Timothy Dorcen Langbene Ferguson (born 16 November 1963) is an Australian comedian, film director, screenwriter, author and screenwriting teacher.

Early life and education

Timothy Dorcen Langbene Ferguson grew up in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and later on a rural property near the town of

Perthville Perthville is a small town in New South Wales, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tas ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He is the son of Tony Ferguson, who was a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

correspondent, the first reporter to release news of the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...

to the world media. Tony became executive producer of ''

This Day Tonight ''This Day Tonight'' (TDT) was an Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and ...

'' and ''

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

'' at the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

, and network liaison for the ABC's managing director, David Hill. Tim spent three years at All Saints College, Bathurst, before moving to

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, where he attended the radical free-school School Without Walls and

Narrabundah College Narrabundah College is a government college that teaches the last two years of secondary education in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It was the first school in Australia to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), starting the progr ...

Early career

Ferguson's first major appearance was as a member of the musical comedy trio Doug Anthony All Stars, along with

Richard Fidler Richard Fidler is an Australian radio presenter and writer. He hosts an hour-long interview program, '' Conversations with Richard Fidler'' on ABC's Radio National, and was a member of the Australian comedy group the Doug Anthony All Stars. '' ...

and

Paul McDermott Paul Anthony Michael McDermott (born 13 May 1962) is an Australian entertainer, best known both for '' Good News Week'' and for his role as a member of the musical comedy group the Doug Anthony All Stars. He has frequently appeared at the Mel ...

, on the UK

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

television show '' Friday Night Live'', '' Viva Cabaret'', 'DAAS Love' (BBC), where they quickly gained a following. DAAS starred in Australian comedy television show, ''

The Big Gig ''The Big Gig'' was a popular Australian television sketch comedy music/variety series based on the British TV series '' Saturday Live''. It was produced and broadcast on ABC TV in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was produced and directed by ...

''. This was soon followed by their sci-fi sitcom '' DAAS Kapital''. In 1995–96, Ferguson appeared in ''

Funky Squad ''Funky Squad'' was a short-lived 1995 Australian comedy television series which satirised 1970s-era U.S. police television dramas, such as ''The Mod Squad''. Only seven half-hour episodes were produced, which were broadcast on the ABC. Real te ...

'' on

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

. He hosted the

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

-winning series '' Don't Forget Your Toothbrush'' on the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

. 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 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

. He co-wrote and hosted eight series and twelve one-hour specials of his comedy clip show ''

Unreal TV ''Unreal TV'' is an Australian television show showcasing advertisements and weird video footage. It was hosted by Tim Ferguson Timothy Dorcen Langbene Ferguson (born 16 November 1963) is an Australian comedian, film director, screenwriter, ...

''. He was creator, co-writer and co-producer of the sitcom ''

Shock Jock A shock jock is a radio broadcaster or DJ who entertains listeners and attracts attention using humor or melodramatic exaggeration that may offend some portion of the listening audience. The term is used pejoratively to describe provocative or ...

'' with Marc Gracie and Chris Thompson. Ferguson wrote a comedic alternative to the

Australian Constitution The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, ...

Preamble, published by ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' in 1999, ending with the words "We are girt by sea and pissed by lunchtime. And even though we might seem a racist, closed-minded, sports-obsessed little People, at least we're better than the Kiwis. Now bugger off, we're sleeping".

2000 onwards

Film

Ferguson is co-director (with Marc Gracie) 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. ''Spin Out'' follows a slow-burning attraction between two long-time friends, Billy (

Xavier Samuel Xavier Samuel (born 10 December 1983) is an Australian film and theatre actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature films '' Adore'', ''September'', ''Further We Search'', ''Newcastle'', '' The Loved Ones'', ''Frankenstein'', '' A Fe ...

) and Lucy ( Morgan Griffin). The movie is based at a Ute Muster and B&S Ball. ''Spin Out'' was shot in

Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...

in August 2015. Sony Pictures Releasing, which has worldwide rights, released the film in cinemas in 2016. In 2017, Ferguson co-wrote the feature film '' The BBQ'' starring

Shane Jacobson Shane Jacobson (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian actor, entertainer, director, writer, and comedian, best known as the " Dunny Man" for his performances as the eponymous character Kenny Smyth, a plumber working for a portable toilet rental ...

