‘Comedy helped Britons through last five years of the Tories’
Political satirist Rosie Holt has said comedy helped her and the public through “this particular incarnation of the Tory government” by giving people a muchneeded laugh.
Holt shot to fame during the Covid-19 lockdown with her portrayal of a desperate and loyal Conservative, MP Rosie Holt, where she would splice clips of herself over news segments regarding the handling of the pandemic to poke fun at the Government's response.
The 38-year-old actor, author and comedian, originally from Somerset , said the General Election campaign has so far been littered with “remarkable gaffs”, saying she took particular “enjoyment” from the moment Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he went without Sky TV as a child.
Holt also spoke of the ways in which comedy can be “cathartic” by poking fun at the current state of affairs, helping herself and others through the “frustration” they feel at the Government.
“This particular incarnation of the Tory government since Boris Johnson have been so ridiculous, I mean that's what kick-started my career,” Holt said.
“Everybody, myself included, really needed some catharsis and they needed to laugh because they were so frustrated at what our Government was doing.
“I have some sympathy for Labour because I think they’ll get in and they'll have quite a lot to do - I think the Government have left the country in a mess.”
Holt also said comedy is a “worthy tool” in helping to raise awareness on certain political issues.
“I’ m always wary about sounding worthy and going ,‘ yeah, we hold the Government to account’ because I’m not sure how much a comedy sketch is going to change people’ s minds ,” she said.
“But I think it is a way of bringing awareness about certain issues and you can do that, so I think it is a worthy tool in society - how effective it is, I don't know.” Throughout her career, Holt has poked fun at several conservative policies, from Brexit to the Rwanda plan, and highlighted the party gate scandal and the subsequent Sue Gray report as fertile comedic ground.
“It’s always sad saying I enjoyed it because obviously it’ s due to the misery they caused,” she said.
“But the Sue Gray report and partygate was a comedic gift that kept on giving.
“More and more things would come out, their refusal to admit any wrongdoing became increasingly ridiculous.”
Of the more recent blunders during the election campaign trail, holt said :“so far, i think this election has been a weird mix of quite boring at times, because I feel as though everyone knows what is going to happen, but there have been some remarkablegaffs which have been quite astonishing.
“Rishi Sunak saying he had to forego Sky TV as a child was a highlight for me, I thought that was wonderful and I really enjoyed how it understandably spawned so many comic takes on social media.”
She added that mr sun ak leaving D-day commemorations in Norm andy early was an“incredible gaff ”.“I thought that was extraordinary, I thought, ‘who is advising you?’” she said.
“It’s terrible he left early but there is this kind of thrill at seeing him mess up so much.”