‘Utterly repugnant’: Tommy Little’s dating confession

The comedian on teary radio confessions, his friendship with Carrie Bickmore, entering his 40s with grace – and settling down.

While normally exuberant comedian Tommy Little marked his 40th birthday in February by performing at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and having a low-key family dinner, he’s now planning a bigger celebration with his wider circle at home in Melbourne.

“There’s a theme for that party, but I’m scared that if I tell you what it is, you’ll think I’m weird,” he teases Stellar.

“Sometimes with dress-ups, people use it as an excuse to look as hot as they can – which I’m here for. I just wanted something funny.”

Which it is: mixing nostalgia with a bit of nonsense, Little reveals that he has asked his guests to swap their party outfits for Teletubbies costumes.

Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

So does he plan to transform into Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa or Po? “I’ve got all four,” he replies with a laugh, “and will rotate suits through the night.”

Although this sort of playfulness suggests Little is in no rush to grow up, he insists he’s OK with getting older.

“As my dad says, ‘The alternative to ageing is pretty grim.’ So I’m a strong believer that I’m still alive and well – so I’m happy,” he reasons.

“But I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been moments for reflection where I thought I would have had a family and be settled down by now. So I’ve probably got to get a move on in that department.”

The quest became real to Little’s fans when he broke down in tears about it on the Carrie And Tommy drive time radio show he co-hosts with Carrie Bickmore.

During a segment with mentalist Suhani Shah earlier this month, he wept as he confessed that the one quality he was looking for in a partner was kindness.

Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

“It’s not like I go, ‘OK, I can be stoic today’ or ‘Today I might turn on tears,’” he says of the moment. “It’s not really a choice.”

Disarming authenticity contributes to the success of his radio partnership with Bickmore, which started in 2017.

As he sees it, “Australians want to hear people having a genuinely good time together. That’s why I love doing this show with Carrie. We’re genuinely really good friends who get along and enjoy each other’s company. I think that comes across.”

Real camaraderie also permeates through the fourth season cast of Taskmaster Australia. Joining Little as contestants are actor Lisa McCune and comedians Dave Hughes, Emma Holland and Takashi Wakasugi.

However, unlike the competitive Hughes, Little takes a more easygoing approach to the tasks set by acerbic host Tom Gleeson and his assistant Tom Cashman. “I never thought I was even close to winning any of the challenges,” Little says.

“So that’s a pretty relaxed place to play from.”

‘Really good friends!’ Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little. Picture: Tony Gough

When he’s not appearing on television, radio or social media, Little is living out of a suitcase, taking his humour through regional Australia on comedy tours.

“Comedy for me is art for the working class,” he explains. “And if I ever get precious about it, you can tell me to retire.”

Even so, Little is the first to admit he’s become more of a homebody as he’s grown older, mostly because of his dogs, Rocky and Rambo, who “make all the worries of the world just piss off.

“I used to be so broke, and lived in an absolute crack-den of a share house. So even a two-star motel was so much better than my home.”

Now all Little needs to do is turn his bachelor pad into a love nest. And quickly, too, if he can manage it.

“My biggest fear – and this will never happen because I’m ethically against it – is to be viewed like a 70-something-year-old, dating women who are young enough to be his granddaughter,” he says.

“That is utterly repugnant to me. So I hope the wait is almost over.”

Season 4 of Taskmaster Australia premieres at 8.30pm on March 27 on Network 10 and 10Play. For details of Tommy Little’s I’m Not Proud tour, visit comedy.com.au.

See the full shoot with Tommy Little inside the new issue of Stellar, out tomorrow via The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).

For more from Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here.

Originally published as ‘Utterly repugnant’: Tommy Little’s dating confession