Merrick Watts
Actor, Comedian, Presenter and Renowned Broadcaster
Merrick first rose to fame as part of the Triple J Drive show alongside Tim Ross, taking Triple J ratings to new levels. In 2000, they became the first voices on the NOVA network. Merrick and Rosso launched the radio brand and came first in Australia’s toughest radio market – Sydney Breakfast. Together they built a cult-like fan base, entertaining Australia and performing to sold-out live shows across Australia and TV series on Ten, Nine and the Comedy Channel.
Since then, Merrick has branched out from the double act, showing his versatility as an actor and comedian. He has appeared in numerous shows, including “Underbelly – The Tale of Two Cities”, “The Hollowmen”, “Hughesy, We Have a Problem”, and on the improv hit “Thank God You’re Here”. Merrick also regularly appears as a panellist on Network Ten’s Studio 10.
In 2013, Merrick hosted ABC1’s comedy quiz show, Tractor Monkeys. Alongside his team captains, Dave O’Neil and Katie’ Monty’ Diamond, they go back through time and battle through rapid-fire rounds of questions and games inspired by ABC TV’s eclectic archive vault.
In 2017, Merrick toured a solo show with “Man of the House” and was later nominated for Best Comedy Show at the Perth Fringe Festival.
Merrick has also made numerous guest appearances in shows across the major Australian networks, including “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader”, “The Spearman Experiment”, “Thanks for Listening – The History of Radio”, “Rove Live”, “Burke’s Backyard”, “All Saints”, “Harry’s Practice”, and “Bert’s Family Feud”.
In 2018, Merrick started “Grapes of Mirth”, a series of stand-up gigs in which he toured numerous stand-up comedians to wineries around Australia for acclaimed sell-out shows.
In 2020, Merrick appeared in one of Australia’s most brutal shows, Channel 7’s “SAS: Australia”, where he pushed himself to the limits through the physically and psychologically challenging training course. Ultimately, Merrick became one of four recruits to complete the course. Alongside fellow castmates Nick Cummins and Sabrina Frederick, he was selected personally by the directing staff as an eventual winner.
After over a decade of broadcasting his award-winning breakfast radio show on Nova 96.9, Merrick moved onto Drive with Triple M and hosted the very successful “Merrick Watts and the Highway Patrol”, which is broadcasted nationally.
Merrick has been received and been nominated for countless broadcasting and comedy awards, including the 2003 GQ Man of The Year – Comedians of The Year (Merrick & Rosso), recipient of the 2003 and 2004 ACRA Awards for Best On-Air Team (Merrick & Rosso), winner of the Best Station Produced Comedy Segment in the 2009 ACRA Awards, and winner of the best documentary for Modern Warrior in the 2016 ACRA Awards.