December 16, 2024 • 27 mins
Join Australian comedian Biddy O'Loughlin for a candid and hilarious conversation about her life, career, and family. As the daughter of famous comedian Fiona O'Loughlin, Biddy grew up surrounded by laughter and the spotlight. But she's forged her own path in the comedy world, tackling tough topics and navigating controversy along the way.
In this episode, Biddy opens up about her experiences as a comedian, from performing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival to dealing with cancel culture. She also shares stories about her family, including her mum Fiona and her own daughter Dolly. With her signature wit and humor, Biddy tackles topics like motherhood, identity, and the challenges of making it in the comedy world.
Tune in for a laugh-out-loud and insightful conversation with one of Australia's most exciting new comedians.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
G'day folks welcome to Backyard Legends
with Bevo. I'm your host Devon Jones
where we talk to some absolute legends
from celebrity chefs to superstars of
sport and entertainment icons. They tell
us about the windows that they broke
while playing backyard cricket to
building amazing tree houses and slip and
slides as well and how they relax in
their backyards today. So pull up your
(00:22):
deck chairs, put your feet up and get
0ready for some ripping story.
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BDI welcome, welcome to Backyard Legends
Endemo. Thank you so much. It's great to
have you on the show. Now, this year's
(01:25):
been unbelievable for you. We're getting
the moments of the controversy that's
been happening in the last couple of
months to yourself, but before that
though, what's been happening in 2024?
Because you've been very busy. I have. I
went over to America at the start of the
year. Um I was sort of looking for a job
at The Daily Wire, that conservative
media company based out of Nashville, you
(01:46):
know, Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boring.
They're sort of a news media program.
They release lots of podcasts and
things like that, commentary on the state
of America and the world. But they also
started making film and TV shows. So
right down your alley. Yeah, right up my
alley. And because I'm.
(02:08):
like cancelled in Australia. And before
the official cancellation, which happened
like a couple of months ago, I was soft
cancelled. So I just didn't get gigs
anymore. You know, my film and TV career,
which was just beginning, just died.
So I went to America to try and get a job
with them and meet their producer. And
(02:29):
yeah, anyway, he couldn't hire me because
they're too small, but it was really
great to meet him. He's a lovely guy. And
then I ended up going to Austin. My
friend said, go to Austin. uh He's a
comedian as well. And
And I did and I fell in love with
stand-up comedy again. I did a show
called Kill Tony and I went on
the mothership open mic and I did another
(02:52):
open mic. I was only there for like 10
days but I just fell in love with comedy
again. Would you go back to America again
in the future?Yes. Yeah?Yeah, definitely.
Hopefully next year. Incredible. Well,
let's get to, like I said before, the the
couple of months after that, because it's
been a controversial city. Everyone in
Adelaide knows who you are now. So if
(03:12):
they didn't already know you, what's been
happening and how did this all come about?
So what happened was about a year ago, I
did the
open mic, it's sort of an open mic. You
don't get paid, but it's a comedy
fortnightly gig at the Cranker, the Crown
and Anchor Hotel called Cranker Comedy.
And I did a gig where I dared to make fun
(03:35):
of trans people and that whole
woke ideology. And I thought it was
going to be my last gig, so I got it
filmed, and the girl who filmed it asked
not to be credited. She was like, Were
you joking?And I was like, Yeah.
Anyway, and then that was my
last gig. It was my fifth and last gig,
(03:56):
stand-up last year, and then I went to
America, fell in love with comedy again,
and I came back. and I was
determined not to give up again, 'cause
I've given up stand-up a few times or
just sort of become
disheartened and stuff like that. Anyway,
so I came back and I did the open mic at
the Rhino Room every Monday, and
(04:16):
then I just got more
gutsy and I did my trans material. The
Rhino told me I can't do that material,
so I was censored, and then the only
place I wasn't censored was the Crown and
Anchor, so I kept trying out those bits
there. And then one day I got the phone
call saying you're you've been banned
from the from the Cranker Comedy, not the
pub itself. But the guy who runs Cranker
(04:39):
Comedy was very reluctant to do it, but
he got the he got the orders from the
publican, I believe, who was basically
strong-armed by his non-binary staff. So
it's just these woke people who just,
they just hate me. And I live near there,
so I walk past a lot and they'd probably
be pouring pints gone. How does she know
what sex she is?They're all
(05:00):
blue haired. How does that make you feel
though?Because I thought in this day and
age, everyone should be treated equally
and they're trying to make the world,
you know, a more happier place and
everything, but it feels like you've been
victimised and bullied. How do you feel
about that?Yeah, it wasn't nice.
It was nice to know that it wasn't
personal from the comedian guy, you know,
(05:22):
the guy runs the comedy club. UmBut
no, it wasn't a nice feeling to know that
all these people hated me so much that
they couldn't even bear me
you know telling some jokes in in a back
room of a pub. And
then it blew up. The advertiser picked up
(05:43):
on it after I posted a
post about it for about 10 minutes. And
then I took the post down and the
advertisergrabbed it already and I
was scared because they rang me to talk
about it. And I wasn't sure if that was
going to be a hit piece or something, you
knowBut I talked to them
and and then it was it was a very
(06:04):
neutral story, so that was good. It was
balanced and it it just sort of blew up.
