Tim Ferguson


Timothy Dorcen Langbene "Tim" Ferguson is an Australian comedian, film director, screenwriter, author and screenwriting teacher.

Background

Ferguson grew up on a rural property near the town of Perthville, New South Wales and spent three years at All Saints College, Bathurst, before moving to Canberra, where he attended the radical free-school School Without Walls and Narrabundah College. He is the son of Tony Ferguson, who was a Vietnam War correspondent, the first reporter to release news of the Tet Offensive to the world media. Tony became executive producer of This Day Tonight and Four Corners at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and network liaison for the ABC's managing director, David Hill.

Early career

His first major appearance was as a member of the musical comedy trio Doug Anthony All Stars, along with Paul McDermott and Richard Fidler, on the UK Channel 4 television show Friday Night Live and then the ABC television show The Big Gig, where they quickly gained a following. This was soon followed by their sci-fi sitcom DAAS Kapital.
In 1995-96, Ferguson appeared in Funky Squad, again on ABC television, and hosted Don't Forget Your Toothbrush on the Nine Network.
Ferguson's novel, Left, Right and Centre: A Tale of Greed, Sex and Power was published by Penguin in 1997.
Ferguson starred in Australian commercials advertising the video game console Nintendo 64.
Ferguson co-wrote and hosted eight series and twelve one-hour specials of his comedy clip show Unreal TV.
He was creator, co-writer and co-producer of the sitcom Shock Jock with Marc Gracie and Chris Thompson.
He has written various opinion pieces and articles for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Times. He wrote an alternative to the Australian Constitution Preamble.

Later career

Film

Ferguson is co-director of the feature film Spin Out.
Spin Out is a romantic comedy based at a Bachelor and Spinster Ball. Ferguson co-wrote the movie with Edwina Exton. Producers: Marc Gracie & David Redman.
follows a slow-burning attraction between two long-time friends, Billy and Lucy. The movie is based at a Ute Muster and B&S Ball.
"Spin Out" was shot in Shepparton in August 2015.
Sony Pictures Releasing, who have worldwide rights, released the film in cinemas in 2016.
In 2017, Ferguson co-wrote the feature film The BBQ and starred in the movie That's Not My Dog!.
He appeared in the movie Fat Pizza as the magician David Cockerfield and 2019 ''Fat Pizza TV series as the activist Julian Sausage.

Comedy

In 2018/19, Ferguson launched his record-breaking live solo show . He toured Australia to sell-out festival theatres, raising awareness for employment and housing for people with disabilities. The show continues to tour US, UK in 2020.
In 2014, Ferguson joined Paul McDermott and Paul Livingston to reform the Doug Anthony All Stars with Livingston replacing Richard Fidler as the group's guitarist.
DAAS won the Edinburgh Festival Spirit Of The Fringe Award in 2016.
They performed sell-out Edinburgh Festival and London seasons at Soho Theatre & the Shepherds Bush Empire in 2016-17.
Ferguson still tours internationally with the reformed Doug Anthony Allstars.
He played the role of Frankenfurter in the long-running The Rocky Horror Show, directed by Nigel Triffit.
In 2014, Ferguson teamed up with Maynard to start a podcast named Bunga Bunga''. Bunga Bunga won the Castaway Best Comedy Podcast Award in 2017.
In 2012 he toured his live standup comedy show "Carry a Big Stick", featuring tales and songs from his life on the 'comedy warpath'. The title alludes to his experiencing multiple sclerosis, and needing to use a walking stick.

Teaching

From 2016 until 2018, Ferguson taught comedy screenwriting at New York University.
He has also taught comedy screenwriting at the Screen Academy Scotland, Sydney University, Victorian College of the Arts.
Ferguson was a sessional lecturer in Screenwriting and Writing TV Comedy at RMIT University, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and the Screen Academy Scotland.

