by ***1/2 (out of 5)
This felt very much like a work still in progress, so take these stars with a pinch of salt and whatever vinegar you feel appropriate.
But Fern Brady’s audience is coming to see her to talk about anything, really. She jokes that her biggest fan demographics include bearded men, bass guitarists, men with pet snakes, and fellow autistics on the spectrum. She’s a Scottish comedian working in London, although she feels grateful to realize she’s actually more Irish than anything else, and feels even more at home performing in Melbourne. There are probably more than a few fans of Brady coming to see her thanks to her performances on the 14th season series of Taskmaster in 2022. While that gave Brady a bigger fanbase and also helped bring more attention to autism, the show came with side effects: “I realized I didn’t want to be famous.” She also isn’t necessarily keen on being used by TV shows as the face autism, but she would make exception for a certain baking competition show (which coincidentally airs her episode this weekend). Perhaps she’ll be able to share more hot goss with audiences over the next two weeks, although she finds herself needing to remind herself that what she says Down Under doesn’t stay Down Under.
Fern Brady presents “I Gave You Milk To Drink” at the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
