australian television information archive

Josh Thomson as Pigsy

Pigsy lived a life of indulgence as a God, enjoying all of the finer things that were on offer to him — food, jewels, clothing... you name it. Unable to give up this lifestyle when the Gods were forced into hiding, Pigsy has found himself in debt, working as low life henchman for Princess Locke, a demon who reigns over his village, shaking down the poorest villagers for their hard-earned pennies and, worst of all, capturing Gods. When Monkey and Tripitaka meet Pigsy he is at his lowest, trying to fill his unhappy void with gluttony. At first, he captures Tripitaka and Monkey under orders from Princess Locke. Tripitaka however recognises something in Pigsy and is convinced he is destined to join their quest. Pigsy is not so sure.

As the journey continues it becomes clear to him that what he is searching for lies in joining the group and their fight for the greater good. Pigsy's journey is one of redemption and rediscovering self-worth; he often surprises himself along the way with his usefulness to the mission. Having once protected a farmer from a Demon attack, he was gifted a simple-looking rake, but Pigsy soon discovered its true earth-shattering powers. With it he can charge a target with enough speed and momentum to crumble the thickest castle walls. At full power he can also summon earthquakes, but he'd give all that up in a second to be truly loved and respected for who he is. If only he can find a way to show that self to the world.

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New Zealander Josh Thomson is Timaru-born from sturdy South Island and even sturdier Tongan Island Stock. He studied Theatre and Film at the University of Otago. He arrived in Auckland to do standup comedy and appeared in a couple of Pulp Comedy shows, but took up acting because, he says, actors get lunch, and most of the time they don't have to pay for it.

Josh has graced the small screen in some iconic commercials and TV series including Terry Teo, Hounds, Coverband, the voice of the tubby ginger kid in Barefoot Bandits and in his first feature film lead role as Gary in Gary of the Pacific.

Josh continues to work as an actor, MC and comedian when he is not appearing on the daily news show The Project. He's toured with New Zealand's best comedians from 7Days doing stand up and the 7Days:Live show around the country. In demand for his MC skills, he has hosted the New Zealand Film Awards, the 48Hour Film awards, various corporate events and guest spots at the New Zealand Music awards.

He still loves working behind the scenes as a director, writer, editor and whatever else he can do to pay for the new floor in the laundry since he broke the last one when he tried to fix it himself.