Ben Boyce facts for kids

Ben Boyce is a well-known New Zealand TV and radio star. He is also a comedian. You might know him best from TV shows like Pulp Sport, Wanna-Ben, and Jono and Ben on TV3.

Ben Boyce's Journey to Stardom

Ben Boyce studied at the New Zealand Broadcasting School. This school is now called Ara Institute of Canterbury. He learned a lot about TV and radio there.

Starting in Radio

Ben began his career writing funny radio ads. One famous ad was for Novus Windscreens. He then became a radio announcer. He helped create Pulp Sport on Radio Sport. Later, he hosted the night show on The Rock FM.

Pulp Sport: From Shed to Success

Ben Boyce created and starred in seven seasons of Pulp Sport. This show started small, made in a garden shed! But it grew into one of New Zealand's most popular comedy shows. It was shown on TV3, C4, and Sky Sport in New Zealand. It even sold to channels in Australia.

While working on Pulp Sport, Ben won "Best Comedy Show" twice at the New Zealand TV Awards. In 2009, he was voted "Funniest Person on TV" in the TV Guides People's Choice awards.

Running for Fun: The Bill and Ben Party

In 2008, Ben Boyce did something very funny. He ran for parliament with a joke political group called the Bill and Ben Party. A political party is a group of people who share ideas about how to run a country. They try to get their members elected to make decisions.

Even though it was a joke, his party got over 13,000 votes! This made it the ninth most popular party in New Zealand that year.

Wanna-Ben: Meeting Famous Faces

In 2010, Ben created another show called Wanna-Ben. He starred in two seasons of this show. On Wanna-Ben, Ben interviewed and tried to be like famous international stars. He met actors like Steven Seagal and Henry Winkler. He also talked to Jerry Springer, a famous talk show host.

Ben also met pop stars like Mel B from the Spice Girls and Ke$ha. He chatted with rock legends Alice Cooper and Bret Michaels. He even met wrestler Hulk Hogan and the real Erin Brockovich!

Hosting Music Awards

Ben Boyce has hosted the New Zealand Music Awards several times. He was the main host in 2011 and 2012. He also co-hosted the awards in 2016 and 2017. In 2011, he shaved off his dreadlocks to raise money for a charity. This charity helped people after the Christchurch earthquake.

Teaming Up with Jono Pryor

In 2012, Ben Boyce joined forces with Jono Pryor and Guy Williams. They created a show called Jono and Ben at Ten. This show became very popular on TV3.

From 2013 to 2015, Jono and Ben was nominated for "Best Comedy" by TV Guide's People's Choice. Both Ben and Jono were also nominated for "Funniest Person on TV." In 2015, the show moved to an earlier time slot at 7:30 PM and was simply called Jono and Ben.

Radio Fun with Jono

In 2014, Ben and Jono also started hosting a radio show together. They hosted the weekday afternoon show on The Rock from 3 PM to 7 PM. That same year, they brought 90s hip hop star Vanilla Ice to New Zealand. They did a funny stunt called the "Vanilla Ice Bucket Challenge." They dumped two truckloads of ice water over themselves! After that, Ben and Jono hosted a sold-out concert with Vanilla Ice.

Energy Drinks and Wild Stunts

In 2015, Ben and Jono each released their own special Jono and Ben V Energy Drinks. They had different flavors and competed to see whose drink was more popular.

They also did some amazing stunts! In September 2015, they sailed a children's bouncy castle across Lake Taupō. This journey was 40 kilometers long and took almost 10 hours! In February 2016, they crossed the Cook Strait on a banana boat. They were challenged to do this by another radio host. They even set an unofficial world record for spending 30 hours in a bumper car at Rainbows End theme park.

More Adventures and Records

In 2017, Ben and Jono started working on The Edge radio station. That same year, they drove a tractor over 650 kilometers from Auckland to Palmerston North. They also broke a world record for the longest TV interview. They interviewed celebrities for over 30 hours straight!

Jono and Ben ended in 2018, with the final show on November 15. Since 2020, Ben Boyce and Jono Pryor have hosted the breakfast show on The Hits radio station. They also host a TV show called Dog Almighty on TVNZ 2.

Ben Boyce's Family Life

In 2008, Ben Boyce married his wife, Amanda, in Fiji. They have two daughters. Their first daughter was born in 2009, and their second was born in 2011.

See also

• List of New Zealand television personalities