Katherine Ryan, comedian

Oct 29, 2023

Katherine Ryan, a Canadian comedian and writer, discusses her successful career, her sitcom 'The Duchess', and the importance of personal stories. She talks about growing up in a small-minded town, her experience working at Hooters, and navigating the emotional rollercoaster of miscarriages. The podcast also introduces an upcoming show 'Nature Bang' exploring consciousness and self-identity.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

The Importance of Personal Stories and Glamorous Stage Persona

01:54 • 2min

Love for the Spice Girls and Growing Up in a Small-Minded Town

03:48 • 2min

Parents and Comedy, Speaking French, and Influential Songs

05:54 • 8min

The Speaker's Experience at Hooters and Feminism

13:36 • 13min

Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster

26:49 • 8min

Upcoming comedians and introducing Nature Bang

34:52 • 2min

Katherine Ryan is a Canadian comedian and writer. Her edgy and provocative routines have led to sell-out tours, comedy specials on television and her sitcom series The Duchess. Based on her experience at the time, the Duchess tells the story of a successful, happily single mother and Katherine wrote it out of frustration because she believed no one else was telling a story like hers on screen.

Katherine was born in Sarnia in Ontario where she attended a local French-speaking primary school. The school celebrated the arts and Katherine became a musical theatre enthusiast who could sing, dance, write and act.

Later she moved to Toronto where she studied city planning and worked for a branch of the restaurant chain Hooters. She credits the latter with teaching her the value of being entertaining and smart.

In 2008 she relocated to London with her boyfriend and a few years later she got her big break as a comedian, performing on the panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats. By now a single mother to daughter Violet, she developed a rapport with audiences by sharing stories from her own life – both funny and sad. She describes her tendency to connect with her fans in this way as her “language of love”.

In 2019, while filming an episode of the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are in Canada, she met up with her high school boyfriend, Bobby. They hadn’t seen each other for 20 years but the spark was still there and later that year they married in Denmark and went on to have two children together.

The programme was recorded on September 6th.

DISC ONE: Spice Up Your Life - The Spice Girls DISC TWO: The Real Slim Shady - Eminem DISC THREE: La Isla Bonita - Madonna DISC FOUR: Soul One - Blind Melon DISC FIVE: 22 - Taylor Swift DISC SIX: Psychic City (Classixx Remix) - Yacht DISC SEVEN: Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band DISC EIGHT: 16 Shots - Stefflon Don

BOOK CHOICE: The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler LUXURY ITEM: A hat and skincare set CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Spice Up Your Life - The Spice Girls

Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Paula McGinley