Comedian Rosie Holt came to prominence during lockdown with her online political parodies of Conservative MPs. She grew up in Somerset and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art; in 2013 she won the Sitcom Trials: So You Think You Write Funny? award, and she has performed as part of double act with Christian Talbot. She presents the satirical podcast NonCensored. Her new character comedy show Rosie Holt: The Woman’s Hour is at the Edinburgh festival fringe in August at the Pleasance Courtyard.
1. Film
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (dir Tom Gormican, 2022)
I am a massive Nicolas Cage fan so was really looking forward to this. Cage plays himself, in debt and unable to get acting work, and he goes to Mallorca to entertain at a mysterious billionaire’s birthday party. It then gets increasingly silly – and I am a big fan of silly. I went to see it with my brother and some friends and we all thought it was joyous. Cage and Pedro Pascal really convince as men who just want to be friends despite the increasingly dangerous obstacles. There is one standout scene where they go on an acid trip that is both hilarious and surprisingly sweet.
2. Podcast
I’m really into Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell’s podcast. They’re not necessarily people I agree with, but at the moment on TV and radio you’re just used to seeing people angrily argue over each other. And it’s really nice to hear two people eloquently discuss their thoughts and ideas about current politics. They don’t necessarily agree, but the dialogue is quite refreshing. If I’m honest, I also like the gossipy elements, like when Stewart talks about his bid for Tory leadership, and how he felt he was effectively stabbed in the back by Michael Gove and Matt Hancock.
3. Nonfiction
A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins
I read this during lockdown, but it’s still in my mind because I keep recommending it to everyone – I’m not even sure where my copy is at the moment, because I’ve lent it out so many times. Chris Atkins was a documentary-maker, then went to prison for fraud, and he’s written a memoir about it. It’s brilliant on so many levels: it’s funny, but also very angry, and rightly so, about the prison system and how unjust it is – the lack of staff, the self-harm and suicide, and how even in prison there’s a class hierarchy.
4. Comedy
Tim Key: Mulberry (touring)
I’m really looking forward to Tim Key’s new show, which is about lockdown. I first saw him in 2011 at the Edinburgh fringe, when he did this show called Masterslut. I wasn’t sure what to expect. On stage, he had this bath that he dived into at one point, and on the projector screen it showed him swimming in the sea and meeting a mermaid. I remember thinking: “Oh, wow, you can do anything with comedy.” It was so exciting. I also love his poems – they’re strange and insane and brilliant.
5. Music
Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem
I’ve listened to Self Esteem’s album so much in the past year. I think what’s brilliant about it, especially as a woman, is it picks those moments when you’ve felt slightly humiliated and defeated in love, but somehow makes them victorious. And that combination is just wonderful. My favourite song is I Do This All The Time, which is about being battle-hardened from dating, trying not to compare yourself to successful friends, and general life in your thirties, but it manages to be rousing and inspirational. I use it when I go to the gym – it inspires me to move forward.
6. TV
This is a satire that imagines a world where superheroes exist, but in a really realistic, cynical way: all the superheroes are represented by huge corporations who cover up for them when they do terrible things and use them to peddle certain products. It makes some astute comments about the current political climate, particularly in America, and how reactionary everybody is. There’s a character called Homelander, played by Antony Starr, who is basically a Superman type: he’s gorgeous and all-powerful, but a complete sociopath – he can be charming but only for so long, and is actually completely dangerous and insane.
