Bluey and Bingo’s dad Bandit is the on-screen father figure with the biggest influence on day-to-day parenting, according to a new BBC Studios survey.
To celebrate Father’s Day in the UK, 1,000 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.
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) commented: “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 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 14 June, to coincide with UK Father’s Day.
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