Julia Zemiro Julia Zemiro () (born 14 April 1967) is a French-born Australian television presenter, radio host, actress, singer, writer and comedian. She is best known as the host of the music quiz and live performance show ''RocKwiz''. Zemiro is a fluent E ...

and

Magda Szubanski Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski ( ; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian comedy actress, author, singer and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in '' Fast Forward'', '' Kath & Kim'' as Sharon Strzelecki and in the films '' Babe'' (1995) and ...

. He starred as himself in the movie ''

That's Not My Dog! ''That's Not My Dog!'' is a 2018 Australian comedy film written and directed by Dean Murphy and starring Shane Jacobson. Each of the cast members in the film are portraying themselves. The film had a limited cinematic release from 15–18 March ...

'' with

Paul Hogan Paul Hogan (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor and comedian. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as ...

and

Emily Taheny Emily Taheny is an Australian comedian, actress, and singer. She is known for her multiple appearances on the sketch comedy television series '' Comedy Inc.'' from 2003 through 2007, her role as "Kat" on the 2009 series '' The Jesters'', and as ...

. He appeared in the movie ''

Fat Pizza ''Fat Pizza'' is a 2003 Australian comedy film based on the ''Pizza'' television series, both of which were created, produced, written and starred in by Paul Fenech. The film's story takes place between seasons two (episode "Desert Pizza") and ...

'' as the magician David Cockerfield and in multiple seasons of '' Fat Pizza: Back in Business'' as Julian Bousage.

Comedy

In 2021, Ferguson launched the standup comedy sho
Smashing Life - Motivation For Idiots
at Adelaide Fringe Festival. In 2018/21, Ferguson launched his record-breaking live solo show
Fast Life On Wheels
. 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 2022. In 2014, Ferguson joined Paul McDermott and

Paul Livingston Paul James Livingston (born March 1956), popularly known as his alter ego Flacco, is an Australian comedian who has regularly appeared on many television shows, predominantly on Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC TV and Network Ten, incl ...

to reform the Doug Anthony All Stars with Livingston replacing

as the group's guitarist. DAAS won the Edinburgh Festival Spirit Of The Fringe Award in 2016. DAAS 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 (DAAS). He played the role of Frankenfurter in the long-running ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

'', 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 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

, and the need to use a walking stick.

Teaching

From 2016 until 2018, Ferguson taught comedy screenwriting at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(NYU Sydney). He has also taught comedy screenwriting at the

Screen Academy Scotland The Screen Academy Scotland (A Skillset Film Academy) is a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art. It was opened in August 2005 by the then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, and is based in Edinb ...

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

and

Sydney Film School Sydney Film School is a private film school based in Waterloo, a suburb in Sydney, Australia. It was created to provide practical-based filmmaking training to students. Sydney Film School is located at Waterloo Studios, a working professional p ...

. Ferguson was a sessional lecturer in Screenwriting and Writing TV Comedy at

RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...

, the

Australian Film, Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accredita ...

(AFTRS).

Writing/producing

Ferguson published
The Cheeky Monkey-Writing Narrative Comedy
' (published by Currency Press), 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. Ferguson write
The Ferguson Report
a weekly satirical column in The New Daily newspaper with over 1.7 million subscribers. Ferguson was Series Script Editor for the ABCTV sitcom '' Ricketts Lane'' starring Sammy J &

Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolph, and Miranda, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them. '' Randi'' is approximat ...

. 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 The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

in 2017. Subsequent shows and tours, produced by Marc Gracie, are ongoing. In 2017, Ferguson co-wrote the feature film '' The BBQ'' starring

and

. Ferguson's autobiography
Carry a Big Stick: A Life of Laughter, Friendship and MS
' 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 (MS). In 2001, Ferguson branched out into production when he created the TV1 comedy series ''

''. In 2003, he hosted a talk-back radio show on 3AK and hosted Big Brother Australia 2003's '' Big Brother The Insider''. In 2010, Ferguson was executive producer with Marc Gracie, writer and host of the independent tonight show
WTF – With Tim Ferguson
' on

C31 Melbourne C31 Melbourne is a free-to-air community television channel in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its name is derived from UHF 31, the frequency and channel number reserved for analogue broadcasts by metropolitan community television stations in ...

. ''WTF'' is directed by Marc Gracie ('' Full Frontal'', ''

''). 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 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

's ''

'' and

Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...

's long-running sci-fi fan-show '' Space Cadets''.

