Gotta Be Done - A Bluey Podcast — Podcast

BONUS EP (We're BACK IN THE LIBRARY!) 05.06.2026 44m

It was November 2021 that Bluey episode Promises first put Kate and Mary in the library... and now, the Library dogs are back baby! (Or perhaps they never left?) Bluey's Library is the latest interactive offering at bluey.tv, and it's a brilliant combination of books, stories, play, and choose-your-own-adventure. And Gotta Be Done gets a starring role guiding you through! Brought to life by legends across BBC Studios, Ludo Studio and UK digital producers Jollywise, Mary and Kate chat to two of them: thanks for joining us, Connor Johnston and Will Weaver! Hear why The Adventure, Stories and Army are first up on library shelves, what Easter eggs to look for amongst the pages, how the games go beyond the screen, and what you call a library visitor (an enlightened being, obviously!)... plus strap yourselves in kids, there's so much more to come! So excited, honoured, just in happy tears to have snuck Gotta Be Done back into the Blueyverse. More about everything that led to it on the bluey.tv blog! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EPISODE (Playdate Psychology with Dr Martha Deiros Collado!) 01.06.2026 46m

"Kids are playful beings. You will build a better relationship with your kids the more playful you are." Clinical psychologist and author Dr Martha Deiros Collado has built a career helping kids and families. A devoted Bluey fan, she's also done research with BBC Studios to understand how playdates help kids, and fit in family life... with some seriously Bluey-related results. Dr Martha joins Mary and Kate in the wagon to talk why Aussie families are sneaking in more playdates than the US and UK, how a playdate is a "mini life-skills workshop", and why sometimes kids need to know the "reward" is just being with your friends! The research is part of Bluey’s 2026 theme, Playdates with Friends... don't forget to check out the bluey.tv Playdates with Friends hub with quizzes, games, activity ideas and episode playlists designed to inspire play beyond the screen. For real life! This episode is sponsored by BabyLove Nappies - check out our Insta for a Long Dog trip down memory lane! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon and use #blueypod to join in.

Slide (aka Ensemble Recorders are the Reason) 19.05.2026 42m

You can solve all the problems of the world, and someone will still shout "I don't know what that is!" Enter the Big Blue Guy, and Slide! Kate and Mary wonder if Bingo and Lila's commitment to bug wellbeing is the balm our belligerent world needs right now (although Mary admits they're feeding snails to chooks at her place, so maybe she's contributing to warlike behaviour?) Plus proliferation of Christmas Beetles (Darren Hanlon has a song about them!), encouraging gratitude in your kids, music about problems and also recorders, and Gotta Be Done's renewed quest to recap every episode of Bluey... just eight to go! Also seriously, what is the dynamic (and potential name jealousy?) between Leaficus and Flappy?? Love that both these legends are now recurring characters... may they leaf long and prosper! This episode is sponsored by BabyLove Nappies - check out our Insta for a Long Dog trip down memory lane! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon and use #blueypod to join in.

Show and Tell (aka We're the Ones Taking the Orders!) 12.05.2026 52m

Like a surf board resolution after a summer holiday, Gotta Be Done is back baby! (And honestly, what's a resolution that hasn't been recycled a few times?!) Show and Tell takes Mary and Kate on a sat-nav-less route from shark-punches and traumatising orca attacks to Facebook Marketplace friends and cautionary tales for course correction... if Statue World doesn't get you first! Plus the still-looong wait til the Bluey movie (August 2027), can the girls knock over the final nine episode recaps on their list before then?! It's (truly this time, showing not telling) Gotta Be Done! This episode is sponsored by BabyLove Nappies - check out our Insta for a Long Dog trip down memory lane! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Yup Yup Yup Yup Burger Dog/ Daniel O'Brien!) 01.03.2026 39m

