Sam Campbell (comedian)
Australian comedian, actor (born 1991/1992)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Campbell (born 1991 or 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.
- Stand-up
- television
Sam Campbell | |
|---|---|
Campbell in 2024 | |
| Born | 1991 or 1992 (age 33–34) Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia |
| Alma mater | Queensland University of Technology (BFA) |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
|
| Genres | Surrealism, absurdism, observational |
Early life and education
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] Campbell went to high school in Bundaberg,[3][better source needed] and studied animation at the Queensland University of Technology.[6]
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.[7] By 2015, he had relocated to Sydney.[8]
Career
Campbell performs stand-up comedy live as well as creating comedy web shows.
Australia
Campbell's first show was in Brisbane's Sit Down Comedy Club in 2010.[6]
He made a short series that was broadcast on Comedy Central Australia and was a guest 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.[9]
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.[10] In 2018, he was frequently appearing alongside Anne Edmonds as Connor Bidou, the son of her character Helen Bidou.[11]
In 2026, Campbell was named as the new co-host of the Australian version of Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, replacing Aaron Chen.[12]
UK
Campbell moved to the United Kingdom, having acquired a Global Talent visa in 2022.[5] He performed at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his show simply titled 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] It returned for a second season in 2025. In June/July 2024, he toured the UK with his stand-up set Wobservations.[22] In March 2024, it was announced that Campbell will pilot a Channel 4 series called Make That Movie in which he will create films based on the dreams of strangers.[23]
In August 2025, Campbell was announced as a contestant on the second series of LOL: Last One Laughing UK, which was released in March 2026.[24] He was runner up to David Mitchell.[25]
In 2026, he can be seen in New Zealand Spy, written by and starring Paul Williams.[26]
Recognition and awards
In 2016, Campbell won the Director's Choice Award, and, in 2018, he won the Barry Award for Most Outstanding Show, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[27] In 2018 he won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award. 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.[28] In February 2024, Campbell was nominated in the Best TV Comic category and Best Breakthrough Act category at the Chortle Awards.[29] He won in the Best Breakthrough Act category and was voted Comedian's Comedian by his peers.[30]
In 2025, Campbell won the Chortle Award in the Best Tour category for Wobservations.[31]
Personal life
On the Off Menu podcast with James Acaster and Ed Gamble in March 2024, Campbell said that he had been vegetarian for three years.[32]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Red Christmas | Cletus | Horror film |
| 2018 | Working Out - Donny Benet | Self | Music Video |
| 2023 | Eggerson Keaveney[33] | Eggerson Keaveney | Music video, also writer |
| The 2IC | Candidate | Short film |
Television
| 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 | |
| 2020 | Know It Alls: History | Self | Series 1, episodes 11–13 |
| 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 | |
| The Russell Howard Hour | Guest | Series 6, episode 13 | |
| 2023 | 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Contestant | Series 24, episode 2 |
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Contestant | Series 3, episode 3 (Sky) | |
| Taskmaster | Contestant | Series 16 | |
| Guessable?[34] | Contestant | Series 4, episode 9 | |
| 2024 | Would I Lie to You?[35] | Contestant | Series 17, episode 9 |
| Richard Osman's House of Games | Contestant | Series 8, episodes 16–20 | |
| Fisk | Bubby | Series 3, episode 3 | |
| Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains[36] | Contestant | Series 6, episode 2 | |
| The Wheel | Contestant | Series 5, episode 7 | |
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks[37] | Contestant | Series 4, episode 5 (Sky) | |
| 2025 | 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Contestant | Series 27, episode 5 |
| Would I Lie to You? | Contestant | Series 18, episode 6 | |
| Sam Pang Tonight | Guest announcer | Series 2, episode 2 | |
| Taskmaster | Contestant | Champion of Champions special | |
| 2026 | LOL: Last One Laughing UK | Contestant | Series 2 |
| QI[38] | Contestant | Series W, episode 10 | |
| The Big Fat Quiz of the Year | Contestant | Big Fat Quiz of Telly | |