And And now it feels it feels a little
bit frightening sometimes. I
don't know who hates me. You know, 'cause
now more people know who I am. Yeah. And
just yesterday I was walking down Rundle
Street and there were a couple of guys
(06:25):
behind me and were stopped at the traffic
lights and this lady, she just
glared at me. Like she gave me the
biggest death stare and it was very
obvious and the boys behind me just
started laughing and I was like, did you
see that?And they were like, yeah. And it
was just this this woman who just stopped
and stared at me and that's all because
I've dared to say that women don't have
(06:45):
willies and dared to tease.
men who think they're women. As I
said before, everyone eats their own and
and that's what comedy is all about,
right?Having a laugh and yeah people
just take life way too seriously these
days, Biddy, honestly. And it's
not fair that I can't joke about these
people, but they can tease, you know,
(07:07):
conservatives, they can tease Republicans
or MAGA, you know, Trump voters or
supporters. That's fair game, but
they're offoff limits for
being teased. It's just crazy. Do you
ever, when you were younger, you grew up
with four other siblings as well, and
we'll talk about your mum afterwards as
well, a famous comedian Fiona, but were
(07:28):
you ever in the backyard getting, you
know, your siblings giving you a hard
time saying, Biddy, you're not a
comedian, come on, give it up. No, I
was actually, I thought I was really
unfunny. And I remember mum didn't
do many jokes about me and I was quite
sad about that. Um, I remember just one
time I was like, why doesn't she joke
about me?What's wrong with me?
(07:51):
No, I wasn't. I was a performer. I liked
doing theatre, school stuff and and in
the backyard we actually made movies. So
we didn't play cricket in the backyard.
We had like a a backyard, a side yard and
a front yard. We played cricket in the
front yard, but we made movies in the
backyard. Well, what sort of movies?
Just silly ones. One's called James Bond
(08:12):
and the Attack of the Clone, although we
filmed that one at my cousin's house in
their backyard. And
Christmas movies. We would make them up
um so they'd be filmed sequentially. So
we'd make up the story as we went along.
Rudolph, I've got the magic candy cane. I
really
(08:34):
missed you, Rudolph.
We filmed on these old, you know,
VHS cameras or the little mini
tapes, so you'd have to rewind it if you
made a mistake.
And we would try to do that, but a lot of
the time there'd be bits of bloopers
within the movie. That's incredible. It
(08:57):
was really fun. It was really fun. Are
you a cellmate?What's up to you?
I need to know my fortune.
Well, I can tell you, I suppose. If you
gave me some money. It was really fun.
And I remember one time, because my
cousins, they had made a movie with their
cousin on the other side of their family,
(09:17):
and they showed it to us one day, and I
was like, oh my goodness. My
mind was just blown. I was like, we can
do this. Dad's got a camera. And that's
when I sort of fell in love with making
movies.
Oh ohh my god, he took my head.
Was your mum an inspiration?in her for
(09:38):
that as well?No,
she was just funny and on stage a lot so
she wasn't really in the movies. I
mean we did make a Heinz soup commercial
when she was at the height of her fame
but no, my dad was more into
films than mum. Right,
so where did that love comedy begin
(09:58):
for you and and when did you sort of feel
like yeah I'd give this comedy thing a
crack?Well I was in Ireland
andI told you this story again, but I'll
tell you. Yeah, it's such a good story. I
was in Ireland on exchange and I was
trying to get into their theatre at the
university I was on exchange at. I was
trying to get into their theatre shows
(10:19):
and they'd already been cast and I had
this urge to perform and I sort of knew
the comedians who were running this club
from the Melbourne Comedy Festival. So I
asked them for a spot one time. And I did
five minutes of comedy and I thought it
would be the last time I ever did comedy.
But at the same time, I had the guts to
do it because nobody would know who my
mum was there, except for the comedian
who ran the club. Um So I did
(10:42):
it. And then after that
five minutes of comedy, thinking nobody
knew who my mum was, there was an
Australian comedian in the audience, he
said, Oh, so do you know Fiona O'Loughlin?
I was like, Yeah, pretty intimately,
came out of her vagina. Although I didn't
actually, I was a cesarean.
(11:05):
Yeah, so then I was doing comedy in
Ireland for about a year and a half and I
really, I don't know,
it took off and I was I was alright at it
from the get-go. I wasn't great but I
wasn't terrible when I got the bug.
I got hooked pretty quickly and I was
getting paid within a year. It's
incredible. What about the other siblings?
(11:26):
Were they into comedy as well or was it
just yourself?No, some of the others were
into performing, doing
shows and stuff. I don't think any of
them have tried comedy, but a lot of
us, you know, were involved in the
filmmaking in the backyard. It's amazing.
And we would put on plays at the
(11:46):
local theatre. There was a little tin
shed theatre in Alice Springs, it's still
there, it's called the Totem Theatre, and
it's my favourite theatre in the whole
world. It's this little tin shed that is
on the bank of theTodd River,
which is basically a riverbed, not a
river. And I would say it's my globe.
You know, like Shakespeare had his globe
(12:06):
on the on the bank of the Thames. That's
my Globe Theatre. And I put on a play
there when I was 18, straight out of high
school. I wrote and directed
a a full length musical using the
music from Oklahoma. And then I just
changed the lyrics and I wrote a
different play around it. And I remember
(12:27):
being in the wings, looking up at the
corrugated tin roof, and I didn't give
myself the main part because I needed to
attract actors. And sometimes you get
people by giving them big roles. So
I was playing a smaller part, and I was
in the wings listening to the first act,
and I heard people laughing at the jokes
that I'd written. And I looked at my best
(12:49):
friend, his name is Jim Black, we're the
same age, and he just looked at me and he
went, I told you, Bitty. and I looked up
at the tin roof and I prayed and I said
please God, just let me do this forever.
I'll never forget that prayer. It's
incredible and any rehearsals like in
your backyard growing up or even now, do
you like to sort of go out there and
(13:11):
practice in the backyard?I don't have a
backyard unfortunately. I've got a
balcony. But it's good being in a secure
building when half the city hates you.