So the Sleepytime score is FINALLY available for our global listening bliss. It's the second single from the whole new Bluey album Up Here, out worldwide on 27 March 2026 and featuring the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Camerata – Queensland Chamber Orchestra... and all our Bluey music favourites! But did you know, before any of that, Burger Dog was the feelgood hit of mid-2025?! Composed brilliantly by Bluey musician Daniel O'Brien to be "a really annoying song", the newest member of the music team nailed the brief in the best possible way, and has been achieving plenty more besides. Minisode scores, ARIA Awards and APRA Screen Music Awards, Bluey the Movie contributions, distressing his whole neighbourhood as he recorded (and sang!) Burger Dog in his home studio: Dan is a delight, and Mary and Kate loved chatting to him! The interview was recorded a while back now, apologies Dan and Bluey music enthusiasts everywhere... but enjoy this new-to-you release, as Gotta Be Done gets supremely pumped for a new Bluey soundtrack for life! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon and use #blueypod to join in.

Stickbird (aka Don't Have Answers, Just Trauma) 21.03.2025 1h

From Moana moments on standup paddle boards, to the pipecleaners of the natural world, Lake Currimundi on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has something for everyone - even Stickbirds! Kate and Mary are back and asking the big questions: some universal (what's bugging Bandit?) and some extremely niche (when will Chilli reinvent herself as an Olympic coach??) And some ridiculous, like is Stickbird wearing a tie or a shell-bikini... and is the answer IN A CAKE?? Then there's random new year musings (because this was recorded in January), and listen to the end for a (belated!) big reveal - THE TRUE ORIGINS OF BLUEY'S KID IN SURPRISE! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on X at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Relax (aka Three Seasons and a Movie!) 22.12.2024 1h

It’s the biggest week of Bluey news since… big screens! But the path to Bluey the Movie has been paved with burnout and mental load – or is that just Kate and Mary trying to prepare for Christmas? First up, here’s Joe Brumm’s letter that accompanied the Bluey feature film announcement... no advice yet on how to wait until 2027! Then, is there a way to relax amidst the relentless demands of parenting/ festivities/ life? The girls canvas books that might help – The Wife Drought, Small Habits for a Big Life, and whatever Chilli is reading – but disclaimer, good advice only works when you actually go about it. Plus banging tunes from the Queen of Jazz and the Lord of the Dance (but not really), a Shaker score that fits the Relax message perfectly. And with that, this podcast is relaxing for a bit – hope Verandah Santa remembers all, and Christmas is filled with Simple Gifts (or at least hugs and cuppas!) ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on X at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Space (aka We've Needed Some!) 13.12.2024 59m

It's been a long time between galaxies for an honest-to-goodness Gotta Be Done recap - but Kate and Mary didn't disappear into a black hole (of parenting) for ever, just for about a year. Space is the mind-bending Bluey episode that brings them back, ready to fix things and figure everything out. But are they chief scientists enough? Plus, radical candor, space destinations in Adelaide and Parkes, and amazing sponsor the Epping Club in Sydney's north-west is doing Bluey Trivia! Book now and have all the answers for 2025 (and do Gotta Be Done proud!) - the family-friendly event on Saturday 25 January at 2pm, what a gift for the Bluey fans in your life! (Oh, and did you know the Bluey website now has a page for every episode?? Here's the Space one!) ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on X at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Bluey's World x Bluey's Brisbane x producer Andrew Kay!) 13.11.2024 25m

When Kate and Mary from Gotta Be Done and Lou from Bluey's Brisbane sneak along to the opening day of Bluey's World, it's not going to be a subtle affair. And this epic crossover chat, just outside the new Sunshine State landmark/ destination/ (other) happiest place on earth, was next level excitable. It even prompted Bluey's World and Bluey's Big Play producer Andrew Kay to join the fun! Hear first reviews of the one-of-a-kind immersive/ panto/ playful experience at the Northshore Pavilion in Brisbane, Queensland, attempts to divine life advice from fortune cookies and career guidance from creative arts, explainers on why Bluey's World surfaces have to be lickable, and much more! As the secret message in the Narnia cupboard says (IYKYK), "It is a happy talent to know how to play". Ralph Waldo Emerson (and Joe Brumm who added it!) know what they're on about - and we're all happier for it! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Our Rug Island Era and JOFF BUSH!) 25.10.2024 39m

