For the past five years Luke Holt has hosted the breakfast show on 89.9 LightFM in Melbourne but nine months ago he decided to put another feather in his cap and take to the stage as a stand-up comedian.
In less than a year he has gone from a novice doing a five minute routine to an established performer doing a sixty minute show that has toured four theatres in Melbourne, six shows at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and has been produced into a debut DVD.
"Holt involves his audience through gentle banter. The fun was cheeky, inoffensive teasing, far from confronting. He handles any curveballs with ease and incorporates the slightly stranger responses seamlessly into his scripted material.", Colin Flaherty, Chortle.
Clayton Werner, from Adelaide publication 'Rip It Up', suggests that a part of Holt's stand-up appeal is his ten years in radio combined with his distinct morals, "...as well as doing stand-up, [Holt] is on Melbourne breakfast radio so he has plenty of microphone and impromptu technique to bring to his comedy. And Luke's version of comedy comes without the profanity, sacrilege and gutter talk that most Fringe comedy experiences will afford. Some of you are 'asking – does that leave anything thing to laugh at? Well according to his audience – yes."
With two upcoming shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Holt continues to try and balance the late nights performing on stage with the early mornings in the radio studio but he claims that rest is optional.
"There's plenty of time for sleep when I'm eighty something and too senile to remember where my pants are. People think the late nights and early mornings are draining and they are, but I try and still have some energy left to give to my wife and my one year old son. I spend so much of my day trying to entertain other people but it's really important that my family get the 'best' and not simply what is left over." says comedy's genuine family man.
For Luke, navigating the world of dating, then walking boldly into the realm of marriage before facing the daunting task parenthood has been wrought with significant ups and downs. His dating life started with a girlfriend whom he never actually spoke to. His now wife's first thoughts when she saw him were, "Quit staring you freak!" And he received news that, he and his wife were unlikely to conceive, from a doctor who seemed unable to say the word "sperm".
Like tens of thousands of couples in Australia, discovering that he and wife Susie's chances of conceiving a child were nearly impossible led to a long and emotional journey. After a five year rollercoaster ride of heartbreak and hope, their son Tyson was born in 2009. This led to a whole new life stage marked by moments nothing short of hilarious.
For more information, visit www.lukelaughs.com