Writing sitcoms and shouting at squirrels: an interview with Holly Walsh

Writing sitcoms and shouting at squirrels: an interview with Holly Walsh

13 June, 2012
by: Emma

Holly Walsh talks to Emma McAlpine about her new sitcom starring Jennifer Saunders, Sharon Horgan's amazing garden shed and how she turned a nasty accident to her advantage.

“I’m so sorry I was late,” Holly Walsh concludes at the end of our interview, having already apologised for arriving only ten minutes later than scheduled. Her travel nerves are understandable: recently she missed a flight while waiting at the gate because she was deeply engrossed in conversation. “We only noticed something was wrong when we saw our plane flying past the window!"

This week however, Walsh has bigger things to get nervous about, like the premiere of her first sitcom on BBC3. Co-written with Pulling star Sharon Horgan, the story revolves around Helen Stephens (played by Horgan), wrongly convicted of murdering her boss and sent to prison. Walsh and Horgan have recruited a stellar cast for the series, including Jennifer Saunders as a psychotic prison governor, Public Enemies’ Barnaby Kay as Helen’s fiancee and Peep Show’s Geoff McGivern as Helen’s lawyer Tony (“no win, some fee”). You can also expect cameo appearances from The Libertines’ Carl Barat and Miranda Richardson. “We did write Jennifer’s part with her in mind,” Walsh tells me. “We didn’t think she’d say yes but when she did, we were over the moon. She was amazing. Just moving her eyebrows, she can be the funniest person in the room.”

Inspired by films like Mean Girls, Walsh and Horgan devised an American high school environment for the prison, complete with its own nerd and jock cliques.  There’s also a special ‘Glee Club’ episode to look out for, featuring an epic prison choir battle scene.  “Very early on we decided that we didn’t want to write a social commentary on prisons,” Walsh says.  “We just wanted it to be funny. We asked the cast to do a lot of silly things and they all really went for it!” 

Having started out working in East London art galleries, Walsh made the switch to comedy in 2006, after attending evening classes in comedy writing. “It was a bit like being in a great relationship and then falling in love with someone else.” Stand-up comedian Jo Caulfield, who was a guest speaker on the course, gave Walsh her first big break, hiring her to write for her Radio 4 show.  “It was a huge opportunity for me,” says Walsh. “I'd never really written before and I didn't even do stand-up at the time. I sent her some stuff and she was ridiculously responsive and encouraging. I am hugely grateful to her because getting paid for it gave me the validation that I was good enough to pursue it as a career.”

Walsh first met Horgan on the second series of the show and the pair have been firm friends ever since. “Sharon is a great writer, a really good performer and a very funny person. It’s been great fun writing Dead Boss with her. We sit in a room and try and make each other laugh.” The ‘room’ in particular is Horgan’s garden shed, but this is no ordinary, garden tool sort of shed. “It’s a got a running machine in it,” Walsh enthuses. “I don't think she'd mind me saying that I really fancy her shed. We spend a lot of time shouting at squirrels in there.”

Next week, Walsh is back to performing stand-up, presenting her debut 2011 show at the Soho Theatre. A nasty accident she had the previous summer (jumping off a pier for the annual Birdman competition and breaking her arm), turned out to be the perfect material to base her first show around. “As soon as it happened, I got about 25 text messages from comedian friends saying "You lucky bitch, there's your Edinburgh show sorted! By the way, get well soon." Seeing the show as a type of therapy, she had modest expectations as to how it would be received, which made it all the sweeter when she was nominated for the prestigious Edinburgh ‘Best Newcomer’ Award. “I don't normally talk about personal stuff in my comedy sets,” she says. “It was the first time I'd done anything like that so I was super happy when I got nominated.” It must have made amends for all the pain and physio you went through, I suggest.

“I would rather have a properly functioning elbow,” she laughs. “But yes, it did help!”


Dead Boss starts on BBC3 on Thursday 14th June at 10.30pm, followed by a second episode at 11pm.

Holly Walsh: Hollycopter is at the Soho Theatre from Friday 22rd-Saturday 23rd June, at 9:30pm

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Emma