Ben Boyce | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1979-01-01)1 January 1979 (age 46) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Education | New Zealand Broadcasting School |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, radio presenter, comedian |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | Jono and Ben |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Ben Boyce is a New Zealand television and radio personality and comedian best known as the host of TV showsPulp Sport,Wanna-Ben andJono and Ben onTV3.
Boyce is a graduate of the New Zealand Broadcasting School atCPIT (nowAra Institute of Canterbury).[1] He was also the co-founder of New Zealand political party theBill and Ben Party, which ran for government in the2008 New Zealand general election and received over 13,000 votes, making it New Zealand's ninth most popular political party (out of 19).
Boyce started out writing radio commercials, such as the popular Novus Windscreens "Show Us Your Crack" jingle.[2] He then moved on to radio announcing, creatingPulp Sport onRadio Sport and later doing the night show onThe Rock FM.
Boyce created and starred in seven series ofPulp Sport. The show began as a small cult show made in a garden shed to become one of New Zealand's most successful comedy shows. The show ran for seven series on TV3, C4 and Sky Sport in New Zealand, sold to Fuel TV and Network Ten in Australia. While onPulp Sport, Boyce twice won Best Comedy Show at the New Zealand TV Awards and "Funniest Person on TV" in the TV Guides People's Choice award in 2009.
Boyce also ran for parliament in the 2008 general election with his joke party calledBill and Ben Party. It was the ninth most popular party with over 13,000 votes.
In 2010 Boyce created and starred in two series ofWanna-Ben which saw him interviewing and attempting to emulate international stars like actors Steven Seagal and Henry Winkler, talk show host Jerry Springer, pop star's Mel B from the Spice Girls and Ke$ha, rock legends Alice Cooper and Bret Michaels, Wrestler Hulk Hogan and the real Erin Brockovich.
In 2011 and 2012, Boyce hosted theNew Zealand Music Awards and co-hosted in 2016 and 2017. In 2011 Boyce shaved off his dreadlocks to raise money for a charity supporting the Christchurch earthquake.
In 2012 Boyce teamed up withJono Pryor andGuy Williams to createJono and Ben at Ten. The show has become one ofTV3's most popular and highest rating shows. In 2013, 2014 and 2015 the show was nominated for TV Guide's People's Choice for "Best Comedy" and saw both Boyce and Pryor nominated for "Funniest Person on TV". TV3 announced the show was moving to prime time at 7.30pm in 2015 under the nameJono and Ben.
In 2014, Boyce again teamed up with Pryor on The Rock to host the weekday afternoon show from 3 to 7pm. That same year, they brought 90s hip hop starVanilla Ice to New Zealand to do the "Vanilla Ice Bucket Challenge" – dump two truck loads of ice water over them. Afterwards Boyce and Pryor hosted Vanilla Ice in a sold-out concert.
In 2015, Boyce and Pryor both released their own limited editionJono and Ben V Energy Drinks. The promotion put Boyce and Pryor against each other with their own separate flavours and a competition to be the most popular.[3]
In September 2015, Boyce and Pryor sailed a children's bouncy castle acrossLake Taupō in central New Zealand. The journey was 40 km and took almost 10 hours.[4] In February 2016, the duo crossed theCook Strait on a banana boat, after being challenged by Rock morning show host Bryce Casey. They attained the unofficial world record for the longest time spent in a bumper car, with 30 hours at Rainbows End.
In 2017, Boyce and Pryor started working on The Edge radio station. The same year, Boyce and Pryor drove a tractor over 650 km from Auckland to Palmerston North, and broke the world record for the longest TV interview, interviewing celebrities for over 30 hours.
In 2018,Jono and Ben was cancelled; the final show was aired on 15 November 2018. Since 2020, Boyce and Pryor have hosted the breakfast show on The Hits andDog Almighty onTVNZ 2.
In 2008, Boyce married his wife Amanda, in Fiji. They have two daughters, born 2009 and 2011.[5]
On 17 September 2011, the filming of a skit for the second season ofWanna-Ben caused a large-scale security scare atAuckland Airport. Bryce Casey, host of The Morning Rumble onThe Rock, dressed as a pilot and tried to accessairside at the domestic terminal though one of the gates, saying he left his security pass on the plane. Six people, including Boyce, were subsequently arrested for laws breaching the Civil Aviation Act. In 2012, they were discharged with no convictions.[6]