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Katherine Ryan

Katherine Ryan
Ryan in November 2014 at the Adelphi Theatre
Born
Katherine Louisa Ryan

June 1983 (age 41)
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship
  • Canadian
  • Irish[1]
EducationRyerson University (BA)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • writer
  • actress
  • presenter
PartnerBobby Kootstra (cp. 2019–present)
Children3

Katherine Louisa Ryan (born June 1983)[2] is a Canadian comedian, writer, presenter, actress and singer.[3][4] She has appeared on British TV and radio panel shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats (as a regular team captain), Never Mind the Buzzcocks, A League of Their Own, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, QI, Just a Minute, Safeword, and Have I Got News for You. In 2015 she replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of Hair on BBC Two. As an actress, Ryan has appeared on several television sitcoms in the UK, including Campus, Episodes, and her Netflix show The Duchess.

As a stand-up comedian, Ryan has appeared on the BBC's Live at the Apollo, both as a featured act and as a lead act. She has had two live stand-up specials released on Netflix: Katherine Ryan: In Trouble (2017) and Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room (2019).

Early life

Ryan's father, Finbar,[5] is a draughtsman and owner of an engineering company who originally emigrated from Ireland to Canada.[6] Her mother, Julie McCarthy, owns an IT consulting company.[7][8] Ryan and her two younger sisters were born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario.[9]

Ryan's parents separated when she was a teenager.[10] When she was 18, she chose to study city planning at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in Toronto.[11][12] While attending university, she worked at restaurant chain Hooters, and she then began training other waitresses.[13] In her spare time she performed at open mic nights for her own entertainment, and by graduation she had developed a basic comedy routine.[8] She was one of the many dancers in MuchMusic's Electric Circus program.[14]

Career

After graduation, Ryan continued working for Hooters as a corporate trainer, travelling around Canada to train other waitresses, and helping to open the then-only UK branch in Nottingham. Her partner at the time wanted to explore London, so she agreed to do so for an initial month from summer 2007, moving there permanently from January 2008.[8][4]

As a comedian

Ryan performing stand-up in 2012

Ryan won the Funny Women award in 2008. Rachel Stubbings and Sara Pascoe were runners-up.[15]

Ryan first appeared on television as herself in episodes of the Canadian music video review show Video on Trial between season one in 2005 and her last appearance in 2008 in season three. After relocating to the United Kingdom, she first appeared on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2012. She had previously appeared in the cast of Channel 4's Campus.

On 23 February 2013, she appeared as a celebrity contestant on BBC One's Let's Dance for Comic Relief as Nicki Minaj dancing to "Starships". Ryan reached the final, and finished in fourth place.[16] Ryan was later featured on the Whitney Cummings Just for Laughs 2013 Gala that was taped before a live audience on 28 July 2013.[17][18] She has since taken new routines to the Edinburgh Festival.[8]

In 2015, Ryan replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of Hair on BBC Two. Also in 2015, Ryan became a panellist for Tinie Tempah's team on Sky 1's music/comedy panel show Bring the Noise and on the ITV2 show, Safeword.[19] In 2016, Ryan appeared on series 2 of Taskmaster. She beat Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Richard Osman and Jon Richardson, to win the season.[20]

Ryan went on a comedy tour in 2016, called Kathbum, a name her toddler sister used to call her.[21] In February 2017, Netflix released Katherine Ryan: In Trouble, featuring her stand-up comedy live performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, during that tour.[22][23]

She joined Jimmy Carr in 2017 to host four series of the reboot of Your Face or Mine?. In 2018, Ryan joined American comedy panel show, The Fix as a team captain. In July 2019, Netflix released her second live stand-up special, Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room.[24]

Actress

As an actress, Ryan has appeared on numerous television series in the UK, including the sitcoms Campus,[25][26] Episodes[27] and Badults.[28] Ryan starred in the Netflix comedy The Duchess, based on a single mother's life in London; she is credited as its writer, executive producer, and creator.[29]

Other work

On 6 June 2014, YouTube comedy duo Jack and Dean released a music video for their song "Consent" featuring Ryan in an acting role.[30]

In 2015 and 2016 Ryan wrote a weekly column in the British entertainment magazine NME.[31] In 2016 she featured in Disney XD and Teletoon's animated television series Counterfeit Cat, where she voiced Ranceford, the stuck-up, white, odd-eyed cat and leader of the Sunshine Circle for Cats.

In 2021 Ryan hosted the six-part reality competition All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star on BBC2.[32] Also in 2021 she presented the ITV2 dating show Ready to Mingle.[33]

In November 2022 Ryan was the subject of an interview in the BBC series Louis Theroux Interviews... with Louis Theroux, [34] during which she told Theroux about the "open secret" of an alleged sexual abuser who was a prominent TV personality.[35][36]

In January 2023, Ryan appeared as "Pigeon" on the fourth series of The Masked Singer.

In 2025, Ryan is set to act as a judge on the fifth season of Canada's Got Talent.

