One in three dads (33%) voted Bandit as the most aspirational father figure
43% of dads say that Bandit is the on-screen father their kids most admire Bandit comes out as top TV dad for giving ‘dadvice’ among dads polled (19%)
Credit: Ludo Studio
Bluey and Bingo’s dad Bandit is the onscreen father figure with the biggest influence on day-to-day parenting, according to a new BBC Studios survey.
My eldest introduced me to the Aussie dog family recently as I prepared to embark on a two night babysit for my 2-year-old grandson and I have to say I became an instant fan. Unfortunately my grandson got a bit bored of Grandma watching Bluey and wanted to watch a programme about rabbits with frankly feckless parents and grandparents who seemed to constantly lie to their grandchildren. He's gone home now - would it be weird to watch Blue without a small child? Asking for a friend.
Anyway, to celebrate Father’s Day in the UK, 1000 parents (500 mums and 500 dads) took part in the poll, which saw Bandit named as the dad your kids most admire (33.5%) as well as the dad who gives the best advice that fathers replicate in real life (16%).
Bandit also came top among fathers and male carers of 2–8-year-olds, with a quarter of them choosing Bandit as their most admired on-screen dad – ahead of TV dad peers Daddy Pig, Homer Simpson and Frasier’s Martin Crane.
The survey was a multiple choice with the dads polled asked to choose between 11 TV dads:
· Bandit Heeler / Bluey
· Homer Simpson / The Simpsons
· Martin Crane / Frasier
· Daddy Pig / Peppa Pig
· Pete / Outnumbered
· Mick Carter / Eastenders
· Mick Shipman / Gavin and Stacey
· Gerry Quinn / Derry Girls
· Paul Worsley / Breeders
· Jack Pearson / This is Us
· Cam and Mitchell / Modern Family
A further one in three dads chose Bandit as the most aspirational father figure on TV. Bandit also took the top spot when asked who they thought was the TV dad that their kids most admired, with one third of all parents' votes.
Bluey’s dad Bandit was also voted as the #1 TV dad who gives the best advice, which fathers and father figures like to apply to their everyday lives.
TV is a key source of guidance for UK fathers overall: the biggest sources of ‘dadvice’ are their friends (35.40%) and their TV heroes (30.4%), before social media (24.2%). When reflecting on their parenting techniques, dads reveal that over 95% of them have used a TV dad’s techniques to help with a difficult real-life situation.
A fellow TV dad, father himself, and the latest celebrity reader for Bluey Book Reads, Rob Delaney (Catastrophe, Deadpool 2 & 3) comments: “Being a TV dad is hard, but being a dad for real life is even harder. We need onscreen TV heroes like Bandit to help inspire us and get us through the trials and tribulations of parenting.”
The actor, comedian and writer Rob Delaney reads ‘Daddy Putdown’ for the digital exclusive series Bluey Book Reads. ‘Daddy Putdown’ will be available on the Official Bluey YouTube channel and Bluey.tv from Friday 14th June, to coincide with UK Father’s Day.
A TV juggernaut, Bluey is the #1 kids show on CBeebies and Disney+ in the UK[1] and the Australia High Commission in the UK recently presented the show with its inaugural ‘Special Recognition Award for Cultural Impact across the UK and the World’.
[1] Source: TechEdge / Barb data
The survey was conducted by On Air Global on behalf of BBC Studios among 1000 UK parents of kids aged between 2 and 8 years old, and between 31st May – 4th June 2024. The results for the dads represent 500 of the total number of parents.