Matt Forde: Joanna Cherry 'best SNP leader they never had'

The Herald Scotland

10-07-2025

His comments come ahead of a host of political interviews and shows he will be taking to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month.
Political comedian Matt Forde (Image: David Monteith-Hodge)
They include his podcast the Political Party, where the former SNP MP will be one of his guests.
Earlier this year, Ms Cherry, a KC and critic of gender self-ID, demanded an apology from former first minister Nicola Sturgeon after the Supreme Court ruled that sex in the Equality Act refers to biological sex.
The SNP politician also called on John Swinney to respect the judgment and women's rights to single-sex spaces.
READ MORE:
Asked if they will discuss the current SNP leadership during the show, Mr Forde told The Herald's Unspun Live podcast: 'Oh, absolutely. Especially as, for a lot of people, she is the sort of best leader they never had.'
He added: 'There's a whole load of people in the Yes Movement who would love to see Joanna Cherry as the leader of it and who she probably more closely aligns with.
'Her assessment of the current SNP government and how it's doing and what its prospects are is absolutely high on the list [of questions to ask].
'Obviously, we know how she feels about Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney, so I will definitely be asking her about that.'
Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry on the campaign trail with First Minister John Swinney (Image: Jane Barlow/ PA Wire)
Ms Cherry was defeated in the battle for Edinburgh South West in last year's general election by Labour's Scott Arthur, a former councillor and convener of the City of Edinburgh Council's transport committee.
She was one of 38 SNP MPs to lose their seat.
She recently criticised Mr Swinney for having no appetite for understanding why the SNP suffered such a huge defeat.
'Joanna is in a particular place with her relationship with the SNP at the moment which makes her fascinating,' Mr Forde told the podcast. 'She's also one of the most compelling guests I've ever interviewed.'
The comedian described Ms Cherry as 'talented, sharp and on the different side of a number of the debates to friends in the SNP.'
Asked if a party rebel like Ms Cherry makes for a better guest than someone toeing the party line, he said: 'When you've got someone who is a bit more rebellious or on a different side of a particular debate within a movement, I just think it's so much more interesting because it's really refreshing for the public to hear different voices from within the political parties and movements, particularly on issues like the ones Joanna has effectively been a rebel on.'
The comedian said he was keen to distinguish between two types of outspoken people in politics: those for whom rebellion is 'part of their DNA' and those who are forced to be.
For him, Ms Cherry is the latter.
'There are different types of rebellion,' he explained. 'There are people who are rebels by design. Someone like Jeremy Corbyn is always going to rebel. That's just who he is—it's part of his DNA.
'I don't necessarily think that is what Joanna is. I think she is someone who has probably been—and I can't speak for her—but my assessment is that she is someone who is in tune with public opinion on a whole range of social issues and has found it really difficult to be part of a party and a movement that has gone down a particular route.
'Had things been different I think she wouldn't have been a rebel. That is fairly obvious, but she is mainstream really—she's not a fringe politician whose rebellion is part of who she is. I think she has been driven to it.'
Ian Murray, Secretary of State for Scotland, will also appear alongside Mr Forde. He said he hopes to tease out the personal side of the UK minister onstage.
'He's a really good laugh,' the comedian said. 'So I think I'll sort of coax him out a bit.'
Ian Murray Secretary of State for Scotland arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting in June this year. (Image: Gareth Fuller/ PA Wire)
The comedian and self-proclaimed 'political obsessive' said it is a difficult time for the Scottish Labour MP.
He explained Mr Murray currently has 'his foot in both camps' in trying to win over both Scottish and UK Labour: 'The change in his fortunes from being the only Labour MP in Scotland to all of a sudden being Secretary of State for it.
'He, more than any other member of that Cabinet, is tied to Scottish Labour in a way that none of the others are.'
He added: '[I want to] get a sense of how he has found that first year of trying to manage what Labour needs to do to win in Scotland without, effectively, trashing what Labour are doing at a UK level.'
Known for voicing Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer on the satirical TV show Spitting Image, the comedian has also been brushing up his impersonations of Scottish politicians, namely Anas Sarwar and John Swinney, before he heads to the Fringe.
'I would say my Swinney is basically fine. I would say my Anas is better,' he said.
Matt Forde with Spitting Image puppet Boris Johnson (Image: contributed)
On impersonating Mr Swinney, he said: 'Obviously John's a lot more softly spoken. In fact, Jim Murphy was a wee bit like that. A lovely, whispery way like that.'
Having a go at the Scottish Labour leader's accent, Mr Forde said: 'I would say my Anas is a kind of cartoony, squeaky mix of that beautiful accent that he has got which is a mix of the Scottish Pakistani accents.
'I am dialling up the squeakiness of him but sometimes you have to caricature it a bit to get the vibe.'
The comedian, said he may resort to fan favourites, such as his Gordon Brown impersonation, to win over the Scottish audiences.
Mr Forde will also bring Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, and Scottish political broadcaster Kirsty Wark on to the stage.
He is keen to chat to Mr Khan about devolution and mayoral systems and discuss media coverage of Scottish politics with Ms Wark.
The Fringe is a particularly emotive place for Mr Forde, as he discovered he had cancer while performing at the festival a few years ago.
In his stand-up show, Defying Calamity, he will open up about this experience and how important it is to remain positive despite the current political climate and what life throws at you.
Mr Forde, who is now cancer-free, said: 'Even though I am frustrated at the state of politics and the state of the world, I still feel really good about life.
'I realise that's from a position of relative privilege. I realise I'm not living on the eastern border of Ukraine or in Gaza.
'When you are forced to really conclude that though, I feel so lucky that I had that experience.'
Matt Forde impersonating Donald Trump on his show Unspun (Image: contributed)
He also said he would share 'funny ailments' with the audience such as having a stoma, being incontinent and having erectile dysfunction.
'Surely all these are classic subjects for comedy alongside the political stuff?' he joked.
Mr Forde added: 'Life is about more than politics and you have to liberate yourself from it a bit.'
The comic said he was looking forward to coming back to the capital in August.
'It's just always the most exciting time of the year,' he said. 'I love Edinburgh as a city, I love the festival. I love being a part of it. I just think it's the most magical place.'
You can listen to the full interview with Matt Forde on The Herald's Unspun Live podcast on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Matt Forde returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his new stand-up show Defying Calamity, running at the Pleasance Beyond from July 30 to August 24 at 8pm. He will also host four Political Party specials: Ian Murray (August 7), Joanna Cherry (August 13), Kirsty Wark (August 21) at the Gilded Balloon, all at 2.45pm; and Sadiq Khan (August 24) at McEwan Hall at 5.30pm. Tickets available at mattforde.com.