011
- WINNER Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Man vs Wil “People’s Choice”
- WINNER GQ Man Of The Year, “Media Performer Of The Year”
2010
- WINNER Helpmann Award, Wilful Misconduct “Best Comedy Performer”
- WINNER Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Wilful Misconduct “People’s Choice”
- NOMINEE Barry Award MICF, Wilful Misconduct “Best Show”
- NOMINEE Gold Logie, The Gruen Transfer, “Most Popular Personality”
- WINNER GQ Man Of The Year, “Media Performer Of The Year”
- WINNER AFI Award, The Gruen TransferThe Gruen TransferThe Gruen Transfer is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on ABC1 on 28 May 2008 and has run for four seasons...
“Best Light Ent” (Hosted by Anderson) - WINNER Couch Potato Awards, Gruen Nation “Best Light Ent” (Hosted by Anderson)
2009
- NOMINEE AFI Award, The Gruen TransferThe Gruen TransferThe Gruen Transfer is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on ABC1 on 28 May 2008 and has run for four seasons...
“Best Light Ent” (Hosted by Anderson) - WINNER Couch Potato Awards, The Gruen TransferThe Gruen TransferThe Gruen Transfer is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on ABC1 on 28 May 2008 and has run for four seasons...
“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”
- NOMINEELogie Award, The Gruen TransferThe Gruen TransferThe Gruen Transfer is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on ABC1 on 28 May 2008 and has run for four seasons...
, “Best Light Entertainment” (Hosted by Anderson)
2007
- NOMINEE GQ Man Of The Year “Radio Presenter”
- NOMINEE GQ Man Of The Year “Comedic Talent”
- NOMINEE Logie Award, The Glass HouseThe Glass HouseThe Glass House may refer to:*The Glass House , a 2001 film starring Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane*The Good Mother , a sequel also known as Glass House: The Good Mother*The Glass House , an Australian TV series...
, “Most Outstanding Comedy Prog” (Hosted by Anderson) - NOMINEE Logie Award. The Glass HouseThe Glass HouseThe Glass House may refer to:*The Glass House , a 2001 film starring Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane*The Good Mother , a sequel also known as Glass House: The Good Mother*The Glass House , an Australian TV series...
“Most Popoular TV Presenter”
2006
- NOMINEE AFI Awards, The Glass House, “Best Light Entertainment Series” (Hosted by Anderson)
- NOMINEE Logie Award, The Glass House, “Most Outstanding Comedy Prog” (Hosted by Anderson)
- NOMINEE Logie Award, The Glass House,“Most Popular Light Entertainment Program” (Hosted by Anderson)
Recordings
- 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