I usually try to keep my internet history secret. Not for the embarrassing reasons you might imagine but for other embarrassing reasons. Like how often I have Googled “spell wednsnday”, or the hours I have spent watching clips of Maggie Smith be rude to interviewers, or the number of times I have watched the scene from Addams Family Values where the Thanksgiving play gets ruined by Wednesday. So this is an unusual experience for me.
I love good character comedy so every day is a struggle as there is a lot of crap character comedy out there. As an upstanding member of society, I have peppered this list with a healthy dose of the good stuff to save you having to accidentally watch any Ins*ired Unempl*yed clips.
1. Hot Department’s Stepmom Blues sketch
Strong one to start with. Make it to the end without pausing for a breather and I’ll buy you a drink.
2. innernorth.ai on Instagram
An entire Instagram dedicated to creating AI artwork of Melbourne’s inner north. As someone who lives in Melbourne’s inner north, I find this scarily accurate and I am almost certain I’ve woken up on a futon in a bedsit next to some of the AI creations.
3. Cherylyn Barnes
Cherylyn Barnes is one of the greatest creations of our generation, no argument.
4. Dear Joan and Jericha podcast
This hilarious podcast from the dark minds of Vicki Pepperdine and Julia Davis (Nighty Night – eeek!) is so warped and messed up, you absolutely must listen to it.
5. Liza Minnelli on the Home Shopping Network
HI GEORGIA!
6. Mel Buttle on TikTok
Mel Buttle is a national treasure and TikTok gets it.
7. Feeding Steven
For the last several years I have been obsessed with the feeding patterns of a seagull somewhere in the north of England. Steven the seagull (she/her) has befriended a British twink and now treats him as some sort of food slave. None of this one is character comedy by the way – it’s all very real.
8. Cole Escola’s Our Home Out West
Cole Escola has a long history of making fabulous, camp comedy. They released this spoof of a Christmas special at the end of last year and it’s like a magical, manic mashup of every Judy Garland/Bette Midler/Barbra Streisand film you’ve ever seen.
9. Broadway Barbara
When I was a kid I did dancing lessons and every year we would go to these competitions and there would be all these tap teachers backstage running through the routine with the kids just before they go on stage. They always had the weirdest names for the moves they had invented so you would just hear people yelling, “Jelly hands, two, three, four – EXPLOSION, two three, four – back to the water move, two, three, four.” Broadway Barbara is every one of those dance teachers.
10. The Kath & Kim Museum
This account hasn’t posted in a while but I still go back there for a laugh when I need. Some very smart person with a lot of time on their hands has perfectly matched up scenes from Kath & Kim with various artwork. Please come back tout suite, internet stranger.
Thomas Jaspers’ show Thomas Jaspers Is Revolting is part of the Midsumma festival, 9-10 February at Comedy Republic