Um When I was a kid I wouldhave
imaginary games in my head in the
backyard. And my mum actually thought I
was rehearsing for a play because I was
(13:32):
sort of speaking out loud, muttering
under my breath. But I was actually
talking to my imaginary friends and
having adventures, like we saved a
princess one time. Um There
were dragons and I was just pretty out
there with my imagination. I don't know
that means. I think that means I don't
know have a good imagination. Yeah I
think it's a good thing obviously it
helps the comedy as well no doubt and
(13:53):
your other performing. Yeah. You
mentioned before Affair that you used to
build tree houses as well and cubby
houses and that sort of thing. Tell us
more about that. We had some forts.
My brother, my older brother, he was
really into history and stuff so he was
quite fascinated by you know armies and
he built a I think
(14:15):
He got us to build a fort and we had a we
had a war with some kids down the street.
And I do remember that my
cousin and I were forced to be the nurses
because we were girls. So we had to dress
the wounds of the boys who had
probably bruises from the cedar berries
in these sort of slingshot things that my
(14:36):
brother invented.
Fair enough. The joy of being a young
kid, ehYeah. Yeah
Hey folks, do you love your footage?Are
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(14:57):
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(15:18):
tours with the Southern Slugs. Footy, he
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the diggers. They would love it, I'm
sure, because it's being in Australia
over there, isn't it?
I went to boarding school and when I was
at boarding school, Dad got rid of this
junkyard in the corner of the the garden,
(15:40):
the back backyard, and he turned it into
a pool just in time for me to be at
boarding school. But anyway, it was the
junkyard and we would just get bits and
pieces from there. We called it the
junkyard and it just had bits of wood and
bits of tin and bricks and things. And we
would just get them and build the
forts or the cubby houses around trees.
(16:01):
That's so cool. Yeah, it was cool. And we
had this red mud brick wall
at the front of our house. It was built
by an Italian guy. in
like the 50s or something. So you know
mud brick. Yeah, Yeah of course. Rammed
earth. Yes. But he neglected to put
one key ingredient in it. I believe it
was concrete. So it
(16:22):
kind of, when we played cricket actually,
we played cricket in the front yard and
that's where the the red mud brick wall
was and we would hit the
cricket ball into the wall all the time
so much that there was a hole in the wall
from when most of theMost of the hits
went. I guess it was a four or something,
not a six. Yeah And then
(16:44):
that wall had to be taken down because it
was at risk of falling on a
child riding his bike down the street or
something. We used that wall and a tree
and we made this awesome cubby house one
time with levels and stuff like that.
That's incredible. I love those stories.
Do you feel as though, you know in this
day and age obviously kids are so much on
their screens and and that sort of thing,
(17:05):
do you feel like you want to create those
same memories with your daughter Dolly as
well growing up now?Absolutely. It's hard
you know living in an apartment in the
city, but hopefully that's not permanent.
My dad still does have that that house
with that big backyard, but there's no
longer a junkyard to build things. But
Dolly and I build forts inside the house
with blankets and things. How cool. Yeah,
(17:28):
and we actually don'twatch that much TV.
We've got a DVD player,
so I prefer that because then I can
control it a bit more. You're the few
people I know that's got a DVD player.
That's amazing. We go op
shopping and we get like movies, DVDs,
and it's just a bit easier than... I have
(17:49):
had Netflix in the past and it's
just too hard when there's all those
colourful options up there and they want
to watch that, that, that, and it's just
like, yuck. No, I totally understand
where you come from for sure. When you're
on the road and stuff Bitty, does that
sort of give you inspiration for for some
of your shows and and come out material
as well?Yeah, definitely. I mean
(18:09):
everything gives me inspiration for
material and I write them on post-it
notes and then I put it in a little shoe
box and then when I,
you know, sit down to write a set like
for the open mic,I'll just get the shoe
box out and go through the post-it notes
and type up my jokes.
I type them up into like
(18:32):
a little thing, because that's how I
commit it to memory. Other people think
that's that's a bit weird, but I've
always been more of an actor, I thought.
So I'm an actor doinga stand-up.
I love that and let's get back to growing
up and obviously with having your mum
Fiona as a famous comedian and you
recently performed together which we'll
get to in a moment but growing up there
(18:53):
must have been some pretty cool backyard
barbecues and stuff with your mum
performing and stuff and did you both
perform together in the backyard and tour
your friends and family and that sort of
thing?I do remember putting on
shows as
early teens. So mum didn't really become
famous until I was about 13. I reckon. I
think it was at 12, 13. And all those
(19:15):
cool barbecues happened when I was at
boarding school. So again, I missed out
on all the like famous comedians
coming to our house. But
you know, I met them at the Melbourne
Comedy Festival and stuff. But no, I
think Mum did her thing and then when it
was time for the kids to perform, she let
us perform. We just make up stupid plays
(19:37):
or whatever. And my dad's 40th, she
rewrote the lyrics to a Bob Dylan song.
I think it was, How many kids does one
man have before he
remembers their names?or something like
that. That's brilliant. So she helped a
lot and she inspired a lot, yeah. Being a
mentor for yourself as well throughout
your comedy career?Yes, she's one of
(19:59):
the first people I'll run a joke by.
That's amazing. Yeah. And I love making
her laugh. Performing together, that must
have been pretty special. We've had a
couple of performances together. It
actually came about because a guy
had booked Mum for a big gig at the Gov,
and I can't remember why. It was a few
years ago, she couldn't do it. And
(20:20):
he he asked me if I'd step in
place for her. And I did, and
it was just really funny. I opened the
show with something like, I know what
Well, some of you must be thinking, gee,
Fiona looks good.
