Comedy trio Aunty Donna – Broden Kelly, Mark Bonanno and Zachary Ruane – are calling for a major overhaul of Australian television comedy, arguing that networks have become too risk-averse and fail to nurture talent. The group, known for their absurdist sketches and Netflix series, is now trialling their own subscription service to bypass traditional broadcasters.
Kelly likened comedy to an orchid, requiring perfect conditions to thrive. Five years ago, the trio launched Grouse House, a YouTube platform to support emerging comedians by leveraging Aunty Donna's existing fanbase. The platform has hosted shows such as Aaron Gocs's nostalgic TV parody series Gocsy's Classics and the quiz show The Most Upsetting Guessing Game in the World.
However, the group says that to seriously develop comedians, they must invest independently rather than rely on grants. Proceeds from their current Drem World Tour will fund Grouse House, and they have added a commercial arm to their production company, Haven't You Done Well, creating branded content.
Aunty Donna's experience with Australian networks has been frustrating. Despite early success with ABC's Fresh Blood initiative in 2014 – their sketch Bikie Wars garnered 1.5 million views on YouTube – a pilot was commissioned but not a series. Kelly said: 'We could feel the writing was on the wall with network comedy in Australia. There are two that do it – 10 and ABC2 – but it's Lord-of-the-Rings-style odyssey shit to get commissioned.'
Bonanno contrasted the ABC with the BBC, which he said has a culture of experimentation. 'The Mighty Boosh got three seasons; they got to play. The ABC just doesn't have that culture. It did in the 90s and even the early 00s, then it became super safe.' He also criticised awards like the Logies, saying: 'We give these awards out, but then what? There's no room to grow.'
In 2023, Aunty Donna's six-part ABC series Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe was outperformed on YouTube by a single real estate sketch shot for $500. Kelly said: 'By the time we got one [an ABC2 show], we put it out on a platform that was inept and did a bad job of promoting it.' The ABC did not respond to a request for comment.
