Sam Campbell (comedian)

Sam Campbell
Campbell in 2024
Born1991 or 1992 (age 31–32)
Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
Alma materQueensland University of Technology (BFA)
GenresSurrealism, absurdism, observational

Samuel Campbell (born 1991/1992) is an Australian stand-up comedian and actor. He won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award in 2018 and the main prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in 2022.

Early life and education

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Samuel Campbell was born in 1991 or 1992[1] in the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland.[2] In podcasts, he has mentioned growing up around the regions of Yungaburra and Atherton,[3] and mentioned the town of Lake Eacham, Queensland,[4]

He was a small child growing up, and his parents considered placing him under growth hormone therapy.[5] On a February 2024 episode the British panel show Would I Lie To You?, Campbell stated he was a body double for an Australian headlice comb advert called "Nitbusters" when he was around 10.[6]

Campbell went to high school in Bundaberg,[3][better source needed] and studied animation at the Queensland University of Technology.[7]

Campbell lived in Brisbane from the ages of 17 to 21,[4] and in 2011 he was a Queensland finalist for the national Raw Comedy competition.[8] By 2015 Campbell had relocated to Sydney.[9]

Career

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Campbell performs stand-up comedy live as well as creating comedy web shows.

Australia

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He made a short series that was broadcast on Comedy Central Australia and guested on ABC TV's The Checkout.[1]

In the 2010s, Campbell was part of the YouTube collective Skills in Time, with Australian comedians Greg Larsen and Henry Stone.[10] In 2017, he had a regular weekly segment on Triple J radio, featured in the web-series Dayne's World, and performed stand-up at Sydney comedy clubs.[11] In 2018, he was frequently appearing alongside Anne Edmonds as Connor Bidou, the son of her character Helen Bidou.[12]

UK

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He moved to the United Kingdom, having acquired a Global Talent visa in 2022.[5]

Campbell performed at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his show simply entitled Comedy Show, which won the main prize.[13] It was praised by the judges for its originality, surrealism and unexpected jokes.[14] The Times described him as "a nutball, but he controls his loopiness with deceptive precision" and said that the show was "exhausting, exhilarating and a touch of genius".[15] Brian Logan in The Guardian said "Campbell's imagination produces wonderfully adhesive images... there is now and then a core of robust observational comedy beneath Campbell's loopiness... None of it has anything to do with anything: it's the incongruity, taken to uncommon lengths, that's funny".[16][17] The Daily Telegraph review mentioned "one-liners and absurdist whorls of madcap".[18]

In 2023, Campbell was a contestant on the sixteenth series of Channel 4 comedy gameshow Taskmaster,[19] winning the series.[20]

On 29 March 2024, Campbell started co-hosting the Lucy & Sam's Perfect Brains podcast with comedian Lucy Beaumont,[21] In June/July 2024, he toured the UK with his stand-up set Wobservations.[22]

In March 2024, it was announced that Campbell would be piloting a Channel 4 series called Make That Movie!, in which he will create films based on the dreams of strangers.[23]

Recognition and awards

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In 2015 Campbell won Best Newcomer, then in 2018 the Most Outstanding Show award, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[24]

He was the winner of the main prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[13]

In February 2023, Campbell was nominated at the UK National Comedy Awards in the Best Stand-up category for his show Comedy Show.[25]

In February 2024, Campbell was nominated in the Best TV Comic category and Best Breakthrough Act category at the Chortle Awards.[26] He won in the Best Breakthrough Act category and was voted Comedian's Comedian by his peers.[27]

Personal life

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In his 2018 MICF show The Trough, Campbell joked that although he has never been tested, he might be autistic.[28]

On the Off Menu podcast with James Acaster and Ed Gamble in March 2024, Campbell said that he had been vegetarian for three years.[29]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Red Christmas Cletus Horror film
2018 Working Out - Donny Benet Self Music Video
2023 Eggerson Keaveney[30] Eggerson Keaveney Music video, also writer
The 2IC Candidate Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2017 Small Town Hackers Devon Gout Series
2018 The Trough Self Stand-up special
2019 Stath Lets Flats Nile Series 2, episode 3
The Paddock Self Online comedy show
Get Real Dude - Comedy Blaps Self Online comedy sketch
2021 Pls Like Lesley Series 3
The Hundred with Andy Lee Self Series 1
2021–2022 Bloods Darrell Series
2022 Companion Self Stand-up Special
Don't Hug Me I'm Scared Writer / ID Card / Green Apple Series
Red Flag Writer Sketch series
2023 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Self Series 24, episode 2
Never Mind the Buzzcocks Self Series 31, episode 3
Taskmaster Self Series 16
Guessable?[31] Self Series 4, episode 9
2024 Would I Lie to You?[32] Self Series 17, episode 9

