“My Dad Tried to Sue Me Over a Joke”: How this Geelong Comedy Festival standup pulled the funny out of family drama

When a joke is served with legal ramifications, what do you do? Turn it into comedy gold, of course!

When you see the title of 2024 Geelong Comedian of the Year, Steven Bradshaw’s new standup show the phrase “you’ve got to be joking!” will likely follow. The beauty of the comedic conundrum is in it’s dual facing answer; both a resounding yes and no.

The title in question is My Dad Tried To Sue Me Over A Joke. It’s a wholly accurate reflection of a real life lawsuit stemming from a viral joke, but also makes up the laughs of this Geelong Comedy Festival presentation.

2025 Geelong Comedy Festival

Steven Bradshaw – My Dad Tried To Sue Me Over A Joke

When: Sunday 2 November, 7pm

Where: Manhattan Bar, 9 James St, Geelong VIC 3220

Tickets: $25, purchase here

Keep up to date with all things arts, exhibitions and stage here.

 

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Pegged as one of Australia’s fast rising comedians on the Australian and New Zealand circuit Steven Bradshaw has built a name for himself as a no-topic-too-taboo act, pulling from his own first hand experiences to narrate hilarious and educational anecdotes.

“My style and what I talk about on stage is all things that have happened in my life. You always have a lens on to find the humour in the day to day,” explains Bradshaw.

The Melbourne born, Cook Islands descendent, Bradshaw is uniquely positioned to pull from his unique perspective as a Polynesian person of colour. His 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival showcase is a crystal example of this, building jokes from the country’s namesake and fame associations. From ex-girlfriends to audience work, and crude tongue-in-cheek one-liners, the comedian is one of the most well-rounded runners on the comedy track. It has earned him slots alongside the likes of Dave Hughes, Jimeoin, Peter Helliar, Lizzy Hoo, and Dane Simpson, and led to a slew of headline shows across Australia and New Zealand.

 

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His career started as a bucket list item, “Go see the pyramids or go scuba diving and do a stand up show was one thing to tick off,” he says. “I always wanted to be a comedian but never thought it was a possibility.”

Taking this task seriously, Bradshaw enlisted comedy coach, Brad Oakes, for the one off gig, a relationship that continues to flourish to this day following the serotonin boasting, career-redirecting show.

Whilst Geelongians recognise Bradshaw for his commitment to the local comedy circuit, including MC’ing and headlining Geelong’s only weekly comedy show, Friday Night Comedy at The Nash by the team at Anything Goes Entertainment, Bradshaw extends beyond the region. He performs weekly shows both in and around Melbourne as well as one-off shows in metropolitan and regional Victoria and South Australia.

As one of Geelong’s mainstay comics, Steven Bradshaw’s return to the Geelong Comedy Festival stage is tipped to take his career to the next level, with one of his most daring displays of comedy yet.

If telling a joke led to a lawsuit, what ramifications will telling a joke about a joke that led to a lawsuit have for the bold and brave Bradshaw?

Bradshaw says, “It’s a story that actually happened and I’m not afraid to make light of that for a laugh.”

“It is understood that you have included the content to elicit laughter from your audience…”

Taking things back to start, My Dad Tried To Sue Me Over A Joke will see Bradshaw detail the joke that saw his father seek legal counsel, taking audiences through the “legal back and forth”, providing the documentation, and running through the breaking down the fallout from his most controversial comedy clip.

Bradshaw explains, “The show goes in depth on what the joke was, how it came about and the legal fallout. I go through the scenario in depth – the correspondence with lawyers, the shock of receiving the notice and the outcome, and break it all down in my show.”

Don’t worry, it won’t be all jargon minus the jokes. This is after all a Geelong Comedy Festival entry.

“I’d like to think that I’ve structured the show in a way that there is some interest and the funniness is the absurdity of the situation.”

My Dad Tried To Sue Me Over A Joke is just one of the amazing offerings on the Geelong Comedy Festival program. Bradshaw joins big names like Annie Louey, Jeremy Dooley, Dilruk Jaysinha and Tom Ballard, Chris Ryan, and Dave O’Neil. The show may even see Bradshaw crowned the Geelong Comedian of the Year for the second year running.

Following the event, Bradshaw will be heading to South Australia for a run of shows, then next year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival before jetting across to Edinburgh for the renowned Fringe Festival. Catch Steven Bradshaw on the local front first!

My Dad Tried To Sue Me Over A Joke will be presented at James’ Street’s Manhattan Bar on Sunday 2 November from 7pm. Tickets are a steal at $25.

Dive into the legal proceedings of this side-splitting standup show from Steven Bradshaw, My Dad Tried To Sue Me Over A Joke here.

To browse the entire Geelong Comedy Festival program for 2025, head here.