Eight years on from winning the Funny Women Awards in 2008, Katherine Ryan is in constant demand as a guest on leading panel shows, acting in sitcoms and presenting awards at prestigious ceremonies. I am also proud to say that she hosted our very own Awards finals in 2013 and 2014 on the cusp of her current fame.
One of her former work colleagues told me she was going to be a big star when she took part in our Awards. I wasn’t in a position to agree with him on that occasion but I did get a strong sense that it was the birth of a new comedy career. Exchanging notes with one of my fellow judges at the final, we agreed that Katherine reminded us of Rita Rudner combined with the sassy wickedness of the late, great Joan Rivers. A recipe for her current success.
Comparisons are inevitable once you get to a certain level in comedy, but there comes a point when they have to stop. Katherine has her own distinctive style and to see so many young female fans at her recent Hammersmith Apollo show was a sure sign that her brand of comedy is attracting the kind of audience more usually associated with taking selfies and consuming celebrity gossip. They can do this as well of course, because Katherine delivers her version of this with an edginess that also satisfies her hard core comedy fans.
Offstage Katherine cleverly uses her strong social media profile to feed the comedy monster. This ensures her live audiences follow her onto the small screen and exchange virtual chatter about her strongly opinionated material featuring the likes of Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Cheryl Cole. No female celebrity is left unscathed in Katherine’s wake.
There is more personal material in the mix when Katherine talks about her hometown of Sarnia in Ontario being the Canadian capital of teen pregnancy and suicide, as well as the fact that she did not fit in at school or conformed to the normal social niceties of dating and marriage. Even the name of her show, Kathbum, is a cosy family nickname, soon to be further immortalised when the recording we saw becomes available on DVD later this year. From her ‘girlfriend’ chat at the start of the show to the hilarious denouement of her sister’s choice of groom, there is plenty to enjoy and question, as with all great comedy.
You can still catch Kathbum on Thursday 16th June in Preston and Katherine will be at the Edinburgh Fringe from Thursday 4th to Saturday 13th August with a new work in progress. For tickets and more information click here!
