It’s time to celebrate the sweetest dads from our favourite films and TV shows – the ones who really nailed the dad jokes, the cringeworthy comments, the doting love and the over-enthusiasm (and we wouldn’t have it any other way). From fictional fathers in The Castle and Bluey to real-life superheroes like Steve Irwin, we salute the much-prized Australian phenomenon that is the daggy dad.
How’s the serenity?
Bad jokes. Good vibes. Passion projects. Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton), the novelty-jumpered underdog of The Castle (1997), is a classic daggy dad. He cherishes the small pleasures of life with his family at 3 Highview Crescent, Cooloroo. But when his ‘castle’ is threatened by an airport expansion he's forced into action, even though he’d much rather be feeding his greyhounds or relaxing at Bonnie Doone.
The Castle is narrated by Darryl’s son Dale (Stephen Curry), and we see the family through his admiring eyes. In this clip, he introduces us to two of their cherished traditions – Father’s Day and presents – and explains one of his dad’s sayings, ‘Straight to the pool room’. A panning shot over said pool room reveals a lovingly assembled tableau of Aussie kitsch, from a Marlboro racing-helmet clock to a picture frame obviously made by childish hands out of matchsticks.
Director Rob Sitch and his collaborators at Working Dog Productions used such closely observed details of decor and vernacular to build an affectionate portrait of unassuming suburban life that it went straight to audiences’ hearts. The Castle became part of the culture, with phrases like ‘Tell him he’s dreaming’ and ‘How’s the serenity?’ now enshrined in the Aussie lexicon.
Excerpt from The Castle (Rob Sitch, 1997). NFSA title: 333863
A squeaky third wheel
As daggy dads go, nothing beats a father who sits on the couch with you while you’re on a date, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room – sexual or otherwise. But here we are, in the 1994 film The Sum of Us, cringing as Harry (Jack Thompson) interrupts his son Jeff (Russell Crowe) and Jeff’s date Greg (John Polson) for an introduction and a beer, then throws in a couple of cheeky gags for good measure.
The awkward situation is given a dose of delightful sweetness by Harry’s innocent acceptance of his plumber son’s sexuality and desire for understanding. He’s clumsy about it, yes, but his doting dad style is a joy to watch.
The movie itself was groundbreaking, not least for an on-screen gay kiss, and for foregrounding the theme of our universal need for love – a message of acceptance without the sparkle and stereotypes of its 1994 contemporary, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
First written as a play, it keeps its theatrical tendencies. The characters even break the fourth wall to talk to the audience at times, and in this scene the characters all take centre stage on a couch in the Mitchells' typical working-class loungeroom. That decor is one of many distinctively ordinary Australian characteristics seen throughout, adding weight to the film’s philosophy that everyone is ultimately the same.
Excerpt from The Sum of Us (Kevin Dowling & Geoff Burton, 1994). NFSA title: 255560
Day 1 of dadding
The late, great Steve Irwin may be the most delightful daggy dad ever in this clip from his show The Crocodile Hunter (2000). The episode is called Steve’s Story, and in it the Croc Hunter himself, his father Bob and his wife Terri tell his origin story.
Using both raw home footage and to-camera interviews, this moving clip shows the birth of Steve’s first child, Bindi – the proud father resplendent in khaki shirt and shorts throughout, of course. With his trademark filter-free enthusiasm, he explains how his daughter was named after his favourite croc Bindi and ‘of course Sue, after my dog Suey.’
It's Irwin at his most OTT, bringing mayhem to the labour ward, but touching home-movie moments between the new family reveal a softer side of the man who braved crocs. Before he died in 2006, he said that if he were to be remembered for anything, he hoped that it would be for being a good dad.
Excerpt from The Crocodile Hunter Episode 28: Steve's Story (2000). NFSA title: 692640
Big heart, terrible art
The '90s tween show Round the Twist delivers a daggy dad who lives in a lighthouse as well as a delightful deviation from your average kids TV fare. We’re talking ghosts, trees that talk, bizarre baby bumps and hypnotised chickens, all meant to entertain the parents as well as their young ones.