That's so good. And then we
did another show together a few weeks
(20:41):
later, and it was just a hoot. So we
did it again at the Fringe in 2022,
where I basically opened for her. I'm
like, I wish we did this years ago, you
know, when I was first starting out or
when I I stopped doing comedy because I
was doing Comedy in Ireland and I came
back to Australia and I thought oh I
can't step on mum's toes but I wish I
(21:03):
just sort of went whatever and asked her
for help instead. Anyway. Do you reckon
we'll do it again in the future together?
Yeah, absolutely. Fantastic. And are you
still singing and performing as well as a
new comedy?Yep, still singing. I'm not
getting out on the street to busk as much
anymore because I got an amp
and now I've got the amplification to go
(21:25):
in the middle of the mallBut it's
actually more of a hindrance because then
you've got to wait around for like two
hours for your spot. Whereas before I
would just take my guitar into Gawler
Place and sing. Awesome. The buildings
would give me a bit of an echo, an
amplification echo. Anyway, and
now I know that it's not permitted to
(21:46):
busk in Gawler Place, so I just haven't
been busking that much. Understandable.
But I do sing in my shows. Getting back
to the backyard side of things and
obviously you spend a lot of time on the
road being away from dollying, away from
your family, pretty hectic lifestyle as a
as a comedian. Do you sort of like to,
whether it be away on the road or whether
it be coming back to Adelaide, do you
(22:06):
have a spot where you like to just sit
back and relax, be sitting on a hammock
or something like that?I do like sitting
in hammocks in backyards. So I started in
2010, it
was my 22nd birthday, 14th February
and then Idid it for about a year and a
half, and then I like stopped for ages. I
went to film school, pursued acting and
(22:26):
stuff, and then I got back into it in
2020, and then the world shut down,
and then I got pregnant because I didn't
social distance.
So yeah, sort of got back into
it as I've been a mum. So I haven't
done all the the touring and stuff that I
(22:47):
would like to, but one day, hopefully,And
I think it'd be a lot easier if she's
older. So you take her with you on the
road?Yeah, hopefully. I mean, if
things go well, or if I can make a
career out of this at the moment, not
really, but hopefully I can.
And if things go well, I'd bring her with
me and I'd homeschool on the road, I
(23:08):
reckon. So what is the situation like?
You know, is it a case of... you can
perform but you just can't talk about
that train stuff?When you say you're
completely cancelled, does that mean
you're not able to do gigs at all anymore
with them?Explain that a bit more.
Being in Adelaide's tricky because there
are only a few clubs and all of the clubs
have asked me not to to press the big red
(23:28):
button, which is fine, but it's hard
as well because sometimes you've just got
a little side remark and it's like no, I
can't even do that. So it's inhibiting
and it's frustrating. And
then I I got actually cancelled. So after
the advertiser picked up on that story
and blew it up, I'd already organised to
(23:49):
be doing a solo show at the Duke of York
Hotel. Um And then that sold
out because everybody was like,
Support this girl. And then the Duke
received so many threats from these
people that just hate me
that they cancelled the show. So it's
sort of... Yeah, it's a bit frustrating.
(24:09):
And then I
did that show that was meant to be at the
Duke. I did it at the Havelock Hotel
because they got in touch and they said,
We'll support you. Fantastic. Then Isaac
Butterfield, you know that comedian guy?
Yeah. Yeah He's huge. I saw that you
performed with him. That's amazing.
Congratulations. Thank you. He saw that I
got cancelled and he made a video about
it and then heSaid in the video, would
(24:31):
you like to open for me at the Palais in
Melbourne?And I was like, yes, please.
Because I'd been in the wings of the
Palais while Mum was on stage
doing the gala spot for the Melbourne
Comedy Festival. So I was like, well,
that'll be cool to be on that stage.
Incredible. Doing comedy. And with his
audience, you know, they don't care.
They're gonna love it if you tease
people, you know, wokeness and all that
(24:52):
stuff. Right down your alley. Right down
my alley. And then he.
had to cancel my opening spot for that
because the Palais Theatre got so many
complaints that they they
said to him that he'd have to pay $8,000
extra in security to have me open for
him. You're kidding me. Yeah. Ohh
(25:16):
So the problem isn't that I
can't perform and
it's that these people
They're just out to get me and they'll
just keep complaining. I don't know how
many of them are complaining, maybe it's
four or five, but they're very loud and
they're very threatening, I suppose,
because they can do stuff like that. But
(25:37):
it got me to open for the Adelaide show,
which was awesome. Fantastic. And we just
kept that under wraps until I was on
stage, basically. Ohh That's good. So
yeah, I don't know i don't know what it
means because I was speaking to a manager
I wasn't asking him to represent me or
anything. I've just known him for a long
time, just having a cup of coffee many
months ago. And he said, Are you still
(25:59):
talking about that stuff, like women's
rights?Because I post about that on my
Instagram. I guess it just makes
sort of agents or managers maybe not want
to touch you or something. I don't really
know. People just need to get life,
honestly. It's just ridiculous, isn't it?
Yeah. Yeah Hey, before I let you go, I
just wanted to ask you about your balcony
and andObviously it's not a bit different
(26:20):
to how you grew up in in Alice Springs in
your backyard, your big backyard, but are
you the sort of person that likes to
decorate your backyard with different
plants and that sort of thing as well and
bring your own little backyard to it?
Absolutely. My daughter Dolly and I just
planted some basil and some parsley in
spring. Cool. So we're popping that on
our pasta and we've got some petunias
coming up and I put the Aussie flag up
(26:43):
on Australia Day.
Beautiful. Yeah. And I've got a little
Christmas tree that's a live Christmas
tree, but it's just tiny. So after that,
after the Christmas season, I'll just put
it on the balcony. Are you gonna be here
for the Adelaide Fringe?I don't
think so. I think that's when I'm gonna
take off and try and do America again.
