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Promotional art for Self-Diagnosed Genius
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Self-Diagnosed Genius

Tommy Little

Prime Video · 2020 · 59 min

Questionable life choices, from nude bungee jumping to an Antarctic marathon.

Released , on Prime Video.

Tommy Little’s stand-up runs on bad decisions made with total confidence. The centerpiece of the hour is his ill-conceived bid to run a marathon in Antarctica in minus-twenty-degree cold despite having done virtually no training beforehand. As he points out, the original marathon runner dropped dead on the spot, so honoring the distance by repeating it is an inherently terrible idea.

Filmed at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre, the hour was released on Amazon Prime Video in April 2020 as part of the streaming platform’s ten-part push into Australian comedy. By that point, Little had established a huge national profile co-hosting drive radio on the Hit Network alongside Carrie Bickmore and working as a regular desk host on Channel 10’s The Project.

The rest of the set leans into that energetic, tattooed lad persona. Between casual crowd interactions and anecdotes about nude bungee jumping on live television, Little treats his love life and physical stunts as a string of avoidable, self-inflicted wounds.

Notable bits & set list

4 bits

  1. Running the Antarctic Ice Marathon with no prior experience or training

    Recounts signing up after an excessive night in Sri Lanka, ignoring medical warnings, injecting cortisone into his knees, enduring an unheated tent in subzero cold, and racing against seasoned athletes while avoiding the threat of hypothermia.

  2. Bungee jumping naked on live television

    Presented as part of the opening premise to debate whether his reckless stunts make him an idiot or a genius.

  3. Crowd work with front-row audience members and latecomers

    Acts as his own warm-up comic by riffing on late arrivals, asking couples how they met, and lightly roasting the audience.

  4. Dating, Tinder, and a year-long dry spell

    Reflects on modern dating culture, awkward coffee orders, expensive haircuts, and navigating a full year without having sex.

How it plays

Tone
Raucous, lighthearted, and flippant.
On stage
Friendly-faced comic with commercial appeal, drive-time charisma, a 'lad-like' demeanor, and energetic attitude.
Pace
Energetic, raucous, and fast-paced with quickfire improv capabilities.
About
bad life choices and dubious decisions, the Antarctic Ice Marathon, dating apps and relationships, sexual dry spells and bad sex, partying and excess

What the critics said

Received mixed reviews; critics commended his natural drive-time charm, improv wit, and the high-concept entertainment of his Antarctic tale, but some noted his flippant delivery and long-winded setups occasionally resulted in little payoff.

In the room: Buzzing and energetic full house.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: themoviedb.org, press.aboutamazon.com, ww2.fmovies.cab, guessworktv.com.au, heraldsun.com.au, theage.com.au, whatsonweekly.com, en.wikipedia.org, audible.com.

Backstory

Filmed as part of a series of ten Amazon Original stand-up specials produced by Guesswork Television highlighting top Australian comedians, revolving centrally around Little's actual experience running the Antarctic Ice Marathon in 2018.

Details

Released
Taped
2019, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
Runtime
59 min
Where
Prime Video
Director
Simon Francis
Topics

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