Australian Tumbleweed Awards 2011 – Worst Comedy Personality or Performer

Some comedians you’ll watch in anything, whether they’re presenting a 300-part documentary on invertebrates or appearing in a panel show about actuarial science. Ben Elton was someone who used to be able to brighten up even the dullest of those interview specials Ray Martin did in the 90’s, then he ruined it all by getting his own Australian comedy show.

At least Elton’s stand-up on Live From Planet Earth wasn’t too bad. He may have sucked at getting other people to deliver his comedy, but he himself did a good job. That’s something Chris Lilley can’t really claim to have done, although it may have helped his cause if he’d bothered to extend himself beyond gags related to dicks and their emissions.

Wil Anderson is highly regarded in the Australian industry and is often praised for his topical material and improvisational skills. He is currently best known as the host of the various Gruen programmes, where his semi-topical comedy fills the gaps between those bits where representatives of the advertising industry make out they’re telling us something we haven’t already spotted. This is enormously helpful to Anderson as with his bland personality and lightweight gags he’s easily the least offensive person on screen.

Chris Lilley spends months developing his characters, studying people like them, working out their costumes and mannerisms…and then totally forgets to make them remotely funny or interesting, or to place them in an interesting, coherent storyline. Apparently this is all that’s required to be called a comedy genius in this country. Barry Humphries and John Clarke must often wonder why they bother to write actual material.

THE RESULTS OF THE NEXT CATEGORY, WORST TV LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SHOW, WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT 11:30AM EDT.