"Matthew Hardy is a very very funny comedian"
-PETER KAY

Before moving to London from Melbourne in 2005, Matthew was a freelance writer for The Age broadsheet in Melbourne, and was named Best New Comic at the Hilton Hotel. Matthew has since been back home but returned to the UK in June 2010 for good.

During a number of extended visits to London, Matthew became a regular performer at the world famous Comedy Store and also on BBC TV's top-rating 'Saturday Night Stand-Up Show'. Matthew wrote for the UK edition of FHM magazine and also created a TV sketch series with comedian Jim Tavare which was nominated at Montreaux's International Golden Rose Awards.

In 2005, Matthew had his debut novel, 'Saturday Afternoon Fever' published by HarperCollins. The rites of passage story of an obsessive Aussie Rules footy lover and loser in love,
quickly hit the best-seller lists and stayed there. The book is now in it's 5th reprint, after being aquired by Random House.

At the 2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Matthew performed an adaptation of the book, directed by Tes Lyssiotis, which received rave reviews ("Hardy is a rare character who is both endearing and painfully unsentimental...a wonderful show" - The Sydney Morning Herald)

In 2005/2006 Matthew hosted his own Tonight Show (TFI Friday-style) called 'The Big Schmooze', on which Matthew was a quick-witted solo host at the desk to visiting stars such as Chris Rock, John Travolta and Green Day, among many others.

He returned to the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival with 'Sex and the Suburbs' ("Matthew Hardy is charming and amiable, delighting both the men and women in the audience as he finds a unique way to tread the fraught topic of sexual politics" - The Sunday Age).

Followed by his highly-acclaimed 2008 Festival show:
'Willy Wonka Explained: The Veruca Salt Sesions' - in which Matthew enticed that little brat, Veruca Salt ("I want it NOW Daddy!") from the original '70's Wonka film (now the all-growed-up actress Julie Dawn Cole) to fly out from England to co-star as a washed-up former child star (ie: her actual self). The show made it's Edinburgh debut in August 2010.

"A damn good show! Bravo. Dramatic & funny in constantly surprising ways.
An Edinburgh hit, for sure"
- ARTHUR SMITH

Matthew was a BAFTA Award-winning writer for the ITV/Baby Cow comedy series 'The Sketch Show', from which he became a writer for Kelsey Grammar's Grammnet production company in the USA.

Hardy released his 'I'm So Australian' CD/DVD in 2009 with Sony Music and amazingly performed in Six Australian States within 24 hours on Australia Day to promote it.

Matthew appeared on Australian television during last year's English 'Ashes Cricket' series, as a comedy roving reporter last August, and was a regular guest on all of Australia's top shelf panel shows. This year, he has written for 'The Stephen K Amos Show' for BBC 2.

"In heaven, everyone will be as naturally funny as Matthew Hardy"
- Time Out (UK)

CV:

Gallery:

Showreel 2010	Cricket Presenting	Cricket Presenting