This was published 4 years ago
Superfans create a podcast devoted to hit kids' TV show Bluey
By Peter Wells
In less than a year, an adorable cartoon dog from Brisbane has won the hearts and minds of Australian families. Bluey has amassed a staggering 90 million views on ABC iView, making it the most popular show in the platform’s history. And like any enormously popular television series, Bluey has spawned passionate fans discussing the characters, episodes and emotional arcs of its first season.
Two such super fans are Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, hosts of the podcast Gotta Be Done, which is breaking down Bluey one episode at a time. The series was Bolling’s brainchild, after she found herself obsessed with the show while on maternity leave with her second child. Bolling had watched and rewatched the first 26 episodes of Bluey, and was waiting for the next 26 to appear.
Mary Bolling and Kate McMahon are superfans of kids' TV show BlueyCredit: Mary Bolling
“I just needed more episodes, and I knew the new episodes weren’t coming [for a few months]. But I just had that feeling of wanting more,” explains Bolling, laughing. “The only thing I can compare it to was listening to Serial, and then listening to podcasts about Serial, while you wait for the next episode of Serial. So I thought well, that's it. I’ve [got to make a Bluey] podcast.”
“When I suggested it to Kate, I was only half joking, because she leads a very busy life and I didn't think she'd really take me up on it. But she was all guns blazing as well, although we had been finding before we started the podcast that all our catch-ups with each other were debriefings about Bluey anyway. So not that much has changed, we just hit record now.”
Bolling credits the success of Bluey to the relatability of the characters and its perfectly observed parenting moments, be it negotiating with a four-year-old in a supermarket, to worrying about screen time, not just for your kids, but the example you’re setting by looking at your own phone too often.
Bandit plays on the trampoline with Bluey and Bingo.Credit:
“Everyone feels like they know what kids TV is about. But Bluey is just so fresh and so real that you just can't help but love it and relate to it - although every parent I talk to is pretty jealous of that amazing house and Bandit’s [work from home] lifestyle.”
Bolling and McMahon are surprised by the success of their hobby podcast, and the positive feedback it is receiving. Among the listeners is Bluey creator Joe Brumm, who the pair will be interviewing for a future episode.
“The feedback from listeners has been so lovely. Even if no one had listened, we probably would have kept doing it just because we get so much enjoyment out of it ... We both have a journalist background but I mean, we're not claiming to bring a journalistic skill set to this. We’re just very overenthusiastic mums.”