Paying homage to the cheeky Confessions comedies of the 1970s, Secrets of a Wallaby Boy stars Brandon McCaffrey as Tim Coaster, a horny young gay chap who thinks his new job as a cycle courier might help score him some action. But he has no idea about the sinister truth behind Wallaby, Inc…

With the film now available on Prime Video and Tubi, we spoke to some of its key cast and crew, including lead actor McCaffrey…

STARBURST: Casting your mind back, can you remember what it was that originally made you want to become an actor?

Brandon McCaffrey: We’re going back nineteen years now since I first made that decision, but I still remember it clearly – I was watching Doctor Who for the first time, The Long Game, and saw Christopher Eccleston and thought, “I want to do that!” Turns out travelling in time and space wasn’t viable. So, I thought becoming an actor was the next best thing. It’s my goal to play the first Northern Irish Doctor!

How did you come to get involved in Wallaby?

I first worked with Kieron [Moore, writer/director] back in 2018 on his anthology film Spectrum, in which my character goes to meet a vampire for a hook-up and quickly finds it awkward trying to leave. Three years later, Kieron messaged me asking how I’d like to play the lead in his new feature film. How could I say no!

Were you familiar with the genre that Kieron was paying homage to when he pitched it to you, or did you have to research those early movies? 

I was more familiar with the Carry On series, having seen them all multiple times with my mum every Easter. The Confessions movies I was less aware of, but I did go back and watch some, with the original sticking with me as a firm favourite. So many genuinely laugh out loud moments!

Wallaby was produced on an incredibly tight budget; compared to other roles you’ve had, what were the biggest challenges that presented?

It was certainly a tight budget, but I don’t think it ever felt like that when filming or even now. We very much made do with what we had and the passion for the project overtook any worries anyone would have had. I think my biggest challenge was that this was my biggest project to date. I was working with people who I’d watched for years and looked up to as a performer, so I think my challenge was to myself, about proving I could do it and not feel like less of an actor next to these names. Mark Benton had a great chat with me and Billie [Hindle, who plays Jade] and really made us feel like all actors are in the same boat, no matter how many roles you’ve done.

There’s a fair amount of saucy stuff in the movie, and although it’s all done in humour, was there anything you were called to do that crossed a line for you, and you had to tell Kieron, “Nah mate, I can’t be doing that!”?

The egg scene [laughs]. I very much say I’m an actor who will do anything to get the best shot and I’ve no fear on who I kiss or what I do, as it’s just acting at the end of the day. But when filming that egg scene, it was wondered if I’d be okay having my bum out. I was a bit nervous mostly as I’d only met my scene partner Nicholas [Eccles] an hour before. So, we compromised on Becky [Casey], our first AD, pulling my boxers down just enough that you could see the hills of my butt and no further!

I’ve often wondered if actors have any anxiety over their friends or family having to watch their more edgier scenes… was there any worries that your mum would have to see you get that love egg shoved up your rectum?

I was slightly worried to how they would react, yeah, especially my mum and my dad. Dad is also an actor, so he knew that it’s just acting, it doesn’t matter. Mum, on the other hand, was a bit worried, but she ended up becoming the film’s biggest fan! I remember bringing it home for her to watch and she watched it once laughing throughout, and then wanted to watch it again ten minutes later, but this time with a running behind-the-scenes commentary!

You said upfront that you’re a big Doctor Who fan; how much of a thrill was it to share the same billing as the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, who voices Bruce the AI wallaby?

I’m probably one of the biggest fans out there – see if you can spot my TARDIS tattoo in the film! If I’m not watching Doctor Who, I’m listening to a Big Finish audio. It was terrifying when I heard Colin Baker was going to be my antagonist. Kieron called me up to tell me and I screamed! Having my first feature film as a lead and my antagonist being the Doctor, I think that’s a Whovian’s dream come true. I’m still laughing about it to this day. Although, when recording with Colin over Zoom, I may have said I’d only seen bits and pieces, not letting him know he was one of my favourite Doctors, as I wanted him to know me as an actor first and a fan second.

If you could reprise Tim in a sequel, where would you like to see him? What’s he up to?

Kieron and Pete [Tomkies], our producer, know exactly what I would do here! I would love to play Tim again but, like all great sequels, I feel we need to broaden our horizons, with Tim, Jade, and Roland getting a “free” trip to go round Europe. This time, it’s Travels of a Wallaby Boy, and there’s plenty of jokes and hijinks that I won’t spoil in case it happens. I would love for him to meet a nice boy though and see how he’d deal with keeping the relationship in his life. 

While we wait for you to convince Kieron and Pete to get working on Travels of a Wallaby Boy, what projects are coming up next for you?

I’ve been busy on tour all over UK and Ireland with a short film called I Made the Time Machine from Cinescope Pictures. You can also see our new Doctor Who sitcom Wholigans on YouTube. Six episodes are being released and it’s packed full of references that are sure to have fans laughing!

Secrets of a Wallaby Boy is now available to stream on Prime Video and Tubi.