Above photo credit: The Other Richard
Written by and starring Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning comedian, and Taskmaster runner-up Rose Matafeo, Starstruck is a joyful millennial Notting Hill, but much funnier.
We follow Jessie who lives in East London. She juggles two dead-end jobs to afford the overpriced flat that she shares with her best friend, Kate (Emma Sidi). On New Year’s Eve, she hooks up with Tom (Nikesh Patel), and she soon discovers that he is a famous film star. Their worlds could not be more different, yet fate keeps bringing them together under extraordinary circumstances.
We chat to Emma Sidi about the new series of Starstruck, the power of female friendships, her surreal comedy heroes, and the value of a good romcom.
Hi Emma! Huge congratulations on the series. I read somewhere this week that it’s been broadcast in 96 countries now!
It’s that mad?! It’s lovely for it to be across different platforms. Someone tagged me in the Italian dubbed version. The voice artist captured me better than I can myself. Kate worked so well in Italian; the frantic lilt of the Italian was perfect for her frantic character. I should do it like that all the time!
Credit: BBC
Was getting the call for series 3 unexpected or was another chapter always in the works?
It was unexpected. We didn’t know if there was going to be anything past the second series, which has an ending. You could wrap it up there quite comfortably. I’m such good friends with Rose Matafeo (who co-wrote the series with Alice Sneddon) so I knew she was thinking about a third. It was exciting to never know for sure because we keep the professional and personal quite separate…
Were you excited to jump back in and tell this story as the characters are growing up a bit, especially Kate and her fiancée Ian?
I was really excited to get back together with the cast. We’d really bonded in a weird way because of the pandemic. So much sitting in masks together, in plastic chairs two metres apart. Not having spoken to or met anyone new in the pandemic made us bond extra quickly. We filmed the first two series in our 20s and the third series in our 30s and our growing up was really fun to explore through the characters.
Starstruck has this amazing ability to show the authenticity of female friendships on screen. Your line from the first episode is so quotable “He’s a famous actor. You’re a little rat nobody!”. It sums up the power dynamics of the central relationship so perfectly and it’s only something a best friend could say. Did you get that sense at the time?
I think Rose and I have a very direct friendship. A female best friend has that ability to tell you the truth, all the time, every day. If they’re overreacting to spilling some coffee, you tell them off. If they’re overreacting to having slept with a celebrity, you let them know. There’s a kind of strictness in our relationship that was so fun to find the comedy in. Kate and Jessie’s relationship reflects this quality of calling each other out but with so much love.
Kate’s character has got this sort of fiercely loving manic boss energy which she brings to all parts of her life. Do you counsel your friends through breakups and messy life events with loads of compassion or are you a bit more direct?
Kate feels like an extremely concentrated essence of me. She’s a version of me with all the sensible things taken away. I like to think I am compassionate and I’m a good listener but I do chuck out advice, arguably too much, that’s not necessarily good advice! It’s a wonderful thing about female friendship that we share our problems, and we ask for help when we need it.
Growing up did you have any particular comedy heroes and was performing something that you were always drawn to?
I was drawn to performing without me even realising when I was really young. I was so addicted to Reeves and Mortimer and The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. Watching the reruns now it’s a really strongly flavoured alternative comedy. It was just the funniest programme ever. As I got a bit older, I became obsessed with my Mum’s Victoria Wood script books and I listened to her sketch show on tape. As a teenager I loved the unusual alternative UK comedies like Green Wing and Peep Show.
In my mid-teens I was obsessed with comedy and acting. I was sensible enough to know what a difficult career it was, or maybe it was my parents telling me “You need a plan B!”. I studied languages so I could get a job as a Spanish teacher. I’m chuffed I get to do this as a job. It’s a dream come true.
I read your Spanish has helped as you have your own telenovela?
I wrote and starred in a short film called La Princesa de Woking. It’s filmed as if a Mexican production company have tried to imagine what it’s like to be British and the result is quite fruity. It’s up on YouTube.
I was thinking more broadly about women in comedy and the freedom it gives you to tap into creative strangeness, trying things out, and just being a complete weirdo. As you said back in an interview in 2019 men are seen as innovative geniuses and women are quirky and kookie, something that Starstruck mentions explicitly, and is rarely a compliment. Is this still the case or are we finally chipping away at it?
