Tim Ross

Timothy Jonathon Ross, known professionally as Tim Ross or “Rosso,” began his career in comedy, forming the duo Merrick and Rosso with Merrick Watts. Their collaboration started with a one-off comedy show in 1996 and quickly expanded to stand-up tours and comedy festivals across Australia, where they gained recognition for their sharp wit. This period also saw them co-authoring two books, “Merrick and Rosso, The Book” and “Merrick and Rosso, The Book Volume 2.” Beyond stand-up, Ross fronted the comedy band Black Rose, performing at key festivals.

Ross’s career expanded into radio and television, becoming a prominent voice in Australian media. From 1998, he and Merrick Watts hosted a weekly guest spot on Triple J’s drive-time program before becoming full-time presenters. In 2001, they moved to the newly launched commercial radio station Nova 96.9, where their breakfast show quickly became Sydney’s most popular, eventually expanding to a national audience for six of its nine years. On television, Ross starred in “The Merrick & Rosso Show” (2008-2009) and appeared in various series, including a guest role on “All Saints” (2003). He also hosted “Uncharted” for MTV (2010), “Australia Versus” on the Seven Network (2010), and the third season of “No Leave, No Life.”

A significant career turning point for Ross has been his deep engagement with architecture and design. This passion led him to host the ABC television series “Streets of Your Town” (2016), a two-part documentary on Australian modernist architecture, which became the most-watched arts program on the ABC that year. Following this success, he presented “Designing A Legacy” on ABC in 2021. His advocacy work in architecture has earned him the prestigious National President’s Prize from the Australian Institute of Architects in 2019. Ross has also authored several books on the subject, including “The Rumpus Room” (2017), “MOTEL – Images of Australia on Holidays” (2019) in collaboration with the National Archives of Australia, and “Scorcher” (2021), a collection of short stories about the Australian summer.