Melanie Bracewell

About Melanie

Melanie Bracewell is a comedian, writer, and host whose credits span some of the most successful comedy productions in Australia and New Zealand. She won Best Script: Comedy at the 2021 NZ Television Awards for her work on Wellington Paranormal — the Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi series — and has been a co-host of Network 10's The Cheap Seats since its first season. She has also hosted the New Zealand Comedy Festival Gala and won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Director's Choice Award for her 2021 debut season there.

Melanie's profile reaches well beyond stand-up. She wrote on 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention? (NZ), Mean Mums, and served as Executive Story Editor on Time Bandits. Her impressions of Jacinda Ardern went viral internationally, covered by The Guardian and the BBC. She has appeared on QI (UK) and Richard Osman's House of Games, performed at Just for Laughs Montreal, and opened for Jim Gaffigan. Her 2024 show Forget Me Not toured the UK before selling out across Australia, New Zealand, and Edinburgh, where it was released on YouTube. Six seasons of Cheap Seats have cemented her as one of the most recognisable faces in Australian panel comedy.

Melanie is a natural fit for events looking for a host or performer who is equally at ease on stage and on camera — quick, warm, and able to hold a room without effort. Her ability to shift between sharp wordplay and genuine storytelling makes her well-suited to corporate galas, awards ceremonies, and live audience shows where intelligence and likability both matter.