Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan has revealed the real reason she decided to step down from Mock The Week.
Mock The Week is a British comedy show that sees some of TV’s funniest celebrities deliver one-liners and hilarious improv. The show has featured the likes of Hugh Dennis, James Acaster, and Ed Gamble. One of the show’s most popular guests was Katherine Ryan, who surprised everyone when she stepped down in 2015.
Now, Ryan has spoken about her show on her podcast to reveal the real reason she decided to move on.
“I love Mock the Week,” she said. “I love Dara [Ó Briain], I think that that show has given a platform for so many British comedians. But I had to stop doing it because I knew that every time I was booked on that show I was taking food out of the mouth of another woman.
“I was never taking James Acaster’s spot, I was never taking Ed Gamble’s spot on that show, I was always 100% of the time taking a job away from one of my female peers.”
Katherine appeared on the show for three years between 2012 and 2015. Her reason for stepping down was that she felt it was time to give another woman a chance to be involved with the show, especially given that the show helped her kickstart her own comedy career.
“I thought, ‘OK, I’ve had my time on this show, and now I have to give it to someone else'”, she continued. “As much as I loved to do it – it really helped me open up a fresh audience.”
And that is why she decided it was time to give the opportunity to another female comedian.
