New Zealand’s highest comedy honour, the Billy T award, has gone to funny man Guy Williams.
Williams said the award, named after legendary entertainer Billy T James, would be big news in his home town.
“In Nelson they think I’m kind of a big deal because I’ve been on TV before,” Williams told TV3.
“My mum still rings me up and goes ‘Nelson’s on the news’. And then you turn on the news and it’ll be something like ‘there’s been a robbery’. It’s really a big achievement to be on TV in Nelson.”
Williams broke onto the comedy scene when he won a competition to learn off veteran comedian Dai Henwood and open for him in 2009.
“Dai letting me open for him at his show here in Auckland was the start of my career… it exposed me to the producers on The Jono Project and it got me my job on television,” he said.
The famed yellow towel is awarded to one of five nominees at the final event of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival – along with $2500 in prize money and an appearance on 7 Days.
