Tom Sainsbury has turned his popular podcast Small Town Scandal into a TV show. Photo / Amalia Osborne, NZ Woman's Weekly
Tom Sainsbury’s first TV job was for McDonald’s, where he played a slice of beetroot. The Matamata farmboy has since become one of New Zealand’s most popular entertainers, starring in Wellington Paranormal, Educators and now the screen adaptation of his hit true-crime comedy podcast Small Town Scandal.
He’s also a social media favourite, due to his viral satirical videos that have become like a living ’80s and ’90s social history bank. They take him as little as 15 minutes to dream up, record and post online. Often using face-swapping filters, Tom delivers short, humorous vignettes portraying multiple quirky characters.
His number-one fans are Gen X women (“Fanburys”) aged 45 to 60, who are fastidious spellers and who the Kiwi comic reckons have the best sense of humour.
Tom, 44, lives in West Auckland with his partner of seven years, Jacob, 34, and Ross the cat.
What a coup to have British screen legend Felicity Kendal to star in Small Town Scandal, playing your character’s mother Sue. How did that come about?
Of course I remember growing up watching Felicity in The Good Life, but there’s this also obscure murder-mystery TV series she did called Rosemary and Thyme. I thought, “Well, Small Town Scandal is a murder mystery – let’s reach out to her.” She was keen! We had an online meeting to chat through the script – it was just so chill. Then we flew over to London and filmed with her for one week. She’s such a pro, I love her! And she does remind me a little bit of my mother Vicky too – they’re both very petite women with a wicked sense of humour. The BBC has now bought the series for international sales, so it will be screened in the UK.
Who else have you fangirled over?
Comedian Dawn French when she performed in New Zealand in 2024. I met with her after the show. I loved her and I think she loved me. But I’ve also fangirled over Magda Szubanski [from Kath and Kim] and we didn’t hit it off. I was such a bumbling mess and she was like, “Who is this strange person?” I had so much expectation, but then the whole thing fizzled out. It was a really good reminder to me that you’re not going to have an instant connection with everyone or that meeting your heroes is going to live up to what you hope for. But the great thing about Dawn and Felicity is they’re very relaxed, casual and happy to have a bit of a gossip, so it was perfect.
You’ve previously asked Kiwis to anonymously email you with real-life small-town scandals. What’s a memorable one?
There was one from Te Awamutu about a husband having it off with his wife’s sister for a long time. Then the sister-in-law got pregnant and they kept the whole ruse up with the poor old wife. Lots of people from Gore have come up to me after my shows in Invercargill and Dunedin, and said, “If you want small-town scandals, you’ve got to come to Gore.” So I’m heading down there in May for the Tussock Country Music Festival and I’m going to seek out as much content for my podcast as I can!
Which politicians will you be satirising in the lead-up to the election?
Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins, of course. I did a good David Seymour a couple of years ago, so I just need to put the tie back on, get the face going and perfect the voice again. I loved imitating former politicians Paula Bennett, Simon Bridges and Dame Jacinda Ardern, but they’re all gone now. So I have to bring in a whole new group of personalities.
Who are your most successful characters on social media?
Well, ’80s Mum strikes a chord with people, as does Boomer Dad and I do wine reviewer Fiona – she always pours up to the meniscus – only on Facebook, where she has a loyal following. But the funny thing is, it’s the obscure skits that do really well. Whenever I do an interpretative dance, like when I played a hair that you couldn’t pick up, people reacted so well. The skit where I portrayed the on-ramp traffic lights has got millions of views. I keep the New Zealand personalities on Facebook, separate to playing generic characters on Instagram, which has a growing number of international followers.
Is ’80s Mum based on your own mother?
No, my mum, bless her, isn’t as sassy as ’80s Mum or as up to play with the era’s pop culture. She didn’t understand the movies that we watched and was unaware that my sister was reading Flowers in the Attic like other girls at the time. But the structure Mum put around us when we misbehaved would have been similar to ’80s Mum. My dad was either falling asleep on the couch at that point or outside helping a cow give birth.
Was your decision to become vegan due to growing up on a dairy farm in Matamata?
It really was. Becoming friends with the animals, then the way they’re dispatched, I couldn’t live with it. I was brought up with books that personalised animals and made them the main characters like humans. I tried to become a vegetarian as a teen. I tried to put my foot down and my parents were kind of supportive. But I couldn’t become a full vegetarian until I left home.
It also seemed like young Tom was obsessed with the farm incinerator...
That is true! When I was 10, I bought my Matamata primary school teacher a ceramic vase with two doves on it as a wedding present. But when she gave me detention, I secretly smashed it in the classroom, hid it in my bag and took it home to burn it. Did I apologise for that? Never. My family didn’t know about it until I was on stage sharing it to the world. We just don’t burn things any more because of pollution, but back in the ’80s, if you didn’t want anything, you burnt it.
Your sister Becky is a nurse, and brother James is a rural councillor and scientist – did you feel pressure to have a “serious” career?
The good thing about being the youngest child is that the pressure is kind of off you. When I went to university to study the arts, Mum was like, “Let’s do biology as well because you love that,” but it just fell by the wayside. When I started getting a few paid comedy jobs and didn’t have to ring my parents up every two months asking them to help me pay my rent, they calmed down. These days, stand-up is my biggest earner. The daily Instagram videos @thomassainsbury don’t make me any money. But because I post those, people come to my shows.
Do you have any rituals before going on stage?
I need an hour of no interaction with people. I’m not one of those comedians who can be laughing away in the green room before going on stage. I’m squirrelled away, with my earphones on, listening to hype music. I need to pace. I didn’t think I was a nervous person but I am.
In real-life, you play an uncle-style role to an 8-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy who you were a sperm donor for. Do you want children of your own?
That wasn’t ever the plan. I never thought I would have children, but I’m so glad I threw caution to the wind and was a donor because the kids are fantastic and I’m so lucky they exist. I had this fear about what children were and what they’d behave like. But these kids are so engaging and we have fun together. It’s less scary than what I thought it was going to be. I go to their birthday parties and have emceed their school fundraiser.
Are they funny too?
Oh, they appreciate a good gag and I see promise in their comedic talents. The girl is a performer, so the last time I went and hung out with them, she had a whole circus set up. She was the ringmaster and we went through all the circus acts. Her brother is a performer too, but more into dancing.
Are you and your partner Jacob similar?
We are opposites, so we balance each other out. He moves through things quickly and I’m a hidden fretter.
How has being a Buddhist for more than 20 years shaped you?
It’s improved my life. The best thing about Buddhism is that it’s always a reminder to aim for your best self. If I haven’t been meditating or chanting for a while, I can get into a spiral of jealousy. But if I sit down and chant for a bit, it gives you a better perspective and it’s harder to let the negative voices in.
Finally, what would the title of your autobiography be?
Probably the same as my stand-up show: Lessons Not Learnt. Because just like with Buddhism, you have to keep learning these lessons, until hopefully by the end of my life, I’ve dealt with them and got some real wisdom that I can share.
Small Town Scandal screens Mondays on Neon and Sky Comedy.