Nigel Williams

Nigel Williams (Bristol, 28 October 1953) is a Belgian-British cabaretier. Nigel Williams comes from a simple working-class family from Bristol and attended grammar school. In 1969 he started at British Aerospace as a worker. In 1976 Williams went to live in Mechelen and later in Antwerpen. He worked among other things as a factory worker and was a union representative for the Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond at Opel Antwerpen, where he learned to speak in public.

He broke through in 2000 as a cabaretier after winning Humo's Comedy Cup. Nigel had success in 2003 and 2004 with his full-length programme De Penismonoloog (“The Penis Monologue”), written and directed by his friend Peter Perceval. Together they also made the show Terrorist in 2005. He performed Democlash in 2007. In 2008 he examined the news in a playful manner in the discussion programme Volt on Eén. In 2011 he had his story recorded by journalist and good friend Patrick De Witte in the book Had ik maar een vak geleerd (“If Only I Had Learned a Trade”). In 2015 Nigel began his own podcast Tijdens De Rust (“During the Break”).

In September 2015 Williams announced he would make no more new hall shows after Accident de Parcours (“Accident Along the Way”). After a years-long pause in this area, he performed again in 2022 with De weg kwijt (“Lost”). Williams founded and hosted Stand-Up Antwerp, an English-language comedy club that organizes performances with international comedians.