References

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  1. ^ a b Francis, Hannah (21 April 2018). "Sam Campbell wins Melbourne comedy festival's prestigious Barry Award". The Age. Retrieved 24 August 2024. Upon accepting the Barry Award Campbell, 26, thanked fellow Barry nominee Edmonds
  2. ^ Hands Off Panky, Please! | Taskmaster: The People's Podcast, 9 June 2023, retrieved 14 August 2023
  3. ^ a b WTF w Sam Campbell, 16 May 2023, retrieved 6 January 2024
  4. ^ a b Trusty Hogs (30 November 2023). "Ep110. SAM CAMPBELL / Plato, Purses & Palm Readings". YouTube.
  5. ^ a b Logan, Brian (25 October 2022). "'My parents wanted to give me horse hormones' – Sam Campbell, comedy's new champion". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  6. ^ "BBC One - Would I Lie to You?, Series 17, Episode 9". BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. ^ Jinman, Richard (3 April 2024). "Sam Campbell never gives interviews. Now, he's finally relented". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  8. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Raw Comedy National Final 2011". Chortle. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  9. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Sam Campbell: Cambo's On Top : Reviews 2015 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Skills In Time". YouTube. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  11. ^ "7.00pm SAT 3rd JUNE – DAVE JORY, SAM CAMPBELL AND JULIA WILSON PLUS THREE SPECIAL GUEST COMEDIANS". Happy Endings Comedy Club. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  12. ^ Francis, Hannah (16 April 2018). "The outrageous spectacle of Helen Bidou". The Age.
  13. ^ a b Thorpe, Vanessa; Lee, Veronica; Cornall, Flo (27 August 2022). "Edinburgh festival's funniest performers for 2022 are revealed". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Australian comic wins Edinburgh comedy award". BBC. 27 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Sam Campbell at Edinburgh festival review — exhausting, exhilarating and a touch of genius". The Times.
  16. ^ Logan, Brian (25 August 2022). "Sam Campbell review – loopiness underpinned by sharp observations". The Guardian.
  17. ^ Logan, Brian (30 August 2022). "Sam Campbell once joked about killing me – but the Aussie comedian's Edinburgh win is well-deserved". The Guardian.
  18. ^ Saunders, Tristram Fane; Monahan, Mark; Cavendish, Dominic; Singh, Anita (26 August 2022). "Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: the best shows of 2022, from Sam Campbell to Lara Ricote". The Telegraph.
  19. ^ Vickers-Green, Laura (1 June 2023). "Taskmaster Series 16 Line-Up Confirmed (And It's Another Good One)". Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Taskmaster season 16 winner revealed after grand final". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  21. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Sam Campbell and Lucy Beaumont's podcast is finally here : Other news 2024 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Home". Sam Campbell Tour 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  23. ^ Richardson, Jay (26 March 2024). "Sam Campbell pilots Channel 4 guerilla film series 'Make That Movie!'". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Sam Campbell wins Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Award for best show". Chortle.
  25. ^ "Joe Lycett and Mo Gilligan to receive National Comedy Awards". Chortle.
  26. ^ "Final Chortle Award nominees revealed". Chortle. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  27. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Taskmaster, Sam Campbell and Kiri Pritchard-McLean scoop double Chortle Awards : News 2024 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  28. ^ Bennett, Steve. "MICF – Sam Campbell: The Trough : Reviews 2018". Chortle. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Off Menu podcast with James Acaster and Ed Gamble - Episode 229". Spotify. 2 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Eggerson Keaveney // Jazz Emu" YouTube
  31. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Guessable? Series 4, Episode 9 - Uncle Cool". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  32. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Would I Lie To You? Series 17, Episode 9.5". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 23 February 2024.