fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Katherine Louisa Ryan (born 30 June 1983)[2] is a Canadian comedian, writer, presenter, and actress based in the United Kingdom.[3][4]

Katherine Ryan
Ryan in November 2014
Born	Katherine Louisa Ryan (1983-06-30) 30 June 1983 (age 39) Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship	Canadian Irish[1]
Alma mater	Toronto Metropolitan University
Occupation	Comedian writer actress presenter
Partner(s)	Bobby Kootstra (civil partnership; 2019)
Children	2

She has appeared on many British panel shows, including as a regular team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 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 numerous television series in the UK, including the sitcoms 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 is British[7]/Canadian and owns an IT consulting company.[8] Ryan and her two younger sisters were born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario.[9] The three siblings spent time in Cork, Ireland, visiting their paternal grandparents.[10]

Ryan's parents separated when she was a teenager.[11] When she was 18, she decided to leave home and chose to study city planning at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in Toronto.[12][13] While attending university, she worked at restaurant chain Hooters, and she then began training other waitresses.[14] In her spare time she undertook open mic nights as an alternative form of personal entertainment, and by graduation, she had developed a basic comedic routine.[8] She was one of the many dancers in MuchMusic's Electric Circus program.[15]

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 won the Funny Women award in 2008, Rachel Stubbings and Sara Pascoe were her runners up.[16]

Ryan first appeared on television as herself in multiple 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 England, 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.[17] Ryan was later featured on the Whitney Cummings Just for Laughs 2013 Gala that was taped before a live audience on 28 July 2013.[18][19] 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.[20] In 2016, Ryan appeared on series 2 of Taskmaster. She beat Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Richard Osman and Jon Richardson, to win the season.[21]

Ryan went on a comedy tour in 2016, called Kathbum, a name her toddler sister used to call her.[22] 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.[23][24]

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.[25]

Actress

As an actress, Ryan has appeared on numerous television series in the UK, including the sitcoms Campus,[26][27] Episodes[28] and Badults.[29] Ryan stars in the August 2020 season 1, Netflix comedy The Duchess, based on a single mother's life in London; she is credited as its writer, executive producer, and creator.[30]

Other work

Ryan wrote a weekly column in the British entertainment magazine NME.[31]

On 6 June 2014, YouTube comedy duo Jack and Dean released a music video for their song "Consent" featuring Ryan in an acting role.[32]

In 2016, Ryan 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.[33]

She will present the ITV2 dating show Ready to Mingle.[34]

Recognition

For her comedy work, Ryan won the Nivea Funny Women Award. She was also runner-up in the Amused Moose Laugh-Off competition in 2008.[35]

Personal life

Ryan has previously dated actor and TV presenter Jeff Leach[36] and had a relationship with comedian Alex Edelman.[37]

In 2019, Ryan entered into a civil partnership with Bobby Kootstra. The ceremony took place in Denmark in the presence of her 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?[38][39] Ryan lives with her partner and daughter in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.[40][41] Her second child, a son, was born in June 2021.[42] In July 2022, Ryan announced that she was expecting her third child.[43]

Ryan has been open about the cosmetic surgery she has had.[44] She had a breast augmentation in her early 20s,[45] and then a second augmentation after a relationship ended.[46]

She has been treated for skin cancer twice.[7][47]

Filmography

Television

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
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.
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]
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
TBA	Joe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidays	Co-presenter	With Joe Wilkinson[51]

References

External links

• Katherine Ryan on Twitter
• Katherine Ryan at IMDb

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