Leigh Hart
Leigh Hart | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 20, 1970 Greymouth, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, radio host, performance artist |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | SportsCafe, Moon TV, "That Guy" |
Leigh Hart (born 20 July 1970) is a New Zealand-based comedian, radio host, and performance artist widely recognized by the moniker "That Guy". His television appearances include roles on popular New Zealand programs such as SportsCafe and his own creation, Moon TV.
Early life and education
Hart was born in Greymouth and spent a decade abroad with his family, including four years residing in Peru, before moving back to New Zealand at age eleven. He attended Christ's College, Christchurch and completed one year at the University of Canterbury. During the early 1990s, he worked on the Channel Tunnel project and later formed the rock group "Wild Turkey" alongside his brother Greg and friend Matt Johnson. The band disbanded in 1994 due to visa complications in France. Subsequently, Hart enrolled in a film and television course in Christchurch, where he also launched a satirical publication titled The Moon.
Career
In the mid-1990s, Hart relocated to Auckland and took up television production work with Greenstone Pictures. He contributed writing to initial episodes of The Zoo. In 1996, producer Marc Ellis invited him to make a guest appearance on SportsCafe, portraying an "international snail trainer". This led to a recurring role as a weekly sports interviewer, during which he adopted the nickname "That Guy".
Between 2002 and 2010, Hart both produced and starred in Moon TV, a late-night comedy series that spoofed various television genres and featured interviews with New Zealand celebrities. The program earned nominations for Best Comedy Programme at both the 2005 New Zealand Screen Awards and the 2007 Air New Zealand Screen Awards. A spin-off titled Late Night Big Breakfast, co-hosted by Hart along with Jason Hoyte and Jeremy Wells, was broadcast from 2014 to 2016 and saw a revival season in 2020.
In 2010, Hart hosted Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet, a mockumentary series investigating global enigmas such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, UFO phenomena, and ancient archaeological sites. Prior to its broadcast, he authored a comedic column recounting his attendance at a Bigfoot conference, which sparked criticism from some participants.
Hart's subsequent projects included Olympico (2012), a satirical commentary on the London Olympics; an episode of Descent from Disaster (2013) focused on the Strongman Mine tragedy; and co-hosting the fishing-themed comedy show Screaming Reels (2017) alongside Jason Hoyte. Notably, Australia's Seven Network erroneously aired this show as a documentary.
On radio, Hart partnered with Jason Hoyte to host the drive-time program Daily Bhuja on Radio Hauraki from 2015 through 2019. Additionally, he contributed columns to the Herald on Sunday between 2007 and 2011 and was involved with the consumer affairs show Fair Go.
In 2020, Hart took part in the inaugural season of New Zealand's version of Taskmaster, where critics praised him as an unpredictable standout contestant.
Wakachangi beer
Leigh introduced his own beer brand called Wakachangi in July 2013, brewed by Harrington's Breweries. Initially aimed at students organizing large gatherings—particularly in Dunedin—the beer was sold in 2-litre bottles. By October 2013, Wakachangi expanded its distribution nationwide, available in 330ml bottles at all Liquorland stores. The beer’s label playfully references multiple regional influences, and it earned accolades at the Moon Breweries beer awards.
Television series
- SportsCafe (1996–2006, 2008; featured 2001–2006, 2008)
- Moon TV (2002–2010)
- The Great New Zealand Spelling Bee (2006)
- Shock Treatment (2006), alongside April Bruce (single episode)
- Pulp Sport (2007)
- That Guy's World Cup (2007), available on TVNZ OnDemand
- Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet (2010)
- Rugby Mundo (2011): a comedic series consisting of 12 episodes produced for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
- Olympico (2012), broadcast on Comedy Central NZ
- Descent from Disaster (2013), appeared in one episode
- 7 Days (2013–ongoing)
- Late Night Big Breakfast (2014–2016), co-hosted with Jason Hoyte and Jeremy Wells, aired on TV One and WatchMe
- The DNA Detectives (2015), featured in one episode on TV One
- Rude Tube (2016), episode titled "Feasts of Fury," showcasing his short film "Fastest chef in the world 1"
- Terry Teo (2016) on TV2, appeared as "Tom Hagar" in one episode
- Hamsterman from Amsterdam (2016), a spinoff from the Moon TV character, aired on WatchMe
- Screaming Reels (2017)
- Taskmaster (2020)
- Jono and Ben at Ten
Live appearances
Hart frequently performs as a host and speaker at various public gatherings. Notably, in 2011, he contributed to raising close to $500,000 for the Christchurch earthquake relief efforts during an event held in Shanghai.
Film
- You Move You Die (2007), portraying a police officer
- Gary of the Pacific (2017), cast as a pilot
- Scott's World of Cheese
Advertisements
- ANZ Bonus Bonds advertising campaign (since 2006)
- Hellers Bacon promotional campaign (since 2006)
- No 8 Rugby Internet Campaign
- National Mini Storage advertisements (2014–2018)
External links
- Moon TV — Official site for Moon TV
- Interview conducted by the New Zealand Listener (2003)
- Wakachangi — Official website for Wakachangi
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1970 births
- Living people
- New Zealand male comedians
- New Zealand radio presenters
- People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch
- People from Greymouth
- Radio Hauraki
- University of Canterbury alumni
- New Zealand expatriates in Peru
- 20th-century New Zealand comedians
- 21st-century New Zealand comedians