Kiwi Joker Cracks UK

Hawera-born comic Ben Hurley, 27, has secured a seven-part sitcom with the BBC’s Radio 4. The series will co-star Hurley’s mentor and veteran comedian Andy Parsons, whose writing credits include Spitting Image and Alas Smith and Jones. Hurley moved to England from Wellington last year in a bid to crack the country’s famously competitive comedy circuit. He describes his routine as having evolved from pure observational comedy to include more political and satirical content. “I think it’s just growing up a little bit – a bit more life experience,” he said in Wellington’s Dominion Post. Hurley played a key role in establishing Wellington’s comedy scene, running a successful weekly stand-up night at Indigo bar for four years. He has won nearly every NZ comedy award on offer and scored a British agent after appearing at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.