Ferguson grew up on a rural property near the town of Perthville, New South Wales and spent three years at All Saints College, Bathurst, before moving to Canberra, where he attended the radical free-school School Without Walls and Narrabundah College. He is the son of Tony Ferguson, who was a Vietnam War correspondent, the first reporter to release news of the Tet Offensive to the world media. Tony became executive producer of This Day Tonight and Four Corners at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and network liaison for the ABC's managing director, David Hill.
Ferguson announced on an episode of Good News Week in 2010 that he has multiple sclerosis (MS), which required him to occasionally use a walking cane. Ferguson has experienced MS symptoms since the age of 19. His show at the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was called "Carry a Big Stick", an allusion to his MS. Ferguson's condition has since progressed further and he now uses a wheelchair.
In December 2017, Tim and co-host Maynard recorded a live charity show of their Castaway Award-winning podcast, 'Bunga Bunga', called 'A Very Bunga Christmas' to a huge crowd of fans at the Harold Park Hotel in Sydney. He has spoken out for young Australians with MS and other disabilities living in aged care. He campaigns to arrange more appropriate options for them.
In 2017, Ferguson hosted the South West Disability Expo, helping thousands of South West Sydney residents with disabilities gain greater control over their lives and engage the most suitable services in their area to meet their individual needs.
Ferguson is a Patron of MS Australia, the national voice for people living with Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative neurological illness. Tim's stage of MS is known as Secondary Progressive.
Ferguson supports the Summer Foundation (Building Better Lives). Established in 2006, the key aim of the Summer Foundation is to change human service policy and practice related to young people in nursing homes. The Summer Foundation utilises a range of strategies to influence health, housing, aged care and disability service policy and practice related to this target group.
His work fundraising and raising awareness is ongoing for Motor-Neurone Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy and Acquired Brain Injury Conditions.
Tim hosts the Uniting Church podcast featuring people with disabilities including Down syndrome, vision impairment, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Aspergers Syndrome.
Ferguson regularly speaks at public and corporate events about disability, housing, social services and health at events. His most regular keynote speech themes are inclusivity, positivity and overcoming challenges.
**COMEDY LEGEND TIM FERGUSON BRINGS HIS INSPIRING LIFE JOURNEY TO THE STAGE.
Tim’s story will make you laugh, cry and seize the day.
From touring the world in the Doug Anthony Allstars to his life as a commercial network TV star and now an international teacher of screen comedy. Through it all, Tim has defied the challenges of Multiple Sclerosis. “I don’t suffer Multiple Sclerosis; it suffers me!”
And despite his condition, Tim has vowed to never stop making audiences laugh. And since he got wheels he has gone even faster!
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