Dave Thornton (born 13 December 1979[citation needed]) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, television and radio presenter. He has performed stand-up comedy throughout Australia, in Edinburgh, Singapore and New York. He has also appeared on Australian television and radio.
Career
Stand-up comedy
Thornton began working in stand-up comedy at the Geelong heats of Raw Comedy in 2002. He debuted his solo hour-long show Euro:mission, which was based on his experiences as a backpacking traveler, at the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where he was nominated for 'Best Newcomer'.[1] Thornton has performed at the MICF every year since,[2][3][4][5][6] and in 2009 debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a new show, Allow Me to Introduce Myself.[7][8]
In October 2009, Thornton began hosting a Sunday evening show on Nova 100 in Melbourne. He then became a fill-in co-host for Nova nationally on the breakfast shift during December leading up to Christmas hosting with Dylan Lewis and Sophie Monk.[citation needed]
In January 2010, Thornton filled in for Ash Bradnam on Nova 106.9 in Brisbane for 6 weeks with Tim Blackwell and Meshel Laurie.[9] In July 2010, he started hosting a Saturday morning breakfast show 'Saturday Sessions' nationally on Nova from 10am – 12pm with comedian Mel Buttle. He was also a regular fill in presenter for Matt Tilley on The Matt and Jo Show on FOX FM.[citation needed]
In 2007, Thornton debuted on Channel 9's Comedy Inc. as a replacement for Jim Russell. This was followed the next year with a role in the ABC television drama Bed of Roses, as Shannon Atherton, an injured 24-year-old AFL player who had found himself in trouble and returned home to the series fictional town Rainbow's End and to his mum (played by Kerry Armstrong).
In July 2015, Thornton announced that he was engaged to girlfriend Nixi.[13]
Recognition
In his review of the 2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Tim Hunter of The Age wrote "Dave Thornton is the funniest. He's self-deprecating and engaging, and delivered the biggest laugh of the show: an impersonation of Dave Hughes, which is a worry in itself."[2] Erin White of Australian Stage noted that "Thornton’s performance is quintessentially Australian".[5]
Melissa Phillips of East Torrens Messenger wrote of Thornton's A Different Type of Normal, that "Thornton's show has a real soft side and it’s his family stories that hit home with plenty of honesty,"[14] while Melissa Mack of The Independent Weekly' wrote "Thornton tackles an interesting subject which is surprising and at times confronting, but always witty. His show is mostly about family and his very Australian style of comedy also has a deeply personal touch".[15]Rove Daily writes that "Dave Thornton is one of Australia’s most exciting young stand-up comics".[16]