(27:03):
Well, really hopefully. Yeah. I'm gonna
do Perth Fringe if they don't cancel me
and then Adelaide, I figure, is always
gonna be here and I don't want to burn up
my audience. I'm Bi
Lock and thank you so much for coming on
Backyard Legends in Bevo. You're very
welcome. You're a legend. You are
definitely a Backyard Legend.
G'day folks welcome to Backyard Legends
with Bevo. I'm your host Devon Jones
where we talk to some absolute legends
from celebrity chefs to superstars of
sport and entertainment icons. They tell
us about the windows that they broke
while playing backyard cricket to
building amazing tree houses and slip and
slides as well and how they relax in
their backyards today. So pull up your
(00:22):
deck chairs, put your feet up and get
0ready for some ripping story.
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BDI welcome, welcome to Backyard Legends
Endemo. Thank you so much. It's great to
have you on the show. Now, this year's
(01:25):
been unbelievable for you. We're getting
the moments of the controversy that's
been happening in the last couple of
months to yourself, but before that
though, what's been happening in 2024?
Because you've been very busy. I have. I
went over to America at the start of the
year. Um I was sort of looking for a job
at The Daily Wire, that conservative
media company based out of Nashville, you
(01:46):
know, Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boring.
They're sort of a news media program.
They release lots of podcasts and
things like that, commentary on the state
of America and the world. But they also
started making film and TV shows. So
right down your alley. Yeah, right up my
alley. And because I'm.
(02:08):
like cancelled in Australia. And before
the official cancellation, which happened
like a couple of months ago, I was soft
cancelled. So I just didn't get gigs
anymore. You know, my film and TV career,
which was just beginning, just died.
So I went to America to try and get a job
with them and meet their producer. And
(02:29):
yeah, anyway, he couldn't hire me because
they're too small, but it was really
great to meet him. He's a lovely guy. And
then I ended up going to Austin. My
friend said, go to Austin. uh He's a
comedian as well. And
And I did and I fell in love with
stand-up comedy again. I did a show
called Kill Tony and I went on
the mothership open mic and I did another
(02:52):
open mic. I was only there for like 10
days but I just fell in love with comedy
again. Would you go back to America again
in the future?Yes. Yeah?Yeah, definitely.
Hopefully next year. Incredible. Well,
let's get to, like I said before, the the
couple of months after that, because it's
been a controversial city. Everyone in
Adelaide knows who you are now. So if
(03:12):
they didn't already know you, what's been
happening and how did this all come about?
So what happened was about a year ago, I
did the
open mic, it's sort of an open mic. You
don't get paid, but it's a comedy
fortnightly gig at the Cranker, the Crown
and Anchor Hotel called Cranker Comedy.
And I did a gig where I dared to make fun
(03:35):
of trans people and that whole
woke ideology. And I thought it was
going to be my last gig, so I got it
filmed, and the girl who filmed it asked
not to be credited. She was like, Were
you joking?And I was like, Yeah.
Anyway, and then that was my
last gig. It was my fifth and last gig,
(03:56):
stand-up last year, and then I went to
America, fell in love with comedy again,
and I came back. and I was
determined not to give up again, 'cause
I've given up stand-up a few times or
just sort of become
disheartened and stuff like that. Anyway,
so I came back and I did the open mic at
the Rhino Room every Monday, and
(04:16):
then I just got more
gutsy and I did my trans material. The
Rhino told me I can't do that material,
so I was censored, and then the only
place I wasn't censored was the Crown and
Anchor, so I kept trying out those bits
there. And then one day I got the phone
call saying you're you've been banned
from the from the Cranker Comedy, not the
pub itself. But the guy who runs Cranker
(04:39):
Comedy was very reluctant to do it, but
he got the he got the orders from the
publican, I believe, who was basically
strong-armed by his non-binary staff. So
it's just these woke people who just,
they just hate me. And I live near there,
so I walk past a lot and they'd probably
be pouring pints gone. How does she know
what sex she is?They're all
(05:00):
blue haired. How does that make you feel
though?Because I thought in this day and
age, everyone should be treated equally
and they're trying to make the world,
you know, a more happier place and
everything, but it feels like you've been
victimised and bullied. How do you feel
about that?Yeah, it wasn't nice.
It was nice to know that it wasn't
personal from the comedian guy, you know,
(05:22):
the guy runs the comedy club. UmBut
no, it wasn't a nice feeling to know that
all these people hated me so much that
they couldn't even bear me
you know telling some jokes in in a back
room of a pub. And
then it blew up. The advertiser picked up
(05:43):
on it after I posted a
post about it for about 10 minutes. And
then I took the post down and the
advertisergrabbed it already and I
was scared because they rang me to talk
about it. And I wasn't sure if that was
going to be a hit piece or something, you
knowBut I talked to them
and and then it was it was a very
(06:04):
neutral story, so that was good. It was
balanced and it it just sort of blew up.
And And now it feels it feels a little
bit frightening sometimes. I
don't know who hates me. You know, 'cause
now more people know who I am. Yeah. And
just yesterday I was walking down Rundle
Street and there were a couple of guys
(06:25):
behind me and were stopped at the traffic
lights and this lady, she just
glared at me. Like she gave me the
biggest death stare and it was very
obvious and the boys behind me just
started laughing and I was like, did you
see that?And they were like, yeah. And it
was just this this woman who just stopped
and stared at me and that's all because
I've dared to say that women don't have
(06:45):
willies and dared to tease.
men who think they're women. As I
said before, everyone eats their own and
and that's what comedy is all about,
right?Having a laugh and yeah people
just take life way too seriously these
days, Biddy, honestly. And it's
not fair that I can't joke about these
people, but they can tease, you know,
(07:07):
conservatives, they can tease Republicans
or MAGA, you know, Trump voters or
supporters. That's fair game, but
they're offoff limits for
being teased. It's just crazy. Do you
ever, when you were younger, you grew up
with four other siblings as well, and
we'll talk about your mum afterwards as
well, a famous comedian Fiona, but were
(07:28):
you ever in the backyard getting, you
know, your siblings giving you a hard
time saying, Biddy, you're not a
comedian, come on, give it up. No, I
was actually, I thought I was really
unfunny. And I remember mum didn't
do many jokes about me and I was quite
sad about that. Um, I remember just one
time I was like, why doesn't she joke
about me?What's wrong with me?
