From The Laughter Lounge to The Last Leg

Adam Hills, the host of ‘The Last Leg’, returns to Ireland this week (Friday, Sept 27) for a gig at Vicar St. The 43-year-old Australian comic lived in Dublin for three years at the turn of the millennium. It was formative.

“Every week, I would go to the Laughter Lounge, even if I wasn’t on, just to watch the acts and to hang out. It was a really tight comedy fraternity, almost a comedy alumni that went through, at that point. We all used to live together at Edinburgh during the Fringe — Dara Ó Briain, Deirdre O’Kane, David O’Doherty and myself. I remember, there was always vegemite in the house. We were all at the same point — starting out in Edinburgh, with two or three years under our belts, in our late 20s, and starting to get good reviews.”

Hills was shortlisted for three years running — 2001, 2002 and 2003 — for the comedy award at Edinburgh. He says another nominee from 2000, the English comic, Lee Mack, is the most naturally funny comedian off-stage.

“Lee Mack is consistently funny,” says Hills. “I’m envious of how funny he is off-stage. It’s almost like comedy Tourette’s — that he makes the jokes because he can’t help himself. It’s almost despite himself — that he’s trying to carry on a normal conversation, but he can’t help himself.

“I remember a barbecue at Ross Noble’s place, a few years ago. Someone was describing a horrific woman, and Lee just kind of raised his glasses and went, ‘So, you’ve met the wife, then?’ He even looked apologetic after saying it — ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t not say that’.”

Hills married the Australian opera singer, Ali McGregor, in 2009. The pair have a daughter. Fatherhood, particularly being the father of a girl, has changed his perspective.

“It has been pointed out to me that a few of my rants on ‘The Last Leg’, of late, have been of a feminist bent. It’s kind of ridiculous. Some of the things I’ve been saying are quite basic, like ‘don’t threaten women on Twitter’ or tell them ‘you’ll rape them’ and stuff like that. A few people were saying, ‘Is Adam Hills becoming a feminist?’

“I mentioned it to a friend of mine, who is also a dad, and he said, ‘Yip, nothing makes you a feminist more than having a daughter.’ I’m assuming that I’m looking at the world through a slightly different filter.”

‘The Last Leg,’ which deals with disability issues, started as an alternative TV review to coincide with the London Paralympics, but has since become a mainstay of Channel 4’s schedule.

Hills has a prosthetic leg; he was born without a right foot. Hills lost a bet as to who would win the most medals — Australia or Great Britain. He had his prosthetic leg painted with the Team GB colours. A week later, in Belfast, someone said to him: “You still got the Union Jack on your leg? You might want to wear a green sock on it here.”

nAdam Hills performs his show, Happyism, Friday, Sept 27, 8pm, at Vicar St, 58-59 Thomas St, Dublin 8. For more information, visit www.vicarstreet.ie.