Comedy heavyweight Jez Watts returns to Fringe with As Seen Nowhere
Comedy heavyweight Jez Watts returns to Fringe World Perth for his 10th consecutive year, promising a fresh, hilarious experience packed with new material, fresh off the release of his first full-length comedy special this year. As Seen Nowhere – Jez Watts will play across Perth, Fremantle and Rockingham venues from Saturday, January 31, to Saturday, February 14, with tickets on sale now. BEC WELDON sat down with Jez to talk about his 10th year, the new special and all things comedy.
Hey Jez, thanks for talking with us! Welcome back to Fringe World Perth with your new show As Seen Nowhere – Jez Watts! What do you have in store for Perth audiences this year?
New Jokes! I spent a big chunk of my twenties living in South-east Asia, the UK, mainland Europe, and the USA, and a lot of this show comes from that. There will also be a lot of deeply confessional and sexually explicit details from my ongoing relationship, and me admitting to crimes, as is usual for one of my hours. I’m also writing a couple of new comedy songs; let’s see which of them gets completed in time!
This is your 10th consecutive Fringe World Perth show! What is it about festivals like these that keeps you coming back for more?
Perth is where I grew up, and it’s also where I started out in comedy. I’ve been doing Perth Fringe longer than any other festival, and Perth crowds are some of the most fun audiences in the world. It’s a great thing to have people come back to see me year after year because I hopefully give them a better show each time.
You’ve performed across seven countries and 55+ festivals! Do you have a favourite memory from a show, location or crowd?
I love doing stand-up, so in a way, all of it? There have been some horrible bombs, of course. I had a show in 2019 where an old man stood up mid-performance and started shouting at me (and the crowd) about how it was all “lowest common denominator filth!” and then he turned to the crowd and said to them, “And you’re all PART OF IT,” and stormed out. His wife stayed.
That was in Perth actually. I guess not everyone in Perth is “the most fun audience in the world”. Anyway, he’s dead now, I assume.
Among your titles of comedian, writer, producer and podcaster, you can also add former neuroscientist and Australian soldier—an impressive resume! How do you draw on your lived experiences to create humour?
I have a bit in the new show about the time I was brought up on charges and later sort-of-kinda-deserted from the army. I tried to make being a neuroscientist funny, but I never cracked it. I did put documentation of my $50,000 HECS debt into my special, so I guess if I ever earn enough to pay tax again, that makes it deductible?
Your first, full-length comedy special will be released in December 2025. Tell me about the process of creating the show.
Oh man, this took so long. I was gearing up to record it in 2019—I thought. The actual material of the show comes from eight different touring hours, but everything that goes into shooting and post-production of a special is wildly involved. I spent about $15,000 on it—much of it borrowed, and plenty of which I’m still paying back.
But I think it came out good! Please watch it on YouTube right now. Open another tab right now—I need those clicks!
Since launching your comedy career in 2013, new online mediums of storytelling and content creation have begun to dominate the media landscape. Have you observed a change to the comedy scene or your comedy, especially post-pandemic?
For sure! I waited way too long to embrace the online content-driven stuff. I still struggle with it because I don’t want to put out low-effort or unoriginal stuff, but it takes time to make it good.
The pandemic made me lose my mind, as it did many others, but because of it I got into therapy, and that got me to give up drinking and be emotionally much healthier, which has made me way better onstage.
Festivals like Fringe World Perth offer an incredible variety of comedy shows—what sets your show apart from the extensive catalogue?
There are a bunch of great comics that come to Perth. Come see me if you like dirty, true, confessional, somewhat silly, somewhat dark, punchline-driven stories. If you’re not sure, you can watch my special. It’s like that, but with completely different jokes.
As Seen Nowhere – Jez Watts hits multiple venues across Perth, Fremantle and Rockingham from Saturday, January 31 to Saturday, February 14, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au