Katherine MacAlister finds out why outspoken Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan doesn’t shy away from controversy

Katherine Ryan did her first stand-up gig while waitressing at a Hooters restaurant in her home town in Canada (a restaurant chain known for its scantily clad waitresses), somewhere Katherine says taught her how to be a strong woman.

It probably also helped her cope with being a female comedian in a world still predominated by men, one in which she is increasingly scaling the heights.

“I looked at comedy like a gym for keeping my mind sharp at work and at uni. It’s a long story, but I’m very fond of my time as a Hooters Girl. It’s certainly something that I look at very differently than I did 10 years ago, but dressing identically to everyone else and serving customers chicken with a smile forced me to develop a very strong voice that I’m grateful for today.”

The Canadian, who now lives in London with her daughter, then crossed the pond in order to take her comedy to the next level, so determined was she on her career path. “I was told London was the place to be if you wanted to do comedy and I’d just started out so when I got here I was more inspired than I had ever been. I was 24,” she remembers, “I love Frankie Boyle, Stewart Francis (yes, I know he’s Canadian), Milton Jones, Sarah Millican. I’m really inspired by my peers.”

And with two Oxfordshire dates on the horizon, you too can see what all the fuss is about as Katherine tours her latest show Glam Role Model, because the 31 year old enjoys a debate as much as the next woman and is a good listener.

“I’m not preachy in any way. I don’t even pretend to have all the answers and I make a lot of mistakes myself,” she insists,before getting into the meat of her show, the cultural status of the glamour model in this country. “Back home we didn’t have glamour models; we had porno magazines and then we had mainstream actresses and presenters. Here, that line is so blurred and glamour models are put in such positions where they are sold as personalities but their entire personality is just about getting naked or being drunk in the Big Brother house.

“I was a product of a society that said women are for decoration and I do think girls should be able to do whatever they want. Yet, across the world there are girls who just can’t; some can’t even go to school in Nigeria without being abducted. Here, you actually have a choice to put your boobs away. And, well, maybe you should.”

As well as tackling the public’s unquenchable thirst for the minutest information on celebs such as Harry Styles and Cheryl Cole, Glam Role Model has her discussing motherhood, the real difference between Miley and Beyoncé, and some frank material about sex and body politics, earning her a strong youth following.

In short Katherine Ryan doesn’t shy away from controversy and has gained a reputation on the circuit for someone whose onstage persona is one of wide-eyed innocence with a spiky edge.

Her stage success then led to TV roles in Channel 4’s university comedy, Campus, and Matt LeBlanc’s BBC vehicle, Episodes, while anyone who saw her take on Nicki Minaj in the final of Let’s Dance For Comic Relief is unlikely to ever forget it.

But inevitably with fame comes a level of exposure that Katherine is still learning to deal with: “Why would I expect everyone to like me? I do think it’s a bit weird though that you would go out of your way to tell me how much you don’t like me. But if you can sleep at night and stand by everything you said, I don’t think you should have to censor yourself because of something that’s going on in the media.”

Katherine clearly has her head screwed on right. “I love to be on tour and see all the different towns and cities; and coming to the UK was the best thing I ever did because comedy is viewed differently over here. But I’ve also noticed more women in the audiences now and I love that. So it’s great being a women in comedy because it’s all about having a unique voice, so while I can’t say I represent all women I do like to have fun,” and then she smiles and adds: “The world is a serious and scary place and we need to have fun where we can.

“So my main aim is to make myself laugh. I’m very selfish really.”

SEE IT
Katherine Ryan is coming to Didcot’s Cornerstone tomorrow night. Call 01235 515144. She is then at Oxford’s Glee Club on Thursday, November 20. Call 0871 472 0400.

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