| Intro | Canadian comedian |
| Is | Comedian |
| From | Ireland |
| Type | Humor |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 30 June 1983 |
| Age: | 37 years |
Katherine Ryan (born 30 June 1983) is a Canadian comedian, writer, presenter and actress, based in London, UK.
She has appeared on British panel shows including Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, A League of Their Own, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You?, QI, Just a Minute, Safeword , Have I Got News For You, and in a youtube video called “Consent” made by Jack and Dean. In 2015, she replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of Hair on BBC Two. As an actress, she has appeared in the Channel 4 sitcom Campus, BBC Two sitcom Episodes and Don’t Sit in the Front Row with Jack Dee.
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.
Ryan won the Nivea Funny Women Award, a comedy competition in the UK and was also runner-up in the Amused Moose Laugh-Off competition in 2008.
Early life
The daughter of an Irish-immigrant draughtsman father who owns an engineering company, and a Canadian-born mother of Irish/English descent who owns an IT Consulting company, Ryan and her two younger sisters were born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. The three siblings spent time in Cork, Ireland visiting their paternal grandparents.
Her parents split up when she was 15. When she was 18 years old, she decided to leave home and chose to study city planning at university in Toronto. While attending university, she worked at Hooters and then began training other waitresses. In her spare time, she undertook open mic nights as an alternative form of personal entertainment and by graduation had developed a basic comedic routine.
Career
After graduation, Ryan continued working for Hooters as a corporate trainer, travelling around Canada to train other waitresses, and helping to open the 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.
Ryan won the 2008 Nivea Funny Women Award at the Comedy Store. Ryan was featured on the Whitney Cummings Just for Laughs 2013 Gala that was taped before a live audience on 28 July 2013. She has since taken new routines to the Edinburgh Festival.
Ryan first appeared on television on Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2012. Soon after, she gained acting roles in Channel 4’s Campus and in the BBC Two sitcom Episodes, playing the blonde assistant to TV executive Merc and star Matt LeBlanc. 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.
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.
Ryan has a weekly column in the British entertainment magazine NME.
In 2016, Ryan appeared on series 2 of Taskmaster. She beat Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Richard Osman and Jon Richardson, to win the entire series.
Personal life
Ryan has a daughter, Violet, by an ex-boyfriend. She has faced two bouts of skin cancer. She and her daughter live in Crouch End, London.
Filmography
- Episodes (2012) – Merc’s Assistant
- Mock the Week (2012–15) – Guest
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks (2012–14) – Guest
- 8 Out of 10 Cats (2012–14) – Guest
- Sweat the Small Stuff (2013–14) – Guest
- Let’s Dance for Comic Relief (2013) – Contestant
- Fake Reaction (2013) – Guest
- QI (2013) – Guest
- Have I Got News for You (2013–16) – Guest panelist and presenter
- Celebrity Squares (2014, 2015) – Guest
- The Dog Ate My Homework (2015) – Guest
- Room 101 (2015) – Guest
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (2015) – Guest
- Hair (2015) – Presenter
- Safeword (2015–present) – Team captain
- The Cube: Celebrity Special (2015) – Contestant
- The Last Leg (2015) – Guest
- Bring the Noise (2015) – Regular panellist
- Lip Sync Battle UK (2016) – Contestant
- Let’s Play Darts (2016) – Contestant
- Counterfeit Cat (2016) – Ranceford (voice)
- Taskmaster (2016) – Contestant
- It’s Not Me, It’s You (2016) – Guest & guest team captain
- Sunday Brunch (2016) – Stand-in presenter
- Would I Lie to You? (2016) – Guest
- The Chase: Celebrity Special (2016) – Contestant
- The Big Fat Quiz of the Year#2017 Special (2017) – Guest