Ian McFadyen

Ian McFadyen
Born (1948-07-08) 8 July 1948
Pascoe Vale, Victoria, Australia[1]
Occupations
  • Television actor
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
Spouses
  • Jo McFadyen,
​
(divorced)​

Ian McFadyen (born 8 July 1948) is an Australian television writer, actor, director and producer, is best known for the Australian television comedy series The Comedy Company and Let the Blood Run Free.

Early life

McFadyen used to paint while he was at school and university, until about the age of 22.[2]

Career

McFadyen played the part of Detective Mears in the iconic Australian TV series Prisoner, in 1983. He wrote the 1988 comedy feature film The Bit Part, starring Nicole Kidman, Chris Haywood and Maurie Fields.[3]

After filming an unaired pilot, McFadyen used the remaining funding to produce a series of eight one-hour shows, called The Eleventh Hour, which aired late nights on Channel Seven. A precursor to The Comedy Company, it introduced characters such as Uncle Arthur, who was portrayed by Glenn Robbins.[4]

From 1988, McFadyen created, produced and appeared in multi-award winning Australian satirical sketch series The Comedy Company. The show ran for 80 episodes across three seasons,[5][6] from 16 February 1988 to 11 November 1990,[7] and starred Mary-Anne Fahey, Glenn Robbins, Mark Mitchell, Russell Gilbert and Kim Gyngell.[6] While short-lived, the series went on to out-rate current affairs show 60 Minutes and launched numerous iconic catchphrases and characters, including Kylie Mole, Con the Fruiterer and Col'n Carpenter.[4] One of McFadyen's most memorable characters on the show was 'David Rabbitborough', a parodic impersonation of British naturalist David Attenborough.[7]

McFadyen next directed, wrote episodes for and performed in spoof soap opera Let the Blood Run Free (based on the hit stage show of the same name), opposite Jean Kittson and Peter Rowsthorn.[8][9] The series was, in part, a send up of medical soap opera The Young Doctors.[4] From 1992 to 1993, he wrote, produced and directed comedy series Bingles, starring Shane Bourne and Russell Gilbert.[10] He was also a writer on 1992 Crawford Productions sitcom Newlyweds, starring Sandy Gore, Annie Jones and Cathy Godbold. The series ran for four seasons, until 1994.[11]

During this time, McFadyen also hosted the Australian version of 'whodunnit' game show Cluedo,[12] which ran from 1992 to 1995, for 26 episodes.[13] In 1995, he was a writer on Terror, a telemovie episode of The Feds, a series focused on investigations of the Australian Federal Police, starring Robert Taylor and Angie Milliken.[14][15] That same year, McFadyen began starring in children's series The Genie from Down Under, as Roderick 'Bubbles' Ackrington-Smyth, reprising his role in the second season three years later.[16]

In the mid-1990s, with television sketch shows beginning to fall out of favour and little demand for new shows, McFadyen relocated to Queensland to work on a film and a sitcom.[17]

In 2000, McFadyen wrote animated series Wicked!, based on the children's bestseller by Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings. The series ran for 26 episodes.[17] Further writing continued with animated series Mormel Spots in 2003. [18]

In 2006, McFadyen created the Network Ten sketch comedy show The Wedge,[12] which starred Rebel Wilson. He also wrote a 2010 episode of K-9 (a Doctor Who spin-off sci-fi series, focusing on the adventures of the robot dog K9), called "The Bounty Hunter". The same year, he played a vampire in an advertisement for Australian Lotteries.[19]

McFadyen most recently appeared in children's series Rock Island Mysteries from 2022 to 2024, playing the role of Old Faraz.[20]

McFadyen has also authored numerous books, including Mind Wars: The Battle for Your Brain (2000), published by Allen & Unwin.[21] He co-wrote the satirical novel Going Out Backwards (2015) with Ross Fitzgerald,[22] part of the pair's Grafton Everest series, which also includes The Dizzying Heights (2019), The Lowest Depths (2021) and Pandemonium (2023).[23] His most recent collaboration with Fitzgerald is the satirical novel, Chalk and Cheese: A Fabrication (2025).[7][24]

Personal life

McFadyen was once married to actress, comedian and former collaborator Mary-Anne Fahey, with whom he had a son James McFadyen, born on 12 July 1990. The couple parted ways in 1992.

