Rosie Holt: ‘I’ve always had a soft spot for Matt Hancock’

Given her line of work, political satirist Rosie Holt might be the last person you’d expect to hold any sort of affection for former UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

However, his role as a Tory ‘punching bag’ and his current stint in the ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ jungle, has the comedian sympathising with the disgraced politician.

Speaking to Róisín Ingle on the latest episode of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast, Holt reveals that she has “always had a small soft spot for Matt Hancock”, a revelation which often gets her in trouble with family and friends.

That’s not to say, Holt has forgiven the politician-turned-reality star for his previous mishaps and political gaffes, nor does she agree with his surprising participation on the reality show.

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“For the record I think he’s done a lot of damage to the country… but I always found him so socially awkward, I couldn’t really hate him,” she reveals.

“During the pandemic, he kept getting wheeled forward by the Tories, as a sort of media punching bag, where he’d have to defend all these indefensible things, and he’d look so sad about it, so I always had trouble hating him,” she adds.

During the Covid lockdowns, Holt’s satirical videos taking aim at the Conservative party and poking fun at right-wing commentators, propelled her into online stardom.

One particular parody, where she portrays a Tory MP discussing the Partygate scandal at Downing Street, fooled thousands of viewers into believing they were watching a real politician, due to her character’s bumbling and backtracking, often associated with the political party.

Following on from her online success, Holt is due to start touring her cast of satirical characters in a comedy show called ‘The Woman’s Hour’, which she explains is having to be constantly rewritten because of the ever evolving political landscape in the UK.

“The problem with doing any kind of political comedy is the politics has changed so much in the last few months… my show is completely not relevant now, it feels like a relic,” she says.

You can listen back to the full conversation in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.