Wil Anderson Eyes The Perfect Storm For His Latest Show, 'Critically Wil'

With last year's show Fire At Wil praised by critics as his greatest stand-up work to date, veteran comedian and all-round nice guy Wil Anderson could be forgiven for feeling the pressure ahead of the debut of his 2017 offering, Critically Wil. But between extensive touring in the United States, hosting his top-charting podcast Wilosophy and fronting ABC advertising gauntlet Gruen — he doesn't really have time to stress about expectations.

"My intention every year is to make my show better than the year before," Anderson tells. "That's all I can control, there are people in the audience who have been watching me on the ABC for years and kids who weren't even born when I started doing stand-up. All I ever really sit down to do at the start of each year is see if I can be better than the year before."

"There are people in the audience who have been watching me on the ABC for years and kids who weren't even born when I started doing stand-up."

Having just returned from his latest stint in the United States, it felt only natural to ask Anderson, who has long provided local political commentary, his views on the dreaded Trump administration. "Trump won the election as I was flying into the US, so good thing they couldn't build a wall that quickly or I mightn't have gotten in," Anderson jokes, before admitting that Trump's unprecedented election has impacted the way American audiences respond to stand-up material. "We were finding people after the election weren't laughing as much because they were terrified. There were people storming out, it was pretty crazy.

"I would say it was a life-tourism experience, being there right in that moment when people were trying to work out what was going on."

While Anderson is hesitant to concede that comedians have political influence ("If comedy had a real impact, Tony Abbott wouldn't have been elected"), he believes he has a responsibility, when it comes to US politics, not to attack "the man himself" and get distracted from the genuine implications of his administration. The result, he says, is a show that addresses the world that allowed for a man like Donald Trump to become President — without once mentioning his name.

"In this day and age, if we want to move forward together we need to attack the arguments instead of attacking the people themselves," Anderson says.

"I think this show, more than anything, encapsulates themes I've touched on throughout my career. I'm talking about news, journalism, politics, Australia.… I've always drawn on these subjects, but the times have now come together in a certain way. It's a perfect storm, it's a whole bunch of different ideas that have come together — things that I've got a unique perspective on."

Having grown up in rural Australia, immigrated to the US, worked extensively in journalism and charmed audiences around the world, there's more than just a 'Trump card' up Anderson's sleeve. Now, with his first televised 70-minute live show (filmed while he was on tour last year) hitting Stan in the coming months, it seems there's no end in sight for the critically acclaimed Anderson.

Wil Anderson presents Critically Wil, til Apr 23 at the Comedy Theatre and Arts Centre Melbourne, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.