Tom Ballard
Who Tom Ballard is
Tom Ballard is an Australian stand-up comedian and broadcaster who became the youngest winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Best Newcomer award in 2009 with his debut hour, Tom Ballard Is What He Is. His 2016 show The World Keeps Happening was nominated for Best Show in Melbourne and Edinburgh, won the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer and was recorded for Stan's One Night Stan series, and in 2017 Problematic won Best Australian Show at the Sydney Comedy Festival, where he shared that year's Best of the Fest award with Joe Lycett.
He co-hosted triple j's breakfast show with Alex Dyson for four years, winning the 2013 ARIA for Best Comedy Release with Tom & Alex: The Bits We're Least Ashamed Of, hosted ABC TV's Reality Check and more than 150 episodes of Tonightly with Tom Ballard, and interviews political figures on his podcast Like I'm A Six-Year-Old. He has played Just For Laughs in Montreal and sold-out seasons at London's Soho Theatre, and opened for Wanda Sykes, Stephen Merchant and Danny Bhoy.
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At a glance
- Stand-up specials
- Is What He Is and The World Keeps Happening
- Albums
- Since 1989 and Tom & Alex: The Bits We're Least Ashamed Of
- Podcasts
- Like I'm A Six-Year-Old
- On screen
- Tonightly with Tom Ballard, Reality Check, Q&A and 2 more
- Official site
- tomballard.com.au ↗
On stage
No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now — their own site has their dates: tomballard.com.au ↗.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- Is What He Is 2011
- The World Keeps Happening Stan, One Night Stan
Albums
- Since 1989 2013
- Tom & Alex: The Bits We're Least Ashamed Of 2013
On screen
- Tonightly with Tom Ballard host, ABC Comedy
- Reality Check host, ABC TV
- Q&A guest host, ABC
- First Contact
- triple j breakfast show co-host with Alex Dyson, radio
Podcasts
- Like I'm A Six-Year-Old host
Comedians like Tom Ballard
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Cassie Workman also in Tonightly with Tom Ballard
Career timeline
- 1989Since 1989 (2013) Album
- 2011Is What He Is (2011) Special
- 2013Tom & Alex: The Bits We're Least Ashamed Of (2013) Album
Questions and answers
Where is Tom Ballard performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: tomballard.com.au ↗.
What stand-up specials have they released?
Is What He Is and The World Keeps Happening.
What is their latest stand-up special?
Is What He Is (2011), the latest of the 2 specials on this page.
What podcast do they host?
Like I'm A Six-Year-Old.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Tonightly with Tom Ballard (host, ABC Comedy), Reality Check (host, ABC TV), Q&A (guest host, ABC), First Contact and triple j breakfast show (co-host with Alex Dyson, radio).
What is their official website?
Who are some comedians like them?
Cassie Workman (also in Tonightly with Tom Ballard).
Are you Tom Ballard?
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Your short address, for your bio: disciplesofcomedy.com/tom-ballard
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Official site ↗ An Australian comedian; co-hosted the breakfast show on triple j; hosted Tonightly with Tom Ballard; performs stand-up around the world; posts on the Geelong Comedy Festival 2026 and a show in Castlemaine (as of 11 October 2026)
- Official site (Bio) ↗ Youngest winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Best Newcomer Award (2009) for Tom Ballard Is What He Is; Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee 2015; The World Keeps Happening (2016), Best Show nominations in Melbourne and Edinburgh, the 2016 Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer, recorded for Stan's…
- Sydney Comedy Festival — Awards ↗ 2017 Best of the Fest: joint winners Tom Ballard and Joe Lycett (as of 11 October 2026)
Updated 11 October 2026 · the record checked 11 October 2026