Hard Knock Knocks

Hard Knock Knocks 105 - 002: Tim Ferguson – How abusing audiences in Canberra can lead to stardom

Ready to take your stand-up comedy game to the next level?
If you’re grinding through open mics but feel like your progress is stuck in slow motion, the Hard Knock Knocks podcast is your shortcut to success. Each episode features candid interviews with Australia’s most seasoned stand-up comedians—unpacking how they got started, what they’ve learned, and what they wish they knew when they began. Get insider tips, avoid common pitfalls, and sharpen your craft with real-world advice from the pros who’ve been there and crushed that.

Learn more about the Hard Knock Knocks comedy school.

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Hard Knock Knocks

Episodes

002: Tim Ferguson – How abusing audiences in Canberra can lead to stardom

001: Ben Horowitz – From punches to punchlines. How one comedian moved from a boxer to a stand-up

102: Lisa Gatenby - Never Growing Up

101: Tom Siegert - Fighting for Comedy

100: Katie Burch – Avoiding the waffle and being cruel

099: Ashley Fils-Aime – Reinventing yourself in comedy

098: Wayne Deakin – Overcoming the wilful ignorance in comedy

097: Lewis Spears – The consummate professional behind the 'Spears' brand

096: Charles Firth – Exposing truths and undermining power structures with satire

095: Ian McFadyen – Creating an Australian sketch comedy national treasure

094: Simon Kennedy – Crossing the line and the Art of Happiness

093: Daniel Muggleton – Comedy during Covid and Three Stripes

092: Stig Wemyss – Is This Thing On?

091: Scott Dikkers - Pointing out stupidity with The Onion

090: Morry Morgan - Coronavirus and comedy

089: Jason Chong - Discipline, game shows and Tarago Tests

088: Marty Bright – Optimism and being easy to work with

087: Fady Kassab - Winning Raw Comedy from the back of his head

086: Lee Ton – Where are you from from?

085: Mickey D – Pain is just an emotion

084: Viet Bui – Vietnam to VB

083: Steven Oliver – Comedy scripts, sketch, and sluts

082: Cam Knight – Wistful wisdom and pissing in dishwashers

081: Matt O'Neill – Being delightfully dark

080: Joe Wong - No straight line to comedy success

079: Julia Clarke - From Adelaide Raw to Edinburgh Fringe

078: Seizure Kaiser - Overcoming the politics of stand-up comedy

077: Chris Franklin - Laughs of Launnie and Aussie comedy festivals

076: Gabe Hogan - Raw comedy, radio and cliques

075: Lehmo - The comedic journey from balls to sails

074: Julia Wilson - Combative comedy

073: Mick Meredith - From The Footy Show to Comedy Cruises

072: Marc Ryan - Bogans and Raw Comedy

071: Michael Connell - The intellectual's comedian

070: Kim Le - Complex cognitive comedy

069: Jeff Green - Building a comedy career, twice

068: Dave O'Neil - Producing 'Dave' for Pilot Week

067: Gerry Masi - Character comedy with Mad Dog Malcolm

066: Simon Hughes - The new king of comedy

065: Rik Roberts - Comedy under Christian constraints

064: Kieran Butler - The life of a satirist, antagonist and contrarian comedian

063: Chris Wainhouse - Dark humour and the importance of taboos

062: Nadine Sparks - From improv to stand-up comedy

061: Lee Ton - Persistence pays for a comedy career

060: Khaled Khalafalla - How comedy killed the radio star

059: David Tulk - 'No Filter' but still lovable

058: Marty Wilson - More Funny, More Money

057: Paul Sharplin - Jumping in the deep end of comedy

056: Ross Voss - Building the Adelaide comedy community

055: Nikki Osborne - Go hard or go home