Skip out on work and bring your connector pens - it's RUG ISLAND DAY! The THIRD album from Bluey maestro Joff Bush and his glorious music team is out globally today (25 October 2024) wherever you get your music (and even on vinyl!) So of course Mary and Kate were going to drag out the wagon and skive off work Bandit-style, to ask Joff about how this journey into playful imagination came together (it started with a Cafe play-date, and ended with new friends!) From collaborating with Arnhem Land legends King Stingray, to who you can ask to make octopus sound-effects, how Joe Brumm and Costa Kassab delivered the artistic inspo to tie it all together, and why Muffin deserves her own breakout album - Joff shares the all the antics that made Rug Island such joyful perfection, and what's left over for the next album too! Plus, congrats on new dad life Joff - Gotta Be Done gets the exclusive on Joff-tested tunes to sooth your small people! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Gotta Be Done's Mary with Bluey's Brisbane at the Markets! 09.08.2024 23m

So it's been a while, but when one half of Gotta Be Done sneaks up into Blueyland/ Brisbane... podcast magic happens! Mary caught up with Justin and Lou from Bluey's Brisbane for this fun and frenetic crossover episode, on the for-real-life location of iconic Bluey ep Markets (the West End Markets, every Saturday at Davies Park!) Now in their fourth year of exploring the real life world of our favourite Heelers, Justin and Lou have plenty of local knowledge to share. And the superfans also spill theories, feelings and insights about new Bluey music (listen to the brand new single 'Octopus' with Arnhem Land legends King Stingray on Spotify), possible mascots for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics (bring it, Unicorse!), life post-The Sign, Bluey dollarbucks released by the Royal Australian Mint (maybe a rip off? and since this was recorded, epically ripped off!), Bunnings-bought husbands, and Bluey's World in Brisbane set to open in November (just 90 days away!) If you haven't already discovered amazing Bluey's Brisbane, dive into Justin Rouillon and Lou Bromley's back catalogue here - and follow them on Facebook and Instagram @blueysbrisbane. Thanks for sharing your beautiful slice of Blueyland, team! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Looking for signs with Joe Brumm) 17.04.2024 59m

Bluey creator Joe Brumm tells Gotta Be Done how biggest ever Bluey episode The Sign came to be, and what it says about endings, and causes, and unknowable futures.

Gotta Be Done's Mary does TONTS! 04.03.2024 1h 28m

So Gotta Be Done has been missing in your podcast feed for a bit (and you better believe Mary and Kate are missing it too!) But of course they haven't stopped talking about Bluey in any/every other aspect of their lives, and for this special crossover, Mary talks about Bluey A LOT. Thank you TONTS host Claire Tonti for sharing the mic, over to her to explain! In a very special episode of TONTS. I deep dive into the wonderful world of Bluey podcast with Bluey expert and podcast host Mary Bolling. Mary is a journalist, mum and kids culture enthusiast, and one half of the Gotta Be Done podcast, deep-diving Australian juggernaut Bluey (and parenting, pop culture and everything else!) since 2019. In typical TONTS. and Bluey fashion we talk about the themes in Bluey that so closely match our own experiences. Two mums deep diving into the highs and lows of parenting, grief, loss, miscarriage, the power of story and the vital role of play and silliness. What a joy! You can find more from Mary Bolling on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marytbolling/ and listen to her and co-host Kate McMahon on Gotta Be Done here https://www.blueypod.com Head to https://www.clairetonti.com for more awesome episodes, and follow her on Insta at https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/ and https://www.instagram.com/tontspod

BONUS EP (Play, Development, and the Importance of Being Bingo) 07.12.2023 44m

It's not often an episode of Gotte Be Done has required reading... but when there's three developmental scientists putting Bluey under the microscope, then of course we're all diving in! Mary's joined in the wagon by Dr Molly Scott, Research Scientist in Playful Learning at Temple University, Aria Gastón-Panthaki, Research Coordinator for Children's Development at Harvard University, and Doug Piper, PhD candidate in psychology at Georgetown University. The play-hard trio recently penned a research piece, Bluey teaches children and parents alike about how play supports creativity and other life lessons (lime lessons??), and on the podcast share their own journeys to Bluey, favourite bits of Bluey brain science, and whether Bluey is inspiring a new generation of more thoughtful, playful parents... (spoiler alert, hopefully?!) Thanks team for sharing your brilliant insights, and thanks Bluey for everything you're teaching us! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done Back and Bluey Fest!) 17.11.2023 40m

