Review of her new Amazon show
Much mystique surrounds what goes on backstage at a comedy club, that sacred space where comedians let rip with their scurrilous gossip and uncensored jokes.
Of course, once you put cameras there, you cannot possibly expect that sanctity to be maintained as every comic will moderate their behaviour. The observer effect, physicists call it: the idea that you cannot measure something without affecting it. The suggestion that Backstage with Katherine Ryan is a genuine look at what goes on in the green room is clearly a myth. If nothing else, the lawyers would never allow it.
Yet this new Amazon show does offer a glimpse of what might be going through a comedian’s mind before they go on stage, while the conversations Ryan has with her guests has more intimacy than a traditional chat-show format. That’s displayed in the discussions she has with her friend Sara Pascoe about sexual predators in the industry that’s attracted all the headlines.
The vibe also allows some of the comedians’ offstage personalities to peek through, even as Ryan covers typical interview topics such as Jimmy Carr losing his virginity late in life or Seann Walsh trying to cope with the consequence of THAT kiss with his Strictly co-star. It seems an omission not to question Walsh about the allegations his ex, Rebecca Humphries, made about his behaviour, given the discussion about men’s conduct elsewhere, but this was always going to be a friendly environment.
As for the offensive jokes, there’s little Frankie Boyle and Carr would not say on stage, so it’s perhaps little surprise that they are more laid-back off it. Carr especially shows a charm and generosity that it might be bad for his brand to display professionally. It’s the camaraderie that shines through more than anything. The comics form quick connections with each other through their shared aims and experiences.
The relaxed environment allows a more spontaneous wit to emerge through the green room banter, in contrast with the scripted stand-up we see on stage at the Roundhouse in north London.
However, some segments feel a little more artificial than billed. Geoff Norcott brings along a raft of prepared insults with which to roast the comics rather than riffing ideas with Ryan. But then watching a man stare at a screen until inspiration strikes would never make great TV.
There seems to be an insatiable appetite for stand-ups sharing their anecdotes and talking about their work, as shown in everything from Alan Davies’s As Yet Untitled to Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Backstage With Katherine Ryan embraces this spirit, as well as the sort of scripted elements that surely feature in every comic’s sitcom pitch featuring an exaggerated version of themselves.
So it’s not truly groundbreaking, and can never hope to be a fly-on-the-wall experience. But Backstage With Katherine Ryan does succeed in presenting stand-up routines in the context of the comedian’s offstage existence. It freshens up the traditional Live At The Apollo-style showcase for the age of podcasts and social media, where audiences want to get to known know their stand-ups beyond the jokes.
• Backstage With Katherine Ryan is available on Prime Video now
Published: 10 Jun 2022
Katherine Ryan at Latitude 2021
Taking full advantage of the abolition of Covid distancing…
26/07/2021
Urban Myths: When Joan Kissed Barbra
Katherine Ryan’s acerbic stand-up has been compared…
14/10/2020
Katherine Ryan is a smart-mouthed, immature, difficult…
11/09/2020
Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room on Netflix
Katherine Ryan’s latest stand-up show has a lost…
2/07/2019
Comedy Central might have had trouble attracting punters…
6/10/2018
The Glitter Room is the bedroom of Katherine Ryan’s…
3/11/2017
Katherine Ryan at Latitude 2017
The phenomenon of YouTubers has proved that authenticity…
17/07/2017
With most comedians, more personal the subject matter,…
18/08/2015
Jim Jefferies etc: BST festival
After the weekend warm-up acts of Kylie and Blur,…
24/06/2015
For the opening night of its 20th anniversary year,…
3/06/2014
Katherine Ryan: Glam Role Model
Katherine Ryan is like the very best sort of women’s…
30/04/2014
He is a global comedy superstar, breaking ticket sales…
11/03/2014
Canadian stand-up Katherine Ryan had a reasonable buzz…
18/08/2012
Katherine Ryan: Little Miss Conception
One strand of Katherine Ryan’s debut concerns the…
8/08/2011
Amused Moose Comedy's Hot Starlets 2000-2008 Showcase
Tough crowd. Performing to an audience that’s full…
1/01/2009
Katherine Ryan – Original Review
The brash, almost shrill, Katherine Ryan may be from…
24/07/2008
The final of the Nivea Funny Women Awards last night…
1/06/2008
Book (2021)
The Audacity. by Katherine Ryan
We do not currently hold contact details for Katherine Ryan's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.
We see you are using AdBlocker software. Chortle relies on advertisers to fund this website so it’s free for you, so we would ask that you disable it for this site. Our ads are non-intrusive and relevant. Help keep Chortle viable.
