Dave Hughes
A slow-drawling Australian standup fueled by minor daily frustrations.
3 specials · 1999–2003
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Dave Hughes wanders onto the stage with a slow, nasal drawl and the weary posture of a man who just had an exhausting conversation with a cashier. He doesn’t snap off quick setups and punchlines. Instead, he ambles through conversational rants about the foolishness of the people around him. His face is expressive—a wide, mobile mouth and deep-set eyes that shift between genuine confusion and mock outrage—and he uses his pacing to stretch a minor grievance until it becomes entirely absurd. He will pick apart an interaction with his kids or a stranger in a shop, directly asking the crowd to validate his annoyance.
Specials
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Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala 2003 with James Galea, Wil Anderson & 6 more
A televised charity gala featuring rising Australian and international comedians from 2003.
ABC (Australia)
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The World Comedy Tour: Melbourne 2002 with Dom Irrera, Al Murray & 13 more
An international lineup of working comics performing tight festival sets.
65 min
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Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala 1999 with Rove McManus, Jeff Green & 20 more
A massive showcase of late-nineties comedians doing four minutes each.
Network Ten
On stage
In Australia, he is an inescapable presence. He is a fixture of drive-time radio, television panel shows, and sports broadcasts, operating as the country’s default everyman. You do not reach his level of ubiquity without a persona that works everywhere, and his specific brand of deadpan frustration plays just as well in massive theaters as it does in crowded comedy clubs. He could easily coast on his broadcasting fame, but he treats standup as a primary engine, continuously putting in the hours on stage.
The material operates without pretense. You will not find him delivering high-concept manifestos or sharp political satire. He builds sets out of the day-to-day indignities of being alive, complaining about his family or dissecting a petty argument. The frustration never sounds vicious. He projects the image of a bewildered guy in a suit, holding court and demanding to know why the world refuses to be simple.
Turning points
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Breakthrough Stand-Up Debut on Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hughes made an explosive national television debut on Hey Hey It's Saturday, a performance so memorable it was the only comedy spot replayed on the show's 50th-anniversary special.
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2001–2006
Co-Hosting The Glass House on ABC
Hughes gained widespread national acclaim co-hosting the topical comedy talk show alongside Wil Anderson and Corinne Grant until its controversial cancellation.
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Resignation from The Project to Return to Touring
After five years as an original anchor on Channel 10's nightly show The Project, Hughes stepped down from full-time hosting to return to his primary passion of touring stand-up comedy.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Wil Anderson
Fans will appreciate their longstanding creative chemistry established as longtime co-hosts of ABC's satirical panel show The Glass House.
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Dave O'Neil
O'Neil shares Hughes's relatable, everyday observational style and co-launched Nova 100's breakfast show alongside him.
Also on screen
- Neighbours
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- Scumbus
A clip to start with
Dave Hughes - 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala