Hayley gets serious
Hayley Holt’s background in sports and dancing shows wouldn’t make her the obvious choice to front a political programme. However, she assures Hannah McKee that she is for real.
Behind the ‘‘sporty, fun girl’’ persona, Hayley Holt says she’s actually quite a serious person. Many New Zealanders will know her as a laidback co-host of The Crowd Goes Wild, or a glamorous judge for Dancing with the Stars.
But Holt is keen to merge her talent for live television with her lesser-known forte – politics.
The latest feather in her broadcasting cap is joining Wallace Chapman as co-host of New Zealand’s unique pub politics show, Back Benches.
Holt went back to university in 2015 to study politics parttime, but did not have Back Benches in mind, she says.
‘‘Not at all, I guess someone ‘up there’ maybe knew something, I don’t know.
‘‘I was living with a girl at the time who was very into politics, and my dad is very into politics, so was just interested in it.’’
Holt stepped in after Damian Christie’s decision to leave the show after eight years to focus on other projects.
Holt is aware that, from viewers’ points of view, it might seem a surprising career move on her part.
‘‘People don’t understand, because I’ve got that kind of ‘Yeah! Sporty, sort of fun girl’ persona, I guess.
‘‘But, behind the scenes, I’m kind of serious.’’
The gig is an ideal avenue for Holt to channel a long-timebrewing interest in politics.
‘‘I read a lot of the blogs and articles and all the discussions and Facebook, but there was never really an outlet for it.
‘‘This job has now given me an excuse for doing it, so it’s good.’’
The show was originally aired live when it was a TVNZ production.
It is now filmed ‘‘as live’’ (in one take) at about 6pm on Wednesdays, and airs at 10.30pm on Prime.
Chapman admits Holt is far more natural as a host than he was in his first few weeks on the job.
‘‘Because it’s like, you’re here, in a pub, people are yelling or cheering and you’ve got all these extra factors that you might not have sitting in a nice, quiet studio, with nice notes and an ear piece.
‘‘But Hayley’s really used to live TV, which is why she was quite an asset on the show and why she got picked.’’ One of the key traits to being a successful Back Benches host, Chapman says, is not to overprepare, because anything can happen.
For Holt, having very little shame is also an advantage.
‘‘I get nervous, yes, but I also have had a long career even before I was on TV, with dancing and performance, where I have done some very embarrassing things.
‘‘I don’t have too much shame left, so I’m not too worried about looking like an idiot, which I think really helps.’’
One of Holt’s main jobs is being the crowd wrangler, a task Chapman says never really gets easier.
‘‘How do you know they’re going to want to talk? In a normal show, you’d ring them up ahead of time and the usual media slogan is ‘they’re good talent’, but the fact here is that you don’t know what you’re going to get.
‘‘Last week, we found out five minutes before that a woman named Jules had come from Florida especially because she’d heard about this random show. Holy shit, was she good talent, magic, she was on fire.’’
He has researched television around the world and is confident that Back Benches is unique. ‘‘It lets people engage in politics in a real way.
‘‘Just the mere virtue of the politicians having a wine on a panel means, often you get some really personal stories. I remember, one time, Hone Harawira had an amazing story about growing up in Northland and what it was really like.
‘‘But the thing about this show is you’ve got to appeal to a pub audience, but also people in Taumarunui, or Rotorua, or Havelock North, who are watching the show at home. We’ve got to pick topics that appeal across every person, but are also a little bit Wellington.’’
In terms of potential debate topics this season, Chapman says euthanasia is something they could really get their teeth stuck into.
Holt meanwhile is desperate to get Winston Peters on the show: ‘‘Love or hate his politics, he’s a character,’’ she says.
Chapman is looking forward to working with Holt. ‘‘There’s nothing more exciting than having a new voice and a new style.’’
‘‘And a new gender!’’ says Holt, who returns to the show from holiday in the next episode.
‘I get nervous, yes, but I also have had a long career even before I was on TV, with dancing and performance, where I have done some very embarrassing things.’ Hayley Holt