I think probably even since 2019 it feels a little bit better. I think we’re still really concerned with appearance in character comedy, and it’s always commented on. We’re in a crisis in reality TV in terms of the prevalence of cosmetic surgery adding to the pressure of how women think they should look. I do think that it’s maybe a little easier to be weird now and be respected for being different. Liz Kingsman has this brilliant show called One Woman Show and I think she’s really getting the respect she deserves. I think it is probably getting better, but we’re still not equal in terms of critical respect.
With some reviews of live comedy, you read things about men which will say “subversive”, “transgressive” and “undermining the status quo”. With women it might just say “gross-out humour”, like what women offer is less sophisticated intellectually. We must keep on talking about this and pushing for change in the way women in comedy are perceived.
Credit: BBC
Speaking of women as an audience, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Rose said she’s concerned that perhaps the romcom genre is limiting for young women in its presentation of romantic love as a vital aspiration. You realise with age that relationships are not the be-all and end-all necessarily. Do you find the romcom genre limiting as an actor, or a viewer, or did you go into this role as a fan?
I’m so proud to be a comedian because I really value entertainment. Life’s really hard and to get to do a job that might provide a moment of escape for people is such a genuine honour for me. I rely on TV, podcasts, and music to make me happy. I really enjoy being part of the romcom genre. It feels like such pure delicious entertainment that allows us to fantasise in a really glittery way. There’s real value in that. And then with Starstruck’s authentic dialogue on top of that. It has a slightly far-fetched initial premise, but after that it’s fully immersed in the real world. And it has a diverse cast which a lot of romcoms didn’t used to have. I think Rose is being harsh on herself and that’s Rose’s nature. I feel very proud to be part of a series that is so joyful, warm and truthful.
I’m very jaded about romance and romcoms generally and I thought the series was terrific. Just the right balance between the warm fuzzies and unpleasant bits of real life. Romcom obstacles put in place to keep the main characters apart are usually ridiculous but not in Starstruck.
I think a lot of the obstacles are about personalities; Jessie’s personality and Tom’s personality, with Kate’s personality getting in the way. The major obstacles are psychological and come from within.
I love the references to the cliche romcom tropes like running through the airport. It’s very knowing but everyone is in on the joke.
Yes, it’s knowing but never cynical. The writing allows you to play it very straight, especially the scenes with me and Al Roberts who plays Ian. You can just play it completely truthfully and then the comedy comes from that naturally. There’s room for everything on TV. We need devastating dramas Chernobyl and The Last of Us to help us reflect on the world, but we also need shows that offer a warm hug.
With your ridiculous and poignant character arc in BBC3’s Pls Like and your terrific turn on Channel 4’s Prince Andrew: The Musical it feels like you could shine in almost anything. I’m excited to see what you do next. Is there anything in the pipeline that you can tell me about or, if not, what’s your ideal project?
I love period dramas especially comedy period pieces, for example The Great and Armando Iannucci’s David Copperfield, and Emily, the Emily Bronte movie. I love 19th century period drama that has a comedy twist to it. I’d love to be in the costumes, be the world, but make it funny.
I’m going to be in the new series of Ghosts which airs this autumn. I appeared briefly as Kitty’s nasty sister in the third series and now we finally find out the end of Kitty’s story. She’s played by the wonderful Lolly Adefope and by coincidence is my absolute favourite character. That was a real dream to get. Just being on set feels like you’ve won a golden ticket.
One last thing. I know you’ve been to the Edinburgh Fringe as a performer a number of times. Can you see yourself back at the festival despite the rising costs and do you have any tips for people who want to take a show there?
I think about this a lot. Devastated sounds like a strong word, but that is sort of how I feel. I took my first show in 2015 and it was really, really expensive for me then. Luckily with my temping work, my substitute teacher work, and my grandmother gave me a little bit of money towards it, I could just about make it work. Looking at what it costs now, I have no idea how I could do that! I think it’s really difficult for young performers and the worst part about it is that young performers should still be going up because there’s no place like it. You have to do it. It will be amazing for both your craft and for opportunities. It feels like it’s gone over a cliff the last few years. I hope some conversations can open up about costs and the funding model.
I’m in a position now where I suppose I could go, but it always affects my health. That makes me sound like a Victorian match girl but there’s freshers flu and you’re performing every day. It’s exhausting.
At the Melbourne International Festival in 2017, where Rose and I forged our friendship, the provisions were amazing. I think Edinburgh could definitely learn from that model. Have you been to the Machynlleth Comedy Festival? It’s only a weekend, but it’s all the acts you can imagine, cheaper to be there, and a beautiful place. I can’t recommend it enough. It feels like a comedy dream to be there.
Starstruck is now available on BBC iPlayer
