Aussie comedian and TV personality Dave Hughes describes himself as someone who sees life as silly. He is often affectionately referred to as a larrikin, which he confirmed to the Western Weekender.
“To a degree, as much as a non-drinking vegan can be a larrikin I suppose,” he said.
Hughesy will be bringing his quick wit and humour to Blue Mountains Theatre next month with his stand-up comedy show ‘Cooked’.
The show will reflect his take on the world, and recount some of his adventures, including a sporting mishap and his time on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ last year.
“It’s sort of based around this AFL Legends match that I played – even though I’m not an AFL legend as my wife pointed out – where I broke five ribs and punctured a lung in a charity game that was meant to be raising money for men’s health. So, I almost died for that which was good,” he remarked.
“There is lots of material there, and lots of fun that came out of that, apart from being a near death experience.”
The comedy legend is stoked to be on the road and reconnecting with his stand-up comedy roots.
“It’s still my number one joy; I just love it. The thrill of having a live audience in front of you and making them laugh – or not laugh depending on how they take the experience – is a joy and an adrenaline rush that I will never get sick of,” he said.
“I’m loving it more and more as I get older, which is weird.”
Recently, Hughesy has been in headlines for speaking out against the Labor Government’s proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. But regardless, he writes in his journal every day ‘Everything is funny’.
“Even when I’m on some serious rant, I still see it being funny, and there are so many other comedians who take the piss out of me for that, so they get some joy out of it as well,” he said, referring to comedians making parody videos of his political opinions.
“But I still get the message across which is good. I’m happy for everyone to laugh at me or laugh with me, but hopefully they learn stuff as well.”
For now, Hughesy is performing in Canada before bringing his humour back to home shores, where he is keen to step foot back in western Sydney.
“I love western Sydney and Parramatta and Penrith,” he said.
“I’ve spent a lot of time watching the Sydney Kings at Olympic Park and watching rugby league there as well. I watched AFL there as well – the Greater Western Sydney Giants – which no one in Sydney cares about but they’re a good team.”
See Dave Hughes at Blue Mountains Theatre on August 9, because behind that ‘cooked looking façade’ is a comedy icon who is now more brutally honest than ever.
Book a ticket online at http://www.bluemountainstheatre.com.au/what-s-on/season-2026/dave-hughes-cooked.
Ally Hall joined the Western Sydney Publishing Group in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She is a graduate of the University of South Australia.