Years active 2009–present | Website Official website | |
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Born March 1988 (age 29)
Garforth, Leeds, England ( 1988-03 ) Medium Stand-up, television, radio | ||
Liam Williams (born 1988 in Garforth, Leeds) is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer, known for his wry poetic presentation style. He was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2013 Edinburgh Fridge Comedy Awards, and for Best Show at the 2014 awards.
Life and career
Williams grew up in Leeds and read English at Cambridge University, where he was a member of Footlights. In 2009 he participated in the Cambridge heat of the Chortle Student Comedy Award.
In 2010 Williams was the runner-up in the So You Think You're Funny competition at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In 2013 Williams appeared as the guest stand-up on Russell Howard's Good News. Later that year he performed a solo show for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe; he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Williams also participated in a show with his fellow members of the comedy sketch group Sheeps, Daran Johnson and Alastair Roberts.
In 2014 Williams performed a new show at Edinburgh, Capitalism. It was nominated for Best Show at the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards. He also recorded a series of short clips for the Channel 4 online series Comedy Blaps, based on a previous routine.
Williams's 2015 Edinburgh show was called Bonfire Night. In 2015 Williams also wrote and presented a semi-autobiographical radio show titled Ladhood. The series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He participated in the People Time Comedy Feed skit for BBC Three alongside Sheeps, Jamie Demetriou, Tash Demetriou, Claudia O'Doherty and Ellie White. Continuing with the cast (minus O'Doherty), he co-created the web series 2016: Year Friends. As an actor Williams appeared in the BBC Three comedies Uncle and Together and on Comedy Central UK's Drunk History.
After each Edinburgh festival, Williams performed his most recent show at the Soho Theatre and the The Invisible Dot in London. He also performs at the club with Sheeps.
In January 2016, Williams co-directed with Matt Bulmer a one-off performance of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night featuring a cast of comedians including Kieran Hodgson, Tim Key and The Pin, with proceeds going to Refugee Action. The play was staged again, with an altered cast, in July 2016 at the Latitude Festival and during London Wonderground at the Southbank in London.
At the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe festival, Williams presented his debut play, Travesty, following previews in London. December 2016 and January 2017 saw the presentation of the panto Ricky Whittington & His Cat, co-written by Williams and Daran Johnson and starring Charlotte Ritchie alongside previous comedy collaborators.