Adam Hills (born 10 July 1970) is an Australian comedian and broadcaster born without a right foot, who uses a prosthetic leg and has competed in disability sports including physical disability rugby league and para-standing tennis.[1][2][3]Hills began performing stand-up comedy in 1989 at age 19 and has since produced multiple solo shows touring internationally, earning recognition as one of Australia's prominent comedians.[4] He gained widespread acclaim in Australia for hosting the ABC television music quiz show Spicks and Specks from 2005 to 2011, for which he received multiple Logie Award nominations.[5][6]In the United Kingdom, Hills co-hosts the Channel 4 satirical panel show The Last Leg, which originated as Paralympics coverage in 2012 and has continued as a long-running program addressing current events with humor often centered on disability and politics.[7] He has also authored the memoir Best Foot Forward (2018), detailing his experiences in comedy and living with a disability.[8] While generally praised for his approachable style, Hills has faced viewer backlash and issued apologies for specific segments, such as a 2022 World Cup parody song on The Last Leg.[9]
Early Life
Birth and Upbringing
Adam Hills was born on 10 July 1970 in Sydney, Australia, specifically in the suburb of Loftus.[10][4] He was born with a congenital birth defect resulting in the absence of his right foot.[11][12]Raised by his parents, Bob and Judy Hills, in a Sydney suburb, he was treated no differently from other children despite his condition, with medical advice emphasizing not rushing to assist him when he fell to foster independence.[13][14] Hills has worn a prosthetic leg throughout his life and has publicly rejected the label of "disabled," viewing his condition as a mere absence rather than a defining limitation.[11][10]
Education and Initial Interests
Hills attended Jannali High School in Sydney's Sutherland Shire, where he engaged in sports including touch football and rugby league, participating until his prosthesis limited further involvement. He also demonstrated aptitude in debating during this period.[15][16]After high school, Hills enrolled at Macquarie University at age 18 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Media and Communications. His coursework emphasized journalism, aligning with his early career ambitions in reporting and mass communication.[17][18][19]His initial interests centered on sports, particularly rugby league, shaped by his family's longstanding allegiance to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and extended to performance and media through debating and communications studies. These pursuits foreshadowed his later professional paths in comedy and broadcasting, though he initially aimed for journalism.[3][18]
Comedy Career
Stand-Up Development
Hills began performing stand-up comedy in 1989 at the age of 19, making his debut appearance at the SydneyComedy Store.[20] This early entry into the live comedy scene followed his completion of a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Macquarie University in 1991, during which he drew on influences from British comedy traditions that shaped his foundational approach to entertainment.[21][22]His style evolved to emphasize positive, uplifting material combined with spontaneous audience interaction, often incorporating self-deprecating humor about his congenital condition of being born without a right foot to provide a distinctive perspective without relying on shock value.[23][24] By the late 1990s, Hills had transitioned to producing solo shows, starting in 1997 with international tours that established his reputation for reliable, good-natured performances.[25]A pivotal advancement came with his 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Go You Big Red Fire Engine, which earned a nomination for the Perrier Award and led to sold-out runs from 2000 to 2004, including three additional Perrier nominations.[22][25] These successes solidified his international profile, distinguishing him as a comedian focused on injecting optimism into routines rather than cynicism, a contrast to edgier contemporaries.[26][27]
Television and Radio Hosting
Hills hosted the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's music quiz program Spicks and Specks from 2005 to 2011, presiding over seven seasons that featured panelists competing in trivia challenges related to music history, lyrics, and performances. The series, which aired 196 episodes during his tenure, emphasized humor and audience participation, drawing an average viewership of around 1 million per episode in its peak years.[28] Hills returned as host for the show's revival on ABC in 2021, adapting the format to include contemporary musical guests and remote contributions amid pandemic restrictions.[29]From 2011 to 2013, he fronted Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight, a late-night talk show on ABC that ran for two seasons and 36 episodes, featuring interviews with celebrities, musical performances, and comedic sketches tailored to Australian audiences. The program showcased Hills' interviewing style, which blended self-deprecating humor about his prosthetic leg with probing questions on guests' careers.[30]In the United Kingdom, Hills has co-hosted The Last Leg on Channel 4 since its debut in 2012, initially as a daily Paralympic Games preview show that transitioned into a weekly satirical review of news events.[31] Airing over 300 episodes by 2025, the program, co-presented with Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker, has received multiple Royal Television Society awards for its blend of topical commentary, celebrity guests, and disability-inclusive humor.[32] Hills' role emphasizes unscripted banter and advocacy for underrepresented voices in media.[28]On radio, Hills hosted early morning programs in Australia, including The Adam Hills Morning Show on SA-FM from 1993 to 1996, where he developed skills in live audience interaction and topical discussions.[33] Later, he presented two series of the improvisational comedy quiz Four at the Store on BBC Radio 4 in the early 2010s, challenging contestants to create sketches from audience-suggested props.[34] These formats honed his ability to improvise under time constraints, influencing his television persona.