In the show, based on the books by Paul Jennings, sculptor Tony Twist (played by two actors during the show’s life, in this clip by Andrew Gilbert) moves into a lighthouse with his three children. In the episode The Big Burp (2000), he’s celebrating his girlfriend Fay moving in. And not just in a small way – he's created an artwork in her honour and gathered the family around to unveil it in an unforgettably daggy moment.
Everything about this scene is done right. From the comedic bad guy Harold Gribble (Mark Mitchell) pressuring the family to sell the lighthouse at the most inopportune moment to the awkward unveiling of the statue Love Never Sleeps to Tony's youngest having a frog in his pocket, it’s barely controlled chaos.
But it’s Tony and his enthusiasm for life, his love for the lighthouse and his desire to build a family to live in it that make this particular episode so special. He’s so blind to the fact that his artwork is terrible as he clambers up the rickety stepladder to unveil it with such pride, you just want to hug him.
Excerpt from Round the Twist Series 3 Episode 1: The Big Burp (1999). NFSA title: 428368
Dada Mia, here we go again
It’s a lot of sequins, sparkles and, of course, drag in impressive outback scenery, but The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert also gives us some serious soul-searching, predominantly from ‘Tick’ Belrose (Hugo Weaving), a divorcée drag queen trying to navigate fatherhood with a kid he’s not seen for years.
While he may not have been a traditional father in many senses, Tick tortures himself as he attempts to get to know his son Benji (Mark Holmes). Worried that Benji won’t accept him for being gay, he endeavours to show a more ‘manly’ version of himself, rocking up dressed in khakis and brandishing a tinny – more dag than drag – before Benji assures him he supports his lifestyle.
In this clip, Tick (as Mitzi) is back in full drag, embracing the full disco dagginess of ABBA, and Benji is loving it, working the spotlight like a pro to show off his father in all his sequinned glory. The clip, filmed at Sydney’s iconic Imperial Hotel, is filled with classic drag-show joy – complete with a screaming crowd, glitter guns and some sauced-up ABBA choreography that gives Dad-dancing a whole new spin.
Explore more The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Excerpt from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephan Elliott, 1994). NFSA title: 255515
Delightful doggy dagginess
While he may be a cartoon, there’s no denying the delightful doggy dagginess of Bandit Heeler, voiced by Custard rocker Dave McCormack. Always up for a game (of Boomerang or Tickle Crabs, for example), a staunch defender of his family and the best archaeologist (read: digger of bones) you’ll ever meet, Bandit is also a teacher of life lessons – whether it be as Daddy Robot, teaching Bluey and Bingo to clean, or inadvertent education through his own mishaps (forgetting sunscreen in the episode The Pool, for example).
Indeed, this comedic canine has some great lessons for us all: ‘There are quite a few dads who say the show reminds them to be more playful with their kids,’ Bluey creator Joe Brumm told Kidspot in 2019.
This clip from the episode Perfect celebrates many moments of Bandit’s daggy dad-dom, as Bluey tries to draw her favourite times with him for a Father’s Day card. The show never steers away from illustrating complex emotions, and Bluey doesn’t feel her drawing is good enough – but with encouragement from mum Chilli and sister Bingo, she continues to draw. As she does, we get a wonderful flashback gallery of Bandit’s best (ie worst) dad jokes and games, including It’s Dad! and No Ticket as the clip reveals some gorgeously relatable family moments – and decor – in the Heeler household.
Excerpt from Bluey Series 3, Episode 1: Perfect (2021). NFSA title: 1700770
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Main image: Bandit Heeler and Bluey in Bluey Series One, Episode 39: Copycat (2018). Courtesy: Ludo Studio. NFSA title: 1584045
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