Billy T’ Billy: Maria Williams and Guy Williams talk comedy and who’s the funniest sibling

Maria Williams, left, is up for the Billy T Award - the same prize her brother, Guy Williams, won back in 2012. Photos / Supplied.

While many people may like to think they come from a funny family, few can say that they and all their siblings have been nominated for the same top comedy award.

Guy Williams, best known for his time on Jono and Ben and New Zealand Today, rose to prominence after winning the Billy T Award in 2012. His younger brother, Paul, got nominated for the same prize in 2017 before going on to feature as the assistant on Taskmaster NZ. Now, Maria Williams, the middle child of the three, has her eye on the iconic yellow towel, one of five nominated for the award at this year’s International Comedy Festival.

Speaking with Guy on the NZ Herald podcast, Billy T’ Billy, Maria said that none of them knows exactly what drew all three siblings to comedy.

“I think obviously you are drawn to this for different reasons. People ask if our humour came from somewhere, maybe it does. Like our mum kind of has a psychotic kind of dark humour, and our father’s kind of classic dad jokes. But people ask me all the time how it’s happened, and I really have no idea.”

Guy noted that their mum had two cassette tapes she would play on repeat when they were children, one of which was a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up special, which helped instill their comedic sensibilities.

Though he also jokingly suggested ‘white privilege’ was the catalyst. “To get into comedy, you need a safety net. It helps if you can fail. So growing up in a middle-class household helps a lot.

“We’ve gotten away with not having to do proper jobs,” Maria agreed.

Despite having three children succeeding in comedy, Guy said that their parents aren’t that keen on it as “it’s not a normal job.

“Mum’s dream was always for me to go to Perth and work in the mines, which is quite funny because normally your parents want you to not go to Perth and work in the mines. She’s like, ‘it pays so well’ - it pays well cause you might die and you’re ruining the environment!”

Maria said that the fact all three siblings ended up in comedy is interesting as they “function in silos” and don’t necessarily update each other on what they are doing.

That included the family being surprised when Guy first appeared on TV.

“You went off to uni and then You got into comedy as a thing,” Maria said, “but it was secret and we knew nothing about it until literally a friend of mine messaged me when I was in Australia when I was 19 and said that she saw you on TV.

“I probably expect an update if you’re gonna be on TV for the first time, but that’s fine, we can’t go back in time,” she joked.

Asked if a potential Williams family variety show was on the cards, both Maria and Guy doubt any collaborations are on the cards.

“I don’t think any of us would want to do anything with anyone to be honest,” Guy said. “Paul actually pitched the one collaborative process we’ve looked at doing, which was a family standup comedy show.”

Guy said that it would have seen the three siblings and their dad compete, with their mum serving as judge. “But it fell over basically caused Dad could be bullied into it, but Mum, it would just give her too much stress and anxiety,”

“Mum wouldn’t even show up. I think Dad could definitely do it. I think Dad would be really good and one day we’ll get him on stage,” Maria noted - so we’ll have to wait and see if the Williams family can pick up a fourth Billy T nomination.

Listen to the full podcast for more from Maria and Guy on their different approaches to stand-up, their conflicting views on musical theatre, and why Maria isn’t interested in Guy’s advice for comedy.

Billy T’ Billy is a NZ Herald podcast celebrating local comedy ahead of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Each episode has a different 2023 nominee talking with a former Billy T or Fred Award winner. New episodes are out every Tuesday.

This year’s Billy T nominees, include Howells, Gabby Anderson, Jack Ansett, Janaye Henry and Maria Williams. The New Zealand International Comedy Festival runs from May 5th to May 28th.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.