(07:51):
No, I wasn't. I was a performer. I liked
doing theatre, school stuff and and in
the backyard we actually made movies. So
we didn't play cricket in the backyard.
We had like a a backyard, a side yard and
a front yard. We played cricket in the
front yard, but we made movies in the
backyard. Well, what sort of movies?
Just silly ones. One's called James Bond
(08:12):
and the Attack of the Clone, although we
filmed that one at my cousin's house in
their backyard. And
Christmas movies. We would make them up
um so they'd be filmed sequentially. So
we'd make up the story as we went along.
Rudolph, I've got the magic candy cane. I
really
(08:34):
missed you, Rudolph.
We filmed on these old, you know,
VHS cameras or the little mini
tapes, so you'd have to rewind it if you
made a mistake.
And we would try to do that, but a lot of
the time there'd be bits of bloopers
within the movie. That's incredible. It
(08:57):
was really fun. It was really fun. Are
you a cellmate?What's up to you?
I need to know my fortune.
Well, I can tell you, I suppose. If you
gave me some money. It was really fun.
And I remember one time, because my
cousins, they had made a movie with their
cousin on the other side of their family,
(09:17):
and they showed it to us one day, and I
was like, oh my goodness. My
mind was just blown. I was like, we can
do this. Dad's got a camera. And that's
when I sort of fell in love with making
movies.
Oh ohh my god, he took my head.
Was your mum an inspiration?in her for
(09:38):
that as well?No,
she was just funny and on stage a lot so
she wasn't really in the movies. I
mean we did make a Heinz soup commercial
when she was at the height of her fame
but no, my dad was more into
films than mum. Right,
so where did that love comedy begin
(09:58):
for you and and when did you sort of feel
like yeah I'd give this comedy thing a
crack?Well I was in Ireland
andI told you this story again, but I'll
tell you. Yeah, it's such a good story. I
was in Ireland on exchange and I was
trying to get into their theatre at the
university I was on exchange at. I was
trying to get into their theatre shows
(10:19):
and they'd already been cast and I had
this urge to perform and I sort of knew
the comedians who were running this club
from the Melbourne Comedy Festival. So I
asked them for a spot one time. And I did
five minutes of comedy and I thought it
would be the last time I ever did comedy.
But at the same time, I had the guts to
do it because nobody would know who my
mum was there, except for the comedian
who ran the club. Um So I did
(10:42):
it. And then after that
five minutes of comedy, thinking nobody
knew who my mum was, there was an
Australian comedian in the audience, he
said, Oh, so do you know Fiona O'Loughlin?
I was like, Yeah, pretty intimately,
came out of her vagina. Although I didn't
actually, I was a cesarean.
(11:05):
Yeah, so then I was doing comedy in
Ireland for about a year and a half and I
really, I don't know,
it took off and I was I was alright at it
from the get-go. I wasn't great but I
wasn't terrible when I got the bug.
I got hooked pretty quickly and I was
getting paid within a year. It's
incredible. What about the other siblings?
(11:26):
Were they into comedy as well or was it
just yourself?No, some of the others were
into performing, doing
shows and stuff. I don't think any of
them have tried comedy, but a lot of
us, you know, were involved in the
filmmaking in the backyard. It's amazing.
And we would put on plays at the
(11:46):
local theatre. There was a little tin
shed theatre in Alice Springs, it's still
there, it's called the Totem Theatre, and
it's my favourite theatre in the whole
world. It's this little tin shed that is
on the bank of theTodd River,
which is basically a riverbed, not a
river. And I would say it's my globe.
You know, like Shakespeare had his globe
(12:06):
on the on the bank of the Thames. That's
my Globe Theatre. And I put on a play
there when I was 18, straight out of high
school. I wrote and directed
a a full length musical using the
music from Oklahoma. And then I just
changed the lyrics and I wrote a
different play around it. And I remember
(12:27):
being in the wings, looking up at the
corrugated tin roof, and I didn't give
myself the main part because I needed to
attract actors. And sometimes you get
people by giving them big roles. So
I was playing a smaller part, and I was
in the wings listening to the first act,
and I heard people laughing at the jokes
that I'd written. And I looked at my best
(12:49):
friend, his name is Jim Black, we're the
same age, and he just looked at me and he
went, I told you, Bitty. and I looked up
at the tin roof and I prayed and I said
please God, just let me do this forever.
I'll never forget that prayer. It's
incredible and any rehearsals like in
your backyard growing up or even now, do
you like to sort of go out there and
(13:11):
practice in the backyard?I don't have a
backyard unfortunately. I've got a
balcony. But it's good being in a secure
building when half the city hates you.
Um When I was a kid I wouldhave
imaginary games in my head in the
backyard. And my mum actually thought I
was rehearsing for a play because I was
(13:32):
sort of speaking out loud, muttering
under my breath. But I was actually
talking to my imaginary friends and
having adventures, like we saved a
princess one time. Um There
were dragons and I was just pretty out
there with my imagination. I don't know
that means. I think that means I don't
know have a good imagination. Yeah I
think it's a good thing obviously it
helps the comedy as well no doubt and
(13:53):
your other performing. Yeah. You
mentioned before Affair that you used to
build tree houses as well and cubby
houses and that sort of thing. Tell us
more about that. We had some forts.