Gotta Be Done's been on a break, but Mary and Kate just couldn't keep mum for BLUEY FEST! (For international types, that's the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's celebration of five years since Bluey launched... and the top 100 episodes as voted by Australia!) So, the girls have got the somewhat-broken-down wagon back together, for a lap through the trials of trying to pick top five episodes, the delights of being in a Bluey book (Where's Bluey? At Christmas), and what's ahead for the rest of season three... .. and also, what should we see in (new 28-minute Bluey ep in 2024) The Sign?? ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Pizza Girls (aka We’ve Covered a Lot of Pizza Feelings) 01.09.2023 56m

Recently listener Matthew in London emailed Gotta Be Done to ask when the Pizza Girls recap was coming. And Mary and Kate laughed because they'd totally recorded that back in February 2023... and then stopped laughing, because Mary had forgotten to release it. So, strap yourselves in kid, for all the late-summer reminiscing, fresh-new-year-misty-eyed-ness... and Muffin dropping the clutch and drifting her way to glory. Is Pizza Girls the unofficial sequel to Bedroom, and do families need to hold onto every item ever that has a story? (Well Marie Kondo has given up on tidying, you know...) Plus, February Kate and Mary excitedly preview the now well-and-truly out Dance Mode album (and they're still excited six months on!) Oh, and... Yeah I want garlic bread! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Cricket II (aka It’s Gonna Take More than a Tea Towel) 25.08.2023 37m

Yep, Gotta Be Done is still talking about Cricket... in this second-half recap, and in Mary and Kate's for real life generally! More music, more obscure cricketenalia, more Rusty love, and the tightrope walk of encouraging your kids without overwhelming them (that Rusty's Dad makes look easy!) Plus, a good guess at when Australia might see the last of Season 3's new episodes... if Gotta Be Done is right, it will be so spooky! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Cricket I (aka How Many Innings Will This Take and Also What’s an Innings?) 04.08.2023 50m

It's more than a year since Bluey creator Joe Brumm told Gotta Be Done a cricket episode was coming... which is even longer than the average game of cricket! Kate (vessel of cricketing knowledge) and Mary (cricketing knowledge vacuum) explore the whys and wherefores of the deeply weird (but supremely strategic) game of cricket. And how the never-ending, convoluted, global obsession impacts a childhood - theirs, their children's, and theirs again as parents of children! Plus, slips, gullies, silly-mids, fruit and pies - and not the kind you get at tea break! (Speaking of tea break, this recap gets one! Stay tuned for Gotta Be Done does Cricket II next week!) ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Smoochy Kiss (aka Maybe That’s the Fairytale and This Is the Reality) 14.07.2023 55m

So Gotta Be Done isn't here to call out annoying habits - but if Smoochy Kiss goes there, do Mary and Kate maybe kind of have to?! From what (on earth) Bandit's doing in his first scene, to best kitchen weaponry that's not too weapony (and how saucepan lids pre-date shields, actually?!), crimes against laundry sinks, boxes big enough for grown-ups, inversion and flipping the chase (music), and whether it's toughening up or softening up that makes a relationship work. In short, it's just another day in the Heeler household/ Blueyverse/ Gotta Be Done... works for us! Oh, and courtesy of the Bluey magazine... what's the stinkiest planet?? Jokes aside, it takes some serious analysis! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Dirt (aka Need a Redemption Arc in Our Lives) 30.06.2023 58m

Gotta Be Done is back after a break, and redeeming oneself is the theme of this recap - in all the ways. Morning, Wendy! Memories of mud piles and doubts about overly-clean modern life (is Insta to blame??), and is that dirt under fingernails, or potential neural connections? Oh, and what IS a chow chow? Well if a dog and a lion had a very adorable baby... that's Wendy and Judo! Also, parents modelling to children is a big theme of Dirt - but hang on, has Bluey been modelling to everyone all along?! Du-du-du-dirt! ++ Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too! Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.