Art

Ferguson's artworks (known as "Tim Awt") were featured in various Sydney exhibitions in January 2018, curated by Australian art legend, Damien Minton. He held exhibitions in Sydney 2019 - 2024 with artists

Gretel Killeen Gretel Killeen (born 3 February 1963) is an Australian comedian, television presenter, media personality and author. She is known for being the host of ''Big Brother (Australian TV series), Big Brother Australia'' from its inception in Big Broth ...

and Paul Livingston. Ferguson's works have toured extensively and appeared in publications in Australia and Britain.

Other roles

Ferguson is Ambassador for The Human Rights Commission for Disability and Ambassador for IncludeAbility, a resource for employers and people with disability. He is a patron of MS Australia, and an ambassador for Pandis, a not-for-profit initiative investigating environmental pathogenic microbes in chronic disease. He is patron of Music for Canberra, an organisation supporting Canberra's music education and performance. DAAS Warsong 2014

Along with former members of DAAS, Ferguson featured in an ABC documentary called ''Tick F***ing Tock'', concerning the ravages caused to his life and health, and the impacts on those close to him, owing to his multiple sclerosis.

Personal life

Ferguson announced on an episode of ''

Good News Week ''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in ...

'' in 2010 that he has

(MS), which required him to occasionally use a walking cane.Allstar To Class Act
, ''The Weekly Review'', 10 June 2010 Ferguson has experienced MS symptoms since the age of 19. His show at the 2012

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...

was called "Carry a Big Stick", an allusion to his MS.Finding humour in living with MS
7.30,

ABC News Online ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service covers both local and world affairs, broadcasting both nationally as ABC News, and across the Asia- ...

, 28 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012 Ferguson's condition has since progressed further and he now uses a wheelchair. He owns the third largest

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

toy collection in the southern hemisphere. On 22 March 2017, Ferguson featured on ''

Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery ''Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery'' is an Australian television interview series, starring Julia Zemiro and produced by CJZ (Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder). Each episode featured Zemiro interviewing a celebrity or prominent person while visiting loca ...

'', with host

taking him on a tour of his childhood home and schools in Bathurst and Canberra. In December 2017, Ferguson 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. Ferguson supports the Summer Foundation (Building Better Lives). 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. In 2021, Ferguson became a leading campaigner for Building Better Homes, an initiative for a national building code of mandatory accessibility standards. The campaign was successful in creating new building codes nationwide. His work fundraising and raising awareness is ongoing for

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

and

acquired brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder such as fetal alcohol syndrome, perinatal illness or perinatal hypoxia. ABI can result in cognitive, physical, e ...

conditions. Ferguson hosts the Uniting Church podcast featuring people with disabilities including Down syndrome,

vision impairment Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...

. 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 MS Australia Connections Hub in May 2020. The online hub provides people with MS, 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. Ferguson'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 The 1990 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 24 March 1990. All 148 seats in the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member Australian Senate, Senate were up for election. The i ...

, Ferguson stood as an independent candidate for the seat of Kooyong, against the Leader of the Opposition,

Andrew Peacock Andrew Sharp Peacock (13 February 193916 April 2021) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister and went on to become leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions (1983–1985 and 1989–1990), leading the part ...

. Following a "Vote For Tim" campaign conducted by the Allstars on ''The Big Gig'', he gained 3.7% of the vote.Results for Kooyong
On the ABC's ''Q&A'' program on 4 May 2013, Ferguson announced his candidacy for the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives. The powers, role and composition of the Senate are set out in Chap ...

in the

2013 Australian federal election The 2013 Australian federal election to elect the members of the 44th Parliament of Australia took place on Saturday, 7 September 2013. The centre-right Coalition (Australia), Liberal/National Coalition Opposition (Australia), opposition led by ...

. 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.

References

External links

Cheeky Monkey Comedy Website
* *
"The Cheeky Monkey – Writing Narrative Comedy" Currency Press

"With Tim Ferguson" TV show blog

International Comedians debate "The Cheeky Monkey – Writing Narrative Comedy"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Tim 1963 births Living people Academic staff of RMIT University Australian buskers Australian game show hosts Australian male comedians Australian musicians Australian radio presenters Australian republicans Australian satirists Australian columnists Australian satirical columnists Big Brother (Australian TV series) Comedians from Melbourne Comedians from Sydney People educated at Narrabundah College Comedians from Canberra People with multiple sclerosis RMITV alumni Writers from Sydney