My brother, my older brother, he was
really into history and stuff so he was
quite fascinated by you know armies and
he built a I think
(14:15):
He got us to build a fort and we had a we
had a war with some kids down the street.
And I do remember that my
cousin and I were forced to be the nurses
because we were girls. So we had to dress
the wounds of the boys who had
probably bruises from the cedar berries
in these sort of slingshot things that my
(14:36):
brother invented.
Fair enough. The joy of being a young
kid, ehYeah. Yeah
Hey folks, do you love your footage?Are
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(14:57):
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(15:18):
tours with the Southern Slugs. Footy, he
says. Is perfect to honour
the diggers. They would love it, I'm
sure, because it's being in Australia
over there, isn't it?
I went to boarding school and when I was
at boarding school, Dad got rid of this
junkyard in the corner of the the garden,
(15:40):
the back backyard, and he turned it into
a pool just in time for me to be at
boarding school. But anyway, it was the
junkyard and we would just get bits and
pieces from there. We called it the
junkyard and it just had bits of wood and
bits of tin and bricks and things. And we
would just get them and build the
forts or the cubby houses around trees.
(16:01):
That's so cool. Yeah, it was cool. And we
had this red mud brick wall
at the front of our house. It was built
by an Italian guy. in
like the 50s or something. So you know
mud brick. Yeah, Yeah of course. Rammed
earth. Yes. But he neglected to put
one key ingredient in it. I believe it
was concrete. So it
(16:22):
kind of, when we played cricket actually,
we played cricket in the front yard and
that's where the the red mud brick wall
was and we would hit the
cricket ball into the wall all the time
so much that there was a hole in the wall
from when most of theMost of the hits
went. I guess it was a four or something,
not a six. Yeah And then
(16:44):
that wall had to be taken down because it
was at risk of falling on a
child riding his bike down the street or
something. We used that wall and a tree
and we made this awesome cubby house one
time with levels and stuff like that.
That's incredible. I love those stories.
Do you feel as though, you know in this
day and age obviously kids are so much on
their screens and and that sort of thing,
(17:05):
do you feel like you want to create those
same memories with your daughter Dolly as
well growing up now?Absolutely. It's hard
you know living in an apartment in the
city, but hopefully that's not permanent.
My dad still does have that that house
with that big backyard, but there's no
longer a junkyard to build things. But
Dolly and I build forts inside the house
with blankets and things. How cool. Yeah,
(17:28):
and we actually don'twatch that much TV.
We've got a DVD player,
so I prefer that because then I can
control it a bit more. You're the few
people I know that's got a DVD player.
That's amazing. We go op
shopping and we get like movies, DVDs,
and it's just a bit easier than... I have
(17:49):
had Netflix in the past and it's
just too hard when there's all those
colourful options up there and they want
to watch that, that, that, and it's just
like, yuck. No, I totally understand
where you come from for sure. When you're
on the road and stuff Bitty, does that
sort of give you inspiration for for some
of your shows and and come out material
as well?Yeah, definitely. I mean
(18:09):
everything gives me inspiration for
material and I write them on post-it
notes and then I put it in a little shoe
box and then when I,
you know, sit down to write a set like
for the open mic,I'll just get the shoe
box out and go through the post-it notes
and type up my jokes.
I type them up into like
(18:32):
a little thing, because that's how I
commit it to memory. Other people think
that's that's a bit weird, but I've
always been more of an actor, I thought.
So I'm an actor doinga stand-up.
I love that and let's get back to growing
up and obviously with having your mum
Fiona as a famous comedian and you
recently performed together which we'll
get to in a moment but growing up there
(18:53):
must have been some pretty cool backyard
barbecues and stuff with your mum
performing and stuff and did you both
perform together in the backyard and tour
your friends and family and that sort of
thing?I do remember putting on
shows as
early teens. So mum didn't really become
famous until I was about 13. I reckon. I
think it was at 12, 13. And all those
(19:15):
cool barbecues happened when I was at
boarding school. So again, I missed out
on all the like famous comedians
coming to our house. But
you know, I met them at the Melbourne
Comedy Festival and stuff. But no, I
think Mum did her thing and then when it
was time for the kids to perform, she let
us perform. We just make up stupid plays
(19:37):
or whatever. And my dad's 40th, she
rewrote the lyrics to a Bob Dylan song.
I think it was, How many kids does one
man have before he
remembers their names?or something like
that. That's brilliant. So she helped a
lot and she inspired a lot, yeah. Being a
mentor for yourself as well throughout
your comedy career?Yes, she's one of
(19:59):
the first people I'll run a joke by.
That's amazing. Yeah. And I love making
her laugh. Performing together, that must
have been pretty special. We've had a
couple of performances together. It
actually came about because a guy
had booked Mum for a big gig at the Gov,
and I can't remember why. It was a few
years ago, she couldn't do it. And
(20:20):
he he asked me if I'd step in
place for her. And I did, and
it was just really funny. I opened the
show with something like, I know what
Well, some of you must be thinking, gee,
Fiona looks good.
That's so good. And then we
did another show together a few weeks
(20:41):
later, and it was just a hoot. So we
did it again at the Fringe in 2022,
where I basically opened for her. I'm
like, I wish we did this years ago, you
know, when I was first starting out or
when I I stopped doing comedy because I
was doing Comedy in Ireland and I came
back to Australia and I thought oh I
can't step on mum's toes but I wish I
(21:03):
just sort of went whatever and asked her
for help instead. Anyway. Do you reckon
we'll do it again in the future together?
