Comedian and author Dominic Holland has been making people laugh since he first performed stand-up in 1991. Two years later, he won the prestigious Perrier Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
He became a household name through radio show The Small World of Dominic Holland and on TV with appearances on Have I Got News for You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. As a writer, he has provided material for Bob Monkhouse, Clive Anderson and Harry Enfield and has written nine novels.
Dominic met his wife, photographer Nikki Holland, while studying at Leeds University. They live in west London and have four children, Paddy, Sam, Harry and award-winning actor Tom.
What did your parents teach you about money?
They never sat me down and talked about finances but I suppose I just emulated them. They were pretty frugal and that’s where I am today.
My mum was a nurse and my dad a teacher. We were pretty middle class but there was no largesse.
How did they react when you went into comedy?
It was a bit left-field. We all went to university – my two brothers are lawyers. My family are Catholic, so I think Dad was just relieved I wasn’t having a baby out of wedlock.
Did you have a backup plan?
I did have a master’s degree in marketing but frankly, comedy was the only thing I felt proficient at. I thought that if I needed to, I’d be a salesman. I couldn’t be a lawyer or a hedge fund guy in the City, I didn’t have the organisational skills.
How did you get into comedy?
I got pretty good quite quickly. I worked in The Comedy Store, earning £1,000 a week in my early 20s. I did warm-ups in TV studios, won awards early on and became quite established.
That said, comedy is a very attritional game and I still get anxious at aspects of it. But here I am in my 50s and I’ve made my entire living from being a funny bloke.
What’s been your career highlight?
My great runs at Edinburgh festivals and my TV shows back in the day – the Royal Variety Performance and the live shows.
How did you get into writing?
I thought I was just going to stay on telly. I was good enough and had no idea it might stop.
I think it was when the TV offers ended that I figured if I became a best-selling novelist that would be a fantastic safety net for me. I would still be a humourist but in the written word rather than having to schlepp all over the country performing at gigs.
Have you ever been paid silly money for a job?
Not in terms of TV, but I did wander into the corporate circuit, which has proven lucrative and I became very good at doing those gigs. I don’t need to swear or offend anyone, so I’m a pretty safe pair of hands.
I remember one time, probably 15 years ago, when a famous comedian had pulled out of a big gig in London because he was prone to nerves and too anxious. They called and asked me to step in. I was paid his fee, which was £15,000.
For me at the time, that was an inordinate amount of money. I bounced around my kitchen for an hour after that phone call. It was a great gig and I was cock-a-hoop.
That hasn’t been repeated but I’m open to offers.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Definitely a saver. I’m getting to the point where I am not running into more gigs, I’m running into fewer gigs, so I need to have enough to get through life and look after my kids.
I’ve always been careful. I go to the golf club where there are all these nice cars and I roll up in an old banger. I can’t risk spending on something that does me no good and is just an ego trip.
What is your biggest indulgence?
We go for nice dinners in town. I’m just going to contradict myself when I say I’m careful.
I did buy a villa in Portugal when I was on the telly. The kids were very young and we went there every summer and half term for about five years. That was for my big retirement but the upkeep became too expensive when TV dried up. It washed its face when I sold it, so it wasn’t a tragedy.
What have been your best and worst money decisions?
Both are property-related.
The best is buying a four-bed place in London that I could never afford now. The worst decision stems from my being quite risky with investments. I invested hundreds of thousands in a property venture abroad and lost the lot.
What financial advice have you given your children?
I certainly can’t advise my eldest because he’s doing quite well and doesn’t really defer to me. I hope they all see the merit in being realistic and not profligate.
Tom’s fame is a case in point, the others have been to see him on set and enjoyed that high life. However, I don’t think it’s corrupted any of them, certainly not Tom whose feet are on the ground.
If you met him, he presents as a very ordinary person who just happens to have an extraordinary career.
What have you got on the go or coming up?
My book Open Links has recently been published. It’s a golf novel, although not just for golf fanatics. It’s a very accessible, affirming and funny read and all the profits go to the Anthony Nolan Trust, contributing to their life-saving work against blood cancer.
I’m also doing my corporate gigs. I did a lovely one the other week. It went down so well that they gave me an extra £500!
Dominic Holland’s novel Open Links is available from all good booksellers. He is available for corporate gigs via nmp.co.uk.
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