Backstage with Katherine Ryan was first announced as an Amazon Prime show in August 2021. The premise was that a “comedy starved audience” (post lockdowns) would be in London’s Roundhouse, watching the comedians (across 6 nights, to provide material for the 6 episodes).
Meanwhile the cameras would capture what went on before and after they had been on stage. It promised that they would have their guard down, analyse each other’s material and trade anecdotes.
Katherine Ryan would be the host (all episodes) and it streamed from June 9th 2022 in over 240 countries and territories.
Episode 1: Jimmy, the 26-year-old virgin
- Jimmy Carr
- Desiree Burch
- Nick Mohammed
- Seann Walsh
- Geoff Norcott
Episode 2: Predatory behaviour
- Frankie Boyle
- Ivo Graham
- Sara Pascoe
- Geoff Norcott
- Judi Love
Episode 3: Vodka enemas
- Sue Perkins
- Tom Allen
- Geoff Norcott
- Rob Beckett
- Michelle de Swarte
Episode 4: Joel and Katherine BOTH lactate
- Joel Dommett
- Geoff Norcott
- Rosie Jones
- Nish Kumar
- Jo Brand
Episode 5: COVID strikes
- Darren Harriott
- Geoff Norcott
- Sarah Millican
- Joanne McNally
- Russell Kane
- Mark Olver
Things went pear shaped when Katherine tested positive for COVID and filming, at the Roundhouse, had to be halted.
Episode 6: Clips, Canapes & Carnage
The final episode (6) has some of the comedians going to Katherine’s house to film some “informality” that, if it’s at all possible, felt more stilted than the backstage stuff.
- Katherine Ryan
- Jimmy Carr
- Judi Love
- Nish Kumar
- Sue Perkins
- Geoff Norcott
- Rosie Jones (via video)
Reviewers commented:
To see whether being disappointed was just me…I trawled for some reviews.
- Jimmy Carr is gentler than his stage persona, a genuine witty man who creates one liners as naturally as breathing (Guardian) and shows a charm and generosity that it might be bad for his brand to display professionally (Chortle)
- Seann Walsh has an air of desperate neediness (Guardian)
- Nick Mohammed is self-effacing sweetness personified (Guardian)
- Jimmy and Katherine roasted each other looks (Daily Mail)
- Katherine discusses predators in comedy with Sara Pascoe (Chortle)
- Seann Walsh talking about his Strictly kiss (Chortle)
- Jimmy losing his virginity late in life (Chortle)
- Seann Walsh asking Nick Mohammed for help with a punchline (Guardian2)
- When Geoff Norcott is credited as Head Writer, is it just for this show or for Katherine? (Beyond the joke)
- Jimmy Carr’s support of Seann Walsh came across as really genuine….he’s so different to his onstage personality (Mumsnet)
- Frankie Boyle: To see him rehearsing and bring vulnerable when his act (which is an act) can be so controversial was interesting (Mumsnet)
For me it was a massive missed opportunity. What I would have preferred would have been something more fly on the wall – with someone traipsing round the circuit, catching moments of candour in different types of venues. So we could see the how some have rubbish dressing rooms and a walk through corridors and over cables to get to the stage.
This series felt forced, everyone was too conscious of the cameras and I (personally) didn’t feel Katherine was the right host. It didn’t seem genuine when they filmed her sitting with Geoff Norcott, trading joke ideas. (Guardian2) but mostly I didn’t want the gossipy stuff she was asking. I wanted more about what it’s like to be a comedian, stagecraft, soundchecks etc.
There were moments such as the glimpse of Frankie Boyle, sitting in his dressing room alone and pacing around, looking positively terrified – that made me think why did someone not bring that into the discussion? It was a massive contrast to Jimmy, for example, who is chilled enough (pre-gig) to turn up minutes before he walks out on stage and to also do meet and greets in his dressing room in the interval.
To be fair on most review type websites it averaged 7 or 8 (out of 10).
De-commissioned
By October 2022 it was announced that there would be no second series (British Comedy Guide) and (Chortle)
The reasons given were that double PCR testing everyone (including the audience) was a lot of expense on top of a show that was very expensive to make and that it “didn’t get the hoped for viewing figures”.
Unfortunately, Amazon didn’t release the viewing figures although, interestingly, they were happy to announce recently that Last One Laughing UK had surpassed