I really miss feeling like I’m about to be sick before I go on stage

Comedian Katherine Ryan, 37, has appeared on shows including 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Your Face Or Mine? and Safeword. She also stars in her hit Netflix show The Duchess, about a single mum in London. Here, she tells us her favourite reality shows and who she thinks is the funniest person on TV…

What are you watching at the moment?

I’m not watching much of anything that has to do with the world. I’ve been watching a lot of old 80s films that I haven’t seen in years. But I’m also watching reality TV from abroad. I love 90 Day Fiancé. It’s so fascinating to me. I’m also watching Love After Lockup, which is about people who fall in love with prisoners.

Who do you think is the funniest person on TV?

Roisin Conaty (the comedian) is the funniest person I’ve met. She’s funny to the point where she can’t not be funny. She can tell me a sad story and I’m laughing. She was telling me once she’d been mugged, and it was terrible, but she couldn’t tell it in a way that wasn’t funny. If I ever get some terrible illness, God forbid, I want Roisin to tell me. They should have Roisin doing the Prime Minister’s briefings.

How have you found working in TV during a pandemic?

There are certain programmes we still film, but we’ve had to do it in a different way with screens and loads of safety precautions and tests. And there’s no audience, which is odd.

You’ve done shows like Live At The Apollo. Do you find it nerveracking?

You definitely get used to it. My touring

The Last Word

manager said to me a long time ago, ‘Remember how it feels to be nervous’. I was like, ‘What do you mean? I’m always nervous’. He said, ‘You’ll stop being nervous soon and it will be really sad’. I thought, ‘This man is crazy’. But it’s true. Now I look back on being behind the curtain before it opens on Live At The Apollo – I think comedians love that adrenaline. You feel like you’re going to be sick – and that’s wonderful. I think that’s why we do it.

We loved your show The Duchess…

Thank you. A lot of the show was about getting to the age of about 35 and everyone starts to look at you and asks, ‘What are you going to do?’ in regard to babies. It’s a reality we have to face in our late thirties if we haven’t faced it already – and that’s just the way it is.

What other projects are you working on?

My Missus tour kicks off in September. It’ll be different to my last tour because my last show was a celebration of being single. And I totally stand by that. However, then I got married. Now I’m in a different position where I have all these new experiences. Hopefully, I can connect with a whole new group of people because I didn’t really know what it was like to be in a proper relationship until now. It’s a really, fun, uplifting and positive show.

You’ve been working with recipe box supplier Gousto on its Cookstarter campaign. Tell us about that...

I used to love supporting restaurants and that’s been difficult to do lately, so Gousto’s Cookstarter campaign supports that industry. They’re asking people to nominate their favourite local and independent restaurants and then Gousto will pick the top five and give them funding and mentorship. Gousto’s Cookstarter campaign supports Britain’s diverse food culture by helping independent restaurants thrive. Go to goustocookstarter.co.uk and follow the campaign with @GoustoCooking #Cookstarter

‘Roisin Conaty is the funniest person I’ve met. She should do the PM’s briefings.’