In the mid-1990s, McFadyen and his wife Jo relocated to Brisbane,[17] where he taught for nearly a decade, before working at Masters Timber and Hardware until his retirement in 2015.[2] At the age of 58, he resumed his hobby of painting, while working on talkback radio, on 4BC.[2]

Filmography

Director / writer / producer

Year Title Role Type Ref.
1970Nothing Like ExperienceProduction AssistantStudent film
1980Alive and KickingDirectorDocumentary short
1983HomeWriter4 episodes[25]
1984The KeepersWriter1 episode
The CleaningWriterShort film
Infinity LimitedWriter5 episodes
1985The Eleventh HourProducer / Writer8 episodes[4]
Trapp, Winkle and BoxWriterTV series
1988The Bit PartWriterFilm[3]
The Comedy CompanyDirector / Producer / WriterTV series[4][5][6]
1989The Great TV Game ShowExecutive Producer16 episodes
1990The Big TimeProducer2 episodes
Larger than LifeProducerTV series
1990–1993Let the Blood Run FreeExecutive Producer26 episodes[8][9]
1992–1993BinglesExecutive Producer23 episodes[10]
Writer / Director / Producer
1993–1994NewlywedsExecutive Producer52 episodes[11]
Writer / Additional Writer / Creator36 episodes
1995The Feds: TerrorWriterTV movie[15][14]
1998Shadows of ParadiseWriterTV movie
2001Wicked!WriterTV series[17]
2002The Comedy Company: So ExcellentDirector / ProducerTV movie documentary
The Vector FileScreenplay / StoryTV movie[26]
2003Mormel SpotsWriterTV series[18]
2006The WedgeCo-Executive Producer / Producer / Writer26 episodes[12]
2010The VergeExecutive Producer10 episodes
Writer2 episodes
Special Guest Director
K-9WriterEpisode: "The Bounty Hunter"
2011WAC! World Animal ChampionshipsWriterTV series
2018In Like FlynnStills PhotographerFeature film

Actor / performer

Year Title Role Type Ref.
1982Snow: The MovieIanTV movie
1983; 1984PrisonerJoe Timmons / Det. Fred Mears5 episodes
Carson's LawPlayer 1 / Dorian / Brodie3 episodes
1984...And Where Lies the Justice?TV movie
Special SquadEvans1 episode[27]
1985Glass BabiesDr. B. BombarTV movie
One Summer AgainTheodore FinkMiniseries, 3 episodes
The Eleventh HourVarious rolesTV series
1986MalcolmModel Shop SalesmanFeature film
1988Boulevard of Broken DreamsHotel ClerkFeature film
A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels)Attorney GeneralFeature film
The Bit PartCommercial DirectorFeature film
The Comedy CompanyDavid Rabbitborough / IanTV series[7]
1991All Together NowSimon Carpenter1 episode[28]
1992CluedoHost23 episodes[12]
1996The Genie from Down UnderLord 'Bubbles' Uppington-Smythe10 episodes[16][29]
1998The Genie from Down Under 212 episodes
2003No Man or Woman is an IslandNarratorShort film
2004FlushedShort film
2005–201020 to 1Himself5 episodes
2011DartworthDarren 'The Spider' TwineFilm
2015The LoversAideFilm
2015–2017Stop Laughing...This Is SeriousHimself4 episodes
2019BlueyBob (voice)1 episode[30]
2020The EndMr Bogdanowicz3 episodes[31]
RetconIan1 episode
2022TroppoVet1 episode[32]
2022–2024Rock Island MysteriesOld Faraz12 episodes[20]

References

  1. ↑ McFadyen, Ian: "Fond memories of a lost frontier", The Age, 1 November 1983.
  2. 1 2 3 Alston, Josh (18 November 2013). "The Comedy Company creator Ian McFadyen has found his niche as a painter in retirement and is tipping other baby boomers to join him". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 "The Bit Part 1988". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Knox, Davis (20 March 2015). "Comedy Company was "the end of an era"". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 "The Comedy Company 1988–1990". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "The Comedy Company Series 1 1988". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Phil (26 August 2025). "Revolting residents: Elders unite in Chalk and Cheese". www.indailyqld.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 Lallo, Michael (7 July 2008). "The Life of Mammals". The Age.
  9. 1 2 "Let the Blood Run Free Series 1 1990". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Bingles". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Newlyweds Series 1 1992". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Dale, David: Humiliation becomes family fun Archived 30 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, The Sydney Morning Herald Entertainment Blog, 5 December 2005.
  13. ↑ "Cluedo". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Terror 1995". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  15. 1 2 "The Feds". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  16. 1 2 "The Genie From Down Under". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Wicked! 2000". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Mormel Spots 2003". Screen Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  19. ↑ Butler, Dianne (26 October 2009). "Ian McFadyen's new role as Dracula in Halloween lottery ads". The Courier Mail.
  20. 1 2 "Rock Island Mysteries". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Bestsellers from Melbourne". New Scientist. 13 January 2001.
  22. ↑ Atfield, Cameron (29 November 2015). "A professor and a comedian walk into an authoring partnership..." The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  23. ↑ Brown, Phil (29 October 2023). "Everest reaches the summit and the world will never be the same". www.rossfitzgerald.com. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  24. ↑ "Chalk and Cheese: A Fabrication, by Ross Fitzgerald and Ian McFadyen". www.hybridpublishers.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  25. ↑ "Home: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Vector File". New Zealand Film Commission. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  27. ↑ "Special Squad: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  28. ↑ "All Together Now: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  29. ↑ "The Genie From Down Under: characters". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  30. ↑ "Bluey: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  31. ↑ "The End: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  32. ↑ "Troppo: episode guide". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
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