The Brisbane funny man was at the event on the back of a successful appearance at the inaugural Fresh Comedy Gala in 2016 when the festivities took an unexpected turn.

“We saw these two guys fighting,” he said.

“I’m not sure what it was about, but it’s not every day you see guys punching up over a glass of pinot noir.

“It was still daylight when it happened, which made it even weirder.”

A lot has changed for Okine since he last performed as part of Fresh Comedy.

Not only did he move on after three years as host of the popular Triple J breakfast program, but he also wrote and starred in the semi-autobiographical TV series The Other Guy, which premiered to a strong audience on steaming network Stan.

It earned him a 2017 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award nomination for the Subscription TV Award for Best New Talent. 

He was also part of an ABC cooking show titled Short Cuts to Glory, in which he appeared alongside celebrity chefs and learnt culinary tricks.

Okine said his success throughout the past year had led him into unknown territory.

“I can’t really joke about the things that I used to joke about anymore,” he said.

“I used to love talking about being poor but now I’ve got a TV show, I’m not broke anymore.

“More things need to go wrong in my life.

“I’m counting on something crazy happening in Tasmania that I can talk about.” 

Okine will play at The Royal Oak Hotel towards the end of this month in what will be the first Fresh Comedy show of 2018. 

He didn’t hesitate when asked what he was looking forward to most about his upcoming visit.

“I really like the craft beer that is in Launceston,” he said.

“Saint John Craft Beer is almost a must stop destination every time I am there.

“I also just really just love the food in Tasmania.”

Matt Okine will perform as part of Fresh Comedy on January 19. 

All tickets are $25.