Recognition and public controversy

For her comedy work, Ryan won the 2008 Funny Women Award and was described as "the funniest new female stand up in Britain" by a national newspaper.[37]

In February 2023, Ryan won the Outstanding Female Comedy Entertainment Performance award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards for Backstage with Katherine Ryan.

Racism Scandals

In 2013, Ryan was the subject of controversy over her participation on Mock The Week in a segment "Unlikely Lines From a Cosmetics Commercial", where one of her jokes was "We don’t test any of our products on animals. We use Filipino children." Filipino groups held silent protests at the BBC office to demand an apology from her.[38][39] In another interview, she was accused of racism by some viewers on social media when she attempted to encourage a female Sri Lankan designer by saying "You need to really back yourself. Do you know how confident a straight white man would be right now? Think about Boris Johnson, how pleased he’d be right now." The BBC responded that such a comment was in line with reasonable expectations of Ryan's humour.[40]

Personal life

Katherine had a relationship with American comedian Alex Edelman.[41]

Ryan gave birth to her first child, a daughter, at age 25.[42]

In 2019, Ryan entered into a civil partnership with Bobby Kootstra. The ceremony took place in Denmark in the presence of her elder daughter. The two had dated in Canada as teenagers and were reunited when Ryan returned to her hometown while filming an episode of the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?[43][44] Her second child, a son, was born in June 2021.[45] Her third child, a daughter, was born in December 2022.[46][47]

Filmography

Year Name Role Notes
2009–2011 Campus George Bryan
2012 Episodes Merc's assistant
2012–2014 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Panelist
2013 Count Arthur Strong Tourist woman
Badults Lucy
2013, 2017 QI Contestant
2013–2021 Have I Got News For You Panelist 8 appearances
2014 Duck Quacks Don't Echo Panelist
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled Panelist
Live at the Apollo Guest With host Jack Whitehall and fellow guest, Rich Hall
2015 Hair Host
Bring the Noise Panelist
Live at the Apollo Host With guests Henning Wehn and James Acaster
2015–2016 Safeword Team captain
2015–2017 Jack Dee's Election Helpdesk Regular panelist
2016 Sunny D Kerry
The Chase Contestant
It's Not Me, It's You Guest team captain
Comedy Central at the Comedy Store Host, self
2016–2017 Counterfeit Cat Ranceford, Nelson, various
2016, 2017, 2019 Taskmaster Contestant Series 2 champion
Contestant in two-part Champion of Champions special
Stand-in for Katy Wix in Series 9 episode
2016, 2018 Would I Lie to You? Panelist
2017 How'd You Get So Rich? (UK) Presenter
The Big Fat Quiz of Everything Contestant
The Fake News Show Team captain, panelist
All Star Driving School Narrator
Tipping Point Contestant
Insert Name Here Panelist
Noel at the Apollo Host with Marlon Davis, Joel Dommett and John Robins.
2017–2019 Your Face or Mine Co-presenter with Jimmy Carr
2018 Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit Panelist
Beyond Bionic Narrator
The Fix Self, co-captain
2020 The Duchess Katherine
Urban Myths Joan Rivers
2021 All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star Host With judges Shaun Leane and Solange Azagury-Partridge[48][49]
Ready to Mingle Host
2022 Backstage with Katherine Ryan Katherine Ryan
Big Zuu's Big Eats Herself [50]
All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star Host with judges Shaun Leane and Dinny Hall
Louis Theroux Interviews Katherine Ryan Herself With Louis Theroux[51]
Big Fat Quiz of the Year Panelist With Maisie Adam[52]
2023 Romantic Getaway Alison [53]
The Masked Singer Pigeon Unmasked in episode 5[54]
Celebrity Gogglebox Herself Alongside her partner, Bobby Kootstra
90 Day Fiance UK Host
2024 Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance Herself [55]
RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World Herself (Guest judge) Series 2
Out of Order Co-host Alongside Rosie Jones and Judi Love[56]
Joe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidays Co-presenter With Joe Wilkinson[57]
Cooking With The Stars Contestant Series 4[58]

Stand-up specials

Year Title Platform Ref.
2017 Katherine Ryan: In Trouble Netflix [59]
2019 Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room Netflix [60]
2022 Katherine Ryan: Missus Sky Comedy [61]

References

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  3. ^ Moore-Bridger, Benedict; Groskop, Viv (7 August 2014). "TV Katherine Ryan gives her cheating boyfriend a star role in new show". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
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  5. ^ "Series 6, Episode 7". Room 101: Extra Storage. 7 September 2018. BBC One.
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  10. ^ Demchuk, Colin (producer, director); Ryan, Katherine (writer, performer) (14 February 2017). Katherine Ryan: In Trouble (Television production). Netflix. Statement occurs at time 57:25.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  39. ^ Video on YouTube
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  61. ^ "Katherine Ryan: Missus on Sky Comedy". NowTV. 11 January 2024.