Comedy keeps Tom honest

Comedian and Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson is a bit worried that he's becoming out of touch. "I drive an electric car, I work at the ABC, and I'm invited to the Logies for the rest of my life - that really sounds like someone who's out of touch," he said. So he's looking forward to audiences 'keeping him honest' when he begins touring his new show - titled 'Out of Touch' - in Wangaratta on 25 October. Akin to the banter he enjoys with contestants on his popular ABC series 'Hard Quiz', Tom invites heckling at his shows, and relishes the interaction with the crowd. It's something he's accustomed to in daily life; he said people often spot him in the street and "lean right in" to their desire to trade barbs with him. "I usually just let them towel me up," he said. There are no secrets between the performer and his audience; a number of years ago, Tom introduced a final segment to his live shows, asking crowds what they did or didn't believe about what he'd said - a little like a magician revealing his tricks. He's since made it a fixture of his performances, and it will be on the table again when his tour kicks off in Wangaratta, before taking in dozens of cities and towns across Australia. 'Out of Touch' will be on the bill at the Sydney Opera House in January, and at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and Melbourne Comedy Festival in the first half of 2026. So, just months after an appearance on SBS series 'Who Do You Think You Are?' in which Tom bemoaned the fact that his family history research took him to Wangaratta and not to some far-flung exotic location, the question is: why start a tour here? "I think you're the beneficiaries of scheduling," he quipped. "Actually, I really like Wangaratta; I often drive between Sydney and Melbourne, and it's a great charge point for my electric car, and I really like that park where you can walk along the river (Apex Park). "With 'Who Do You Think You Are?', when I got the call, I was thinking about the fact that I had friends who'd done it who had been to Europe and had all these amazing trips, but when they called me they said, 'Don't waste your time looking for your passport', and I drove two hours from home." Known for his roles on 'Hard Quiz' and 'Taskmaster', Tom said he relished the chance to return to his stand-up comedy roots, and said he didn't find the current climate of political correctness to be an issue. "A big part of comedy is identifying taboos, and those taboos just shift; I feel you can say whatever you like, and the audience keeps you on track," he said. "If they don't like it, they won't laugh. "Stand-up is the thing I've done the most, and it's a very comfortable place for me to be. "When you perform live, you take bigger risks, because it feels like the show happens and then it disappears into the ether; TV's fun too, but it's different." Having watched an endless stream of contestants line up with weird and wonderful 'Hard Quiz' topics over 10 seasons, Tom has had time to determine what would be his chosen subject. "I think I’d choose trigonometry, because I'm pretty good at maths, and it's a fairly small subject that sounds impressive - and no-one would steal," he said. As he prepares for his national tour, and continues to enjoy the life of a Gold Logie-winning presenter, there is a common question arising - particularly in online chat - about Tom Gleeson's future: will he play the role of mushroom cook Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon in a mooted mini-series, considering how much they look alike? "I'm waiting for the call - no-one's called me yet; I think they might be worried people will laugh as soon as I walk on screen," he said. "Often when I was growing up, the funniest I'd be was when I didn't mean to be; it's the reason I don't run a funeral home." To purchase your tickets to Tom's show at the Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre on 25 October from 7pm, visit https://www.wpacc.com.au/Whats-On/TOM-GLEESON-Out-of-Touch

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