Tony Cowell
The comedian talks about finding success and being a single mum
Canadian funny woman Katherine Ryan, 34, is back with her own UK standup tour and co-hosting a new series of Your Face
Or Mine – the often brutal gameshow that pits couples against each other – alongside fellow comedian Jimmy Carr. The panel show regular lives in north London, and has a daughter, Violet, seven, from a previous relationship.
I’m a huge fan of Your Face Or Mine. Do you love doing the show?
Yes. It’s fresh and funny, and I love working with Jimmy. We have a similar sort of humour, so we work very well together. We have the same values, too. We are both hard-working, plus Jimmy was one of the first people I worked with on British TV.
Is it a good time to be a female comedian on
British TV at the moment? It’s an amazing time. When I was doing the comedy circuit a few years ago, there weren’t so many women out there doing what I do. I wouldn’t have wanted to be a woman doing it 30 years ago, but things have changed. I think there are more opportunities for women on TV now. I got into comedy at the right time.
How old were you when you first thought about becoming a comedian?
My parents were Irish, so they always had that sense of humour. There was always storytelling around the house, so I got to understand the rhythm of comedy quite early – when I was seven or eight years old. But I never really thought of trying it out until I went to university in Toronto.
It was at university that you discovered you had skin cancer. Is that right?
Yeah, I had this golf ball-sized lump removed from my leg. It sounds terrifying, but it was like getting free lipo! I still have to have everything checked regularly, but I’m told if you have skin cancer, the UK is the best place to live.
You moved to the UK in
2008 – what led you to that decision? I didn’t really want to come. My boyfriend at the time did, so I told him I’d come for a month. Then I stayed. I’m glad I did, because I started to get the work on the comedy circuit that I’d always wanted. That’s why I’m really proud to think I developed as a British comic.
When you first moved here, you hit hard times. How do you look back on those early days, trying to break through on the comedy circuit?
In a way, I value that struggle, and I’m glad I went through some tough patches. I won’t forget that. Nowadays, I try to concentrate on what I do have. I have a house and a lovely daughter. I never complain – though I won’t forget those tough times along the way. That’s how I got here.
Your parents split when you were quite young. Do you still see them?
I do, yes. They both have new partners now, but I prefer it that they come over here to see me. Now, of course, I have my daughter, Violet, so naturally they want to spend time with her, and I love that. It’s very important for Violet to know who her family is.
What does Violet think about your work?
She really loves comedy. I think it’s been good for her to grow up around so many entertaining
people – certainly the ones that don’t talk down to her and treat her like a kid. Whenever Violet sees me in a green room or a TV recording situation, she sees people like Jimmy Carr, Alan Davis or Jack Dee treating me completely as an equal. I’ve never felt left out. They’re just such feminists, all of those men, they’re inclusive and supportive. Violet just gets what I do now, and likes being around these people. But I don’t think she wants to ever follow in my footsteps.
But you wouldn’t try to stop her if she wanted to?
I wouldn’t stop her being a Tory MP if that’s what she wanted! She can be anything she wants to be.
Is it a strain being a single mum and working away so much?
I don’t have a nanny who lives with us, but we do have a lovely babysitter who Violet really adores. She also comes on tour with me sometimes, if she’s not at school. I’m also lucky that my ex and I still get on really well, so he does help me out by looking after Violet when I have to work.
You’re doing a new series for Comedy Central called Roast Battle – with Jimmy Carr again. What can we expect from the show?
Roast Battle is one of the best shows I’ve ever worked on. It’s a very pure sort of comedy, which is also quite technical. In simple form, we have to insult each other in front of a live audience. I think it’s fun because you have to learn to laugh at yourself, too. And I was laughing through every recording of that show!
Your Face Or Mine is on Comedy Central, Wednesdays at 8pm. For tickets for Katherine Ryan’s tour, see katherineryan.co.uk/tour