Page 167 - Katherine Ryan press pack

https://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/interviews/comedy-is-a-conversation-katherine-ryan-
interview

Katherine Ryan interview:

Comedy is a Conversation

Katherine Ryan chats about fame, the welcoming UK comedy

scene and the meaning of her show title.
Feature by Jenni Ajderian | 06 Apr 2016


Katherine Ryan by Idil Sukan | Draw HQ

Few comedians’ material is on the same level of high-calibre analysis and theme-
spotting prowess as Katherine Ryan. Variously described as icy, waspish and acerbic,
her cutting, introspective and up-to-the-minute barbs tend to tear apart the pompous and
powerful. By punching up, she can expect to ruffle some feathers along the way, but
instead of political satire her focus is more on celebrity culture as a whole, or the media's
odd reaction to and celebrification of a news story.

“I'll hang celebrity stories on a greater theme,” Ryan says, whether using an example of
a martyred lion to demonstrate how obsessed we are with fame, or of a woman
contractually obliged to keep working with her abuser.

"It’s not just about Kesha,” she continues. “It’s about a recurring theme of women being
assaulted and marginalised in that industry, and unfortunately that is not a new thing and
it’s not going away. While the news changes, the themes remain the same: Oscar
Pistorius in some ways is just OJ [Simpson] 20 years on. In a way it’s really
discouraging.”

Katherine Ryan on comedy's enduring appeal

When on TV, Ryan is usually the one on the panel making incisive comments about
celebrity, to the extent of making viewers guffaw into their tea, perhaps trying to figure