Writing/producing

Ferguson writes , a weekly satirical column in The New Daily newspaper with over 2 million subscribers.
Ferguson was Series Script Editor for the ABCTV sitcom Ricketts Lane starring Sammy J & Randy.
He produced and co-wrote the orchestral performance piece Billie & The Dinosaurs with Chris Thompson & composer Geoff Willis. Its premiere performance was at the Australian Museum in 2017.
In 2017, Ferguson co-wrote the feature film The BBQ starring Shane Jacobson and Magda Szubanski.
Ferguson's autobiography ' was published by Hachette in September 2013. It features the stories of his childhood, life as an international touring comedian, network TV celebrity, comedy feature film & sitcom writer and comedy screenwriting lecturer. It also presents him with a way of overcoming the challenges of multiple sclerosis.
Ferguson published ', a comedy writing manual for screenwriters, playwrights and authors. The book offers "a revolutionary approach to comedy writing" and features methods for comic story & character development.
In 2001, Ferguson branched out into production when he created the TV1 comedy series Shock Jock.
In 2003, he hosted a talk back radio show on 3AK and was the host of Big Brother Australia 2003's Big Brother The Insider.
In 2010, Ferguson was executive producer, writer and host of the independent tonight show ' on C31 Melbourne. WTF is directed by Marc Gracie.
Ferguson was script producer for the AWGIE-nominated web series '. He co-wrote and hosted eight series and multiple one-hour specials of Network Ten's Unreal TV and Foxtel's long-running sci-fi fan-show Space Cadets.

Art

Tim's artworks featured in his Sydney exhibition January 2018, curated by Australian art legend, Damien Minton.
Tim's works have toured extensively and appear in publications in Australia and Britain.

Other

Tim Ferguson is Patron of MS Australia and Music for Canberra.

Personal life

Ferguson is a Patron of MS Australia, the national voice for people living with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative neurological illness. Ferguson's stage of MS is known as Secondary Progressive.
Ferguson announced on an episode of Good News Week in 2010 that he has multiple sclerosis, which required him to occasionally use a walking cane. Ferguson has experienced MS symptoms since the age of 19. His show at the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was called "Carry a Big Stick", an allusion to his MS. Ferguson's condition has since progressed further and he now uses a wheelchair.
He owns the third largest Star Wars toy collection in the southern hemisphere.
On 22 March 2017, Ferguson featured on Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery, with host Julia Zemiro taking him on a tour of his childhood home and schools in Bathurst and Canberra.
In December 2017, Tim and co-host Maynard recorded a live charity show of their Castaway Award-winning podcast, 'Bunga Bunga', called 'A Very Bunga Christmas' to a huge crowd of fans at the Harold Park Hotel in Sydney.
He has spoken out for young Australians with MS and other disabilities living in aged care. He campaigns to arrange more appropriate options for them.
In 2017, Ferguson hosted the South West Disability Expo, helping thousands of South West Sydney residents with disabilities gain greater control over their lives and engage the most suitable services in their area to meet their individual needs.
Tim Ferguson supports the Summer Foundation. Established in 2006, the key aim of the Summer Foundation is to change human service policy and practice related to young people in nursing homes. The Summer Foundation utilises a range of strategies to influence health, housing, aged care and disability service policy and practice related to this target group.
His work fundraising and raising awareness is ongoing for motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury coditions.
Tim hosts the Uniting Church podcast featuring people with disabilities including Down syndrome, vision impairment, cerebral palsy, autism and Asperger syndrome.
In February 2018, Ferguson apologised via his management to TV critic Candace Sutton for a series of abusive letters containing numerous rude remarks, faxed to her in 1990, with cartoons drawn by him.
Ferguson launched the in May 2020. The online hub provides people with multiple sclerosis, their families and carers with tips and advice for living with the condition. People are invited to add their own perspectives and tips on the website. Tim's lighthearted tips are featured, including "Physio, Physio, Physio, chocolate and Physio!" and "Homeopathy is not a thing".
Ferguson regularly speaks at public and corporate events about disability, housing, social services and health at events. His most regular keynote speech themes are inclusivity, positivity and overcoming challenges.

Political candidacy

In the 1990 Australian federal election, Ferguson stood as an independent candidate for the seat of Kooyong, against the Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Peacock. Following a "Vote For Tim" campaign conducted by the Allstars on The Big Gig, he gained 3.7% of the vote.
On the ABC's Q&A program on 4 May 2013, Ferguson announced his candidacy for the Australian Senate in the 2013 Australian federal election. He said that he would have no policies, and that he wanted someone for whom he could vote. Ferguson nominated for the Senate for New South Wales, as a member of the Senator Online party.