Other Media Contributions
Hills has expanded his media presence through authorship, publishing the memoir Best Foot Forward in 2020, a collection of anecdotes from his stand-up career and encounters with celebrities that achieved Times bestseller status.[35] He followed this with the Rockstar Detectives children's book series, beginning with the debut title in 2022, followed by Murder at the Movies in 2023 and Trouble at the Track in 2024, featuring young protagonists solving mysteries with a comedic bent inspired by his daughter's interests.[36][37][38]Beyond primary hosting roles, Hills has appeared as a guest on numerous panel and talk shows, including five episodes of the BBC Two comedy series Mock the Week between 2005 and later years.[39] In 2013, he featured on The Jonathan Ross Show alongside guests like Jools Holland and Alicia Keys, discussing his career.[39] That same year, he joined Richard Ayoade for the Istanbul episode of Travel Man on Channel 4, contributing to travel-themed comedic segments.[29]Hills has made radio guest appearances, such as on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live in 2019, where he discussed his work on The Last Leg and personal experiences.[40] He also joined ABC Radio's Take 5 segment in June 2024 to share music selections tied to his return to hosting Spicks and Specks.[41]In documentary work, Hills narrated the 2013 episode of Who Do You Think You Are? tracing his family history.[42] He produced and featured in Adam Hills: Foot Fault, a 2023 one-hour special examining his involvement in para-standing tennis to raise sport awareness.[43]
Sports Involvement
Rugby League Participation
Adam Hills began participating in physical disability rugby league (PDRL) in 2018, shortly after the sport's formal launch that year, having helped establish the Warrington Wolves PDRL team the previous year.[44][45] At age 48, he made his debut for Warrington against Leeds Rhinos, followed by matches including one at Wakefield Trinity and the Magic Weekend fixture at Anfield Stadium.[45] He also featured in the 2018 World Club Challenge against the Brisbane Broncos and participated in a half-time exhibition at the Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium that year.[46] To maintain his involvement, Hills commuted approximately 400 miles weekly from London to Warrington for training sessions.[45]On the international stage, Hills represented Australia in the inaugural PDRL World Cup held in England in 2022, fulfilling a childhood ambition to play the sport competitively despite his congenital disability—a missing fibula in his right leg resulting in one leg being three inches shorter.[47][48] Selected in the 40-man Australian squad announced on August 11, 2022, he scored a try during the tournament, contributing to Australia's campaign against teams including England, Wales, and New Zealand.[49][50] His participation highlighted the adaptive nature of PDRL, designed for players with physical impairments who compete in a standing format with modifications such as no tackling below the knee.[3] Hills documented his journey in the 2023 Channel 4 film Adam Hills: Grow Another Foot, which explored his eligibility to play for either Australia or England but ultimately focused on his Australian representation.[51]
Advocacy and Leadership Roles
Adam Hills founded the Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) in 2010, establishing rules adapted for players with physical impairments, securing administrative approval from clubs, and attracting sponsors such as Nova FM to launch demonstration matches.[52] As a player in the PDRL, Hills has been a key member of the Warrington Wolves physical disability team since its inception around 2017, participating in competitive fixtures and promoting the format's growth.[53]In October 2024, Tennis Australia appointed Hills as the inaugural "Minister for Every Body," a role focused on advocating for inclusive tennis formats, with particular emphasis on para-standing tennis—a standing classification for athletes with physical disabilities such as limb loss or cerebral palsy that allows participation without wheelchairs.[54] Hills has actively campaigned for para-standing tennis's inclusion as a Paralympic event, highlighting its accessibility for a broader range of impairments compared to existing wheelchair tennis, and has competed at world championship levels to demonstrate its viability.[54][55]On July 24, 2024, the Rugby Football League (RFL) endorsed Hills as its 33rd president, effective in 2025, succeeding Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP; in this capacity, he intends to advance the sport across community levels, disability variants like PDRL, women's rugby league, and international development.[44] His selection recognizes his longstanding promotion of rugby league, including disability-inclusive participation, as both a broadcaster and athlete.[44] Hills's contributions to disability sports advocacy were formally acknowledged with an Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in the 2022 New Year Honours, presented for services to Paralympic sport and broader disability awareness through inclusive athletic opportunities.[56]
Personal Life
Family and Relationships
