Nelly Thomas burst onto the Australian comedy scene a few years ago when she beat over 700 aspiring comedians to win the national Triple J Raw Comedy Competition. Flash forward five short years and she has two seasons at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, two Melbourne Fringe Festivals and five Melbourne International Comedy Festivals under her belt.

Nelly has appeared in shows such as UpFront, Birds on the Bill and Comedy Zone as well as several stints on the Melbourne Comedy Festival national Roadshow Tour. She now works regularly around the country as a stand-up, corporate entertainer and MC. In addition to her live work, you might have heard her on the radio or seen her on the telly – The ABC, 92.9FM and The Comedy Channel to name a few. Not bad for someone who once had a job weighing trucks.

One of the things that makes Nelly stand out is her dry but warm and engaging style. Her background in welfare and education policy informs her work and her comedy is often described as “intelligent” and “sophisticated”. This amuses her no end given that she watches Dancing With the Stars regularly.

Raised in a tiny town in the WA Wheatbelt she is now a firmly entrenched inner-city Melbourne wanker. She’s had an incredible array of jobs from nannying, cleaning houses and being a mum to high level policy and research roles. Yes, she went to university for about a bazillion years – Arts degree obviously. Book her, she’s still got a HECS debt.

Interesting facts

Nelly’s Comedy Highlights

Winner: National Triple J Raw Comedy Competition 2003
2 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, 4 Melbourne International Comedy Festivals (MICF), 2 Melbourne Fringe Festivals
4 tours of Australia on the MICF Roadshow
Directed Barry Award Winner Maria Bamford (USA) in Plan B at the MICF 2005
Has written and performed several ground-breaking shows for the Royal Women’s Hospital combining health promotion and comedy including a show for young women about sexual health called The Condom Dialogues and one about consent called The No Means No Show.

Nelly’s pet peeves

the phrase “Yummy Mummy”
Andrew Bolt
The Baby Bonus (middle-class welfare)

Nelly’s loves

Barry Cassidy
Dancing with the Stars
The Baby Bonus (we needed a new sky-light)

Interesting Facts

Nelly did half a PhD and therefore considers herself a nurse
She’s had a mind-boggling array of jobs from cleaning houses and nannying to high level policy and research roles to working in domestic violence and homelessness shelters
People say being a mother is the “hardest job in the world”. Nelly thinks her stint picking wool off dead sheep on a farm was worse (yes, it is a real job)
Nelly was the under-13 Girls Regional State BMX champion in WA
This show is based on the birth of her first child. She was in labour for 36 hours.

Famous people she’s worked with

Directed Maria Bamford’s show Plan B
Toured on Roadshow with local and international comics such as Daniel Kitson, Tony Law, Fiona O’Laughlin, Akmal Saleh, Cal Wilson, David O’Doherty, Kitty Flannigan and more.

Additional Media Quotes

“has a cool confidence and a calm, deadpan delivery. This combination makes her humour irresistible.”

Beat Magazine

“proof that right on, left leaning comedy needn’t confine itself to clobbering John Howard."

The Pun