Tegan Higginbotham


Tegan Marie Higginbotham is an Australian comedian, writer and actress. Higginbotham contributes regularly as a sports columnist for The Age and writes a blog.

Personal life

Higginbotham was born in Dandenong, a suburb of Melbourne. She attended Dandenong Primary School and recently wowed audiences at the Class of 2018 Primary School Graduation. She has a penchant for sports and sci-fi, and describes herself as "a big nerd at heart, whose favourite things ever are Star Wars and Harry Potter." Higginbotham currently lives in Melbourne.
She married Paul Verhoeven in a civil ceremony in Paris in July 2019.

Career

Higginbotham's first love was acting, until she discovered comedy in her late teens, and performed her first comedy gig at the age of 17. Higginbotham has performed at every Melbourne International Comedy Festival since becoming a National Finalist at the festival's Class Clowns comedy competition in 2005. She began her comedy career performing wild fast-paced sketch shows with fellow comedians Rob Lloyd and Adam McKenzie as the trio 'The Hounds', which later morphed into 'Watson', without Lloyd. At the age of 21, Higginbotham began performing solo with her debut comedy show 'Million Dollar Tegan' nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2012. In 2016, Higginbotham was a regular cast member for the Australian version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
Higginbotham co-hosted the controversial ABC2 pre-game, half-time and post-game coverages of the Liverpool F.C versus Sydney FC match with Julian Schiller and Steen Raskopoulos on 24 May 2017.
Higginbotham joined Nicole Livingstone and Amberley Lobo as co-host and regular panellist on the one-hour live entertainment and sports comedy panel show called Sideliners which premiered on ABC TV on 30 June 2017.

Live comedy shows

Solo comedy shows

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007NeighboursFrancis Taylor1 episode
2008Studio AHerself1 episode
2009Whatever Happened to That Guy?Tegan4 episodes
2009City HomicideJana Mellor1 episode
2011The Bazura ProjectActor2 episodes
2012RantHerself1 episode
2013TwentysomethingApplicant 11 episode
2013-2015Have You Been Paying Attention?Herself4 episodes
2014Back Seat DriversHerself1 episode
2014It's a DateAbby1 episode
2014Upper Middle BoganJess1 episode
2014This is LittletonWriter/actor4 episodes
2014Fancy BoyAddiction Counsellor1 episode
2014The 2014 Antenna AwardsHerself/host1 episode
2014Live on BowenHerself1 episode
2014Spicks and SpecksHerself2 episodes
2015Community KitchenHerself2 episodes
2015Comedy Up LateHerself1 episode
2015About TonightHerself/host1 episode
2015Little LunchWriter1 episode
2015How To Be FunnyHerself1 episode
2015Open SlatherWriter9 episodes
2016MollyPetra2 episodes
2016BounceHerself2 episodes
2016Nowhere Boys: Two Moons RisingQuinn Banda4 episodes
2016-2017Whose Line is it Anyway? AustraliaHerself4 episodes
2017WhoviansHerself9 episodes
2017Liverpool FC versus Sydney FCHerself1 episode
2017SidelinersHerself7 episodes
2017The Ex-PMFloor Manager1 episode
2018Show Me the Movie!Herself2 episodes

Community and charity work

Higginbotham performed at the Heart of St Kilda concert in 2014 with comedians Julia Morris, Charlie Pickering, musical comedy trio Tripod, ventriloquist Dean Atkinson, Greg Champion of the Coodabeens and comedy character Elliot Goblet, to raise funds for Sacred Heart Mission which assists hundreds of people who are homeless or living in poverty to find shelter, food, care and support every day of the year.

Awards

Higginbotham has garnered a variety of award nominations for her diverse work as a comedian and writer, including Best Newcomer nominee for her debut solo show Million Dollar Tegan at the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, a Golden Gibbo Award nomination for Shakespeare Fight Club with Adam McKenzie as the duo 'Watson' in 2012, and an AWGIE award nomination shared with an ensemble of writers for the television show This is Littleton in the Best Comedy: Sketch or Light Entertainment category in 2014. In 2014, Higginbotham, McKenzie and guest co-star comedian Liam Ryan as the ensemble group 'Watson', won the Best Comedy Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for their comedy show Who's Afraid of the Dark?. In 2015, 'Watson' returned for another season of Who's Afraid of the Dark? at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and was nominated for a Golden Gibbo Award.