AUSSIE stand-up comedian and television personality Dave “Hughesy” Hughes said failures inspired his new material. 

“Failure is funny” Hughesy said. 

His new show Cooked is part of his response to a serious injury he earned in the 2025 AFL Legends game. 

After waking up in the intensive care unit, Hughesy said he was still in good enough form to “have some laughs on some radio chat shows”. 

As the oldest bloke on the field he said it was “pretty ironic” getting injured, as the game was “raising money for the health of men my age”.

A prolific presence on social media, he believes sharing the ups and downs in his life has helped build his audience.

“People love relatable,” he said.

He creates a conversational and friendly presence on his Facebook and Instagram feeds, as well as in his live shows. 

Hughesy finds that he’s always gathering new material, “up at night” thinking about how he could work an experience or moment into his show. 

“Even if you came to the show and then came again a week later it would be completely different,” Hughesy said. 

Hughesy’s at the Fremantle Comedy Factory, upstairs at the Federal Hotel on May 5 from 7pm.

Factory owner Brendan Maloney said a gloomy global landscape and tough cost-of-living pressures back home might have conversely helped boost his audiences.

“We’ve been super-busy the last few Thursdays, that might be because tickets are only $10!

“Although I’m most definitely biased, I don’t think there’s anything much better than a cheap laugh when times are tough.”

Packed

Over the past few weeks, the Comedy Factory has been seeing packed crowds from “age 18 to 80” at their “10 Comics for $10” night on Thursdays. 

“I think the price point helps, so students and pensioners – so anyone on a strict income can still enjoy a night out,” Mr Maloney said. 

Social media has become a big space for stand-up comedy videos in recent years, and Mr Maloney said “easy access to stand-up has led to more and more people wanting to give it a go” and “we love having a mix of professionals and first timers every week”.

by ZOË McILREE