Adam Hills married Australian opera singer Ali McGregor in December 2009.[1] McGregor, a soprano who has performed principal roles in operas worldwide, including with Opera Australia and the English National Opera, met Hills through mutual connections in the entertainment industry.[57] The couple resides in London, where they have established a family home balancing their professional commitments in comedy, broadcasting, and performing arts.[58]Hills and McGregor have two daughters, Maisie and Beatrice, born after their marriage.[58] Hills has publicly discussed how fatherhood influenced his career, noting it increased his focus and efficiency in work to prioritize family time, particularly amid frequent travel for television and touring.[59] He has also highlighted the positive aspects of parenting, such as the potential benefits of his 2023 MBE honor for his children's future opportunities in the UK.[60] The family maintains a private personal life, with Hills occasionally sharing anecdotes about domestic routines, including challenges like self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic that strained but ultimately strengthened household dynamics.[61]
Disability and Health Management
Adam Hills was born with a congenital absence of his right foot, a limb difference that affects his lower right leg.[12][11][54] He has managed this condition since infancy through the use of a prosthetic leg, which enables full mobility and participation in professional activities including stand-up comedy, sports, and broadcasting.[12][11]His prosthetic device is a high-performance model featuring a graphite cast and titanium blade, designed for durability and athletic functionality.[10] Hills has publicly demonstrated and discussed the prosthesis during performances and interviews, often removing it onstage to engage audiences and normalize its use.[10] In 2023, he donated a gold-plated version of his prosthetic foot to the Paralympic Heritage Trust, highlighting its role in his daily life and advocacy efforts.[62]Hills maintains his physical health through active involvement in sports such as rugby league and tennis coaching, which he pursued until the prosthesis's limitations prompted a shift toward comedy.[16] He rejects the label of disability, stating that the condition imposes no fundamental barriers, as evidenced by his career achievements and routine activities like passing the prosthesis among gig audiences.[11][63] This approach emphasizes adaptive technology and mindset over accommodation, with no reported additional health complications tied to the congenital trait.[2]
Public Persona and Reception
Achievements and Positive Impact
Adam Hills has significantly advanced disability awareness through his media presence, particularly as co-host of The Last Leg on Channel 4 since 2012, where he addresses Paralympic events and broader societal issues with humor that challenges stereotypes without sentimentality.[64] His role in the show's Paralympic specials, starting with the 2012 London Games, contributed to breaking barriers in public discourse on disability by presenting athletes and experiences in an accessible, entertaining format that reached millions, fostering a shift toward viewing disabled individuals as capable participants rather than objects of pity.[12] This approach has been credited with normalizing conversations around physical differences, as Hills himself noted the show's unintended role in reducing the "freak" perception of disability in mainstream entertainment.[64]In sports advocacy, Hills hosted the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Summer Paralympics, an experience that deepened his commitment to inclusive athletics and influenced his subsequent efforts to promote participation among disabled individuals.[65] He has actively supported para-standing tennis and disability rugby league, competing at world championship levels himself and emphasizing how accessible sports build community and resilience, drawing from his own below-knee amputation to illustrate practical benefits over medicalized narratives.[55] His involvement in events like hosting the Inclusive Sports Awards in 2023 underscores a tangible positive impact on grassroots inclusion, encouraging broader representation and countering institutional underfunding of adaptive sports programs.[66]Hills' authorship of children's books, such as those reframing disability as a neutraltrait rather than a deficit, extends his influence to younger audiences, aiming to cultivate early acceptance and reduce stigma through relatable storytelling grounded in his biography.[67] Collectively, these efforts have elevated disabled voices in comedy and commentary, with his 2022 MBE honor reflecting sustained contributions to Paralympic visibility and societal attitudes, as evidenced by increased media engagement with adaptive sports post his high-profile interventions.[56]
Criticisms and Controversies
In November 2022, during an episode of The Last Leg, host Adam Hills featured a parody song protesting the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death. The lyrics graphically described executions of LGBTQ+ individuals, prompting viewer complaints that the content was tasteless and gratuitously violent despite its satirical intent.[9][68] Hills issued an on-air apology to offended viewers, reiterating that the segment aimed to highlight human rights abuses in the host nation rather than mock victims.[69] The backlash, covered in British media, underscored tensions between protest comedy and sensitivity to real-world violence, though no formal complaints led to regulatory action by Ofcom.[70]Hills has occasionally drawn criticism for his approach to disability humor, both in stand-up and on The Last Leg, where he argues that self-deprecating jokes normalize differences and reduce stigma. Some reviewers and audience members, particularly those unfamiliar with his style or sensitive to disability-related tropes, have expressed caution or discomfort, viewing such material as potentially reinforcing stereotypes despite his personal experience as a congenital amputee.[71] However, these responses remain anecdotal and have not escalated into widespread controversies, with Hills maintaining that intent and context distinguish empowering satire from malice.[72]
Creative Works
Solo Stand-Up Shows
Adam Hills commenced his stand-up comedy career in 1989 at age 19 and has since developed over 16 solo shows that have toured internationally, blending observational humor, personal anecdotes, and audience interaction.[28]His breakthrough at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival came with consecutive Perrier Award nominations for shows in 2001, 2002, and 2003, marking him as a prominent international act during that period.[73][74]In 2013, Hills recorded Happyism live at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, an 80-minute performance released as a bestselling DVD and broadcast on Channel 4, featuring routines on Australian identity, American culture, and family life.[75][76]That same year, he delivered Adam Hills Stands Up Live at the Lyric Theatre in London's West End, another Channel 4 special emphasizing spontaneous crowd work and uplifting themes.[77]Hills' most recent solo outing, Shoes Half Full, premiered at the 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival before embarking on a limited UK tour in 2024, with dates including multiple venues across England and Scotland.[78][79]These productions have consistently sold out at major festivals like Adelaide Fringe and Kilkenny Cat Laughs, showcasing Hills' signature positive tone and avoidance of cynicism.[25]
Discography and Music Releases
Adam Hills's music releases are sparse, limited primarily to a single parody track, while his broader discography consists of live stand-up comedy recordings released in audio formats.[80]In 2002, Hills collaborated with The Comedy Brig-Aid on the charity singleWorking Class Anthem, a CD featuring one musical track—a parody of the Australian national anthem "Advance Australia Fair" set to the tune of Jimmy Barnes's "Working Class Man"—alongside two spoken stand-up comedy segments.[81] The release supported charitable causes and achieved minor commercial success in Australia.[82]Hills's subsequent audio releases shifted to full-length live comedy specials. Happyism, recorded live, was issued in 2013 as a comedy album (non-music genre) with a runtime exceeding one hour, including segments such as "Hello London." It was distributed in both DVD and audio formats, emphasizing Hills's observational humor.[83]In 2017, Clown Heart followed as a live album on CD, with a 2018 digital release comprising 13 tracks totaling 77 minutes, covering topics from accents to parenting through stand-up routines.[84][85] The recording features Hills performing with sign language interpreter Catherine, incorporating audience interaction.[86]
Adam Hills has garnered recognition for his stand-up comedy and television presenting through several prestigious awards. In 2004, he received the Chortle Award for Best Compere, honoring his hosting prowess at comedy events in the United Kingdom.[87]His solo show Joymonger (2007) won the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer, awarded by Live Performance Australia for excellence in Australian theatre and comedy.[88] That same year, Hills was named TV Personality of the Year by GQ Magazine, acknowledging his rising prominence in Australian broadcasting.[89]In television, Hills won a Silver Logie Award in 2012 for Most Popular Presenter, shared for his roles hosting Spicks and Specks and Adam Hills in Gordon St Tonight on ABC.[90] The revival of Spicks and Specks under his hosting earned an AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program in 2025, highlighting sustained acclaim for his music quiz format.[91]For The Last Leg on Channel 4, which Hills has hosted since 2012, the series secured Royal Television Society Programme Awards, including wins in entertainment categories that reflect his central role in the show's satirical coverage of news and events.[28] While the program has received multiple BAFTA Television Award nominations for Comedy Entertainment Programme and Hills' individual Entertainment Performance, it has not converted these to wins as of 2025.[92]
Sports and Other Accolades
Hills competes at elite levels in adaptive sports, including physical disability rugby league and para-standing tennis. In physical disability rugby league, he pioneered the format in the UK, playing for the Warrington Wolves team and representing Australia in the 2022 Rugby League World Cup.[93][94] In para-standing tennis, a standing format for athletes with physical impairments such as limb loss, Hills reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 World Para Standing Tennis Championships as Australia's representative.[54]Hills received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to Paralympic sport and disability awareness, recognizing his advocacy and participation in promoting inclusive athletics.[56] In February 2025, he assumed the role of President of the Rugby Football League, the governing body for rugby league in England, succeeding Sir Lindsay Hoyle and leveraging his personal involvement to support community development in the sport.[95]