Yeah, absolutely. Fantastic. And are you
still singing and performing as well as a
new comedy?Yep, still singing. I'm not
getting out on the street to busk as much
anymore because I got an amp
and now I've got the amplification to go
(21:25):
in the middle of the mallBut it's
actually more of a hindrance because then
you've got to wait around for like two
hours for your spot. Whereas before I
would just take my guitar into Gawler
Place and sing. Awesome. The buildings
would give me a bit of an echo, an
amplification echo. Anyway, and
now I know that it's not permitted to
(21:46):
busk in Gawler Place, so I just haven't
been busking that much. Understandable.
But I do sing in my shows. Getting back
to the backyard side of things and
obviously you spend a lot of time on the
road being away from dollying, away from
your family, pretty hectic lifestyle as a
as a comedian. Do you sort of like to,
whether it be away on the road or whether
it be coming back to Adelaide, do you
(22:06):
have a spot where you like to just sit
back and relax, be sitting on a hammock
or something like that?I do like sitting
in hammocks in backyards. So I started in
2010, it
was my 22nd birthday, 14th February
and then Idid it for about a year and a
half, and then I like stopped for ages. I
went to film school, pursued acting and
(22:26):
stuff, and then I got back into it in
2020, and then the world shut down,
and then I got pregnant because I didn't
social distance.
So yeah, sort of got back into
it as I've been a mum. So I haven't
done all the the touring and stuff that I
(22:47):
would like to, but one day, hopefully,And
I think it'd be a lot easier if she's
older. So you take her with you on the
road?Yeah, hopefully. I mean, if
things go well, or if I can make a
career out of this at the moment, not
really, but hopefully I can.
And if things go well, I'd bring her with
me and I'd homeschool on the road, I
(23:08):
reckon. So what is the situation like?
You know, is it a case of... you can
perform but you just can't talk about
that train stuff?When you say you're
completely cancelled, does that mean
you're not able to do gigs at all anymore
with them?Explain that a bit more.
Being in Adelaide's tricky because there
are only a few clubs and all of the clubs
have asked me not to to press the big red
(23:28):
button, which is fine, but it's hard
as well because sometimes you've just got
a little side remark and it's like no, I
can't even do that. So it's inhibiting
and it's frustrating. And
then I I got actually cancelled. So after
the advertiser picked up on that story
and blew it up, I'd already organised to
(23:49):
be doing a solo show at the Duke of York
Hotel. Um And then that sold
out because everybody was like,
Support this girl. And then the Duke
received so many threats from these
people that just hate me
that they cancelled the show. So it's
sort of... Yeah, it's a bit frustrating.
(24:09):
And then I
did that show that was meant to be at the
Duke. I did it at the Havelock Hotel
because they got in touch and they said,
We'll support you. Fantastic. Then Isaac
Butterfield, you know that comedian guy?
Yeah. Yeah He's huge. I saw that you
performed with him. That's amazing.
Congratulations. Thank you. He saw that I
got cancelled and he made a video about
it and then heSaid in the video, would
(24:31):
you like to open for me at the Palais in
Melbourne?And I was like, yes, please.
Because I'd been in the wings of the
Palais while Mum was on stage
doing the gala spot for the Melbourne
Comedy Festival. So I was like, well,
that'll be cool to be on that stage.
Incredible. Doing comedy. And with his
audience, you know, they don't care.
They're gonna love it if you tease
people, you know, wokeness and all that
(24:52):
stuff. Right down your alley. Right down
my alley. And then he.
had to cancel my opening spot for that
because the Palais Theatre got so many
complaints that they they
said to him that he'd have to pay $8,000
extra in security to have me open for
him. You're kidding me. Yeah. Ohh
(25:16):
So the problem isn't that I
can't perform and
it's that these people
They're just out to get me and they'll
just keep complaining. I don't know how
many of them are complaining, maybe it's
four or five, but they're very loud and
they're very threatening, I suppose,
because they can do stuff like that. But
(25:37):
it got me to open for the Adelaide show,
which was awesome. Fantastic. And we just
kept that under wraps until I was on
stage, basically. Ohh That's good. So
yeah, I don't know i don't know what it
means because I was speaking to a manager
I wasn't asking him to represent me or
anything. I've just known him for a long
time, just having a cup of coffee many
months ago. And he said, Are you still
(25:59):
talking about that stuff, like women's
rights?Because I post about that on my
Instagram. I guess it just makes
sort of agents or managers maybe not want
to touch you or something. I don't really
know. People just need to get life,
honestly. It's just ridiculous, isn't it?
Yeah. Yeah Hey, before I let you go, I
just wanted to ask you about your balcony
and andObviously it's not a bit different
(26:20):
to how you grew up in in Alice Springs in
your backyard, your big backyard, but are
you the sort of person that likes to
decorate your backyard with different
plants and that sort of thing as well and
bring your own little backyard to it?
Absolutely. My daughter Dolly and I just
planted some basil and some parsley in
spring. Cool. So we're popping that on
our pasta and we've got some petunias
coming up and I put the Aussie flag up
(26:43):
on Australia Day.
Beautiful. Yeah. And I've got a little
Christmas tree that's a live Christmas
tree, but it's just tiny. So after that,
after the Christmas season, I'll just put
it on the balcony. Are you gonna be here
for the Adelaide Fringe?I don't
think so. I think that's when I'm gonna
take off and try and do America again.
(27:03):
Well, really hopefully. Yeah. I'm gonna
do Perth Fringe if they don't cancel me
and then Adelaide, I figure, is always
gonna be here and I don't want to burn up
my audience. I'm Bi
Lock and thank you so much for coming on
Backyard Legends in Bevo. You're very
welcome. You're a legend. You are
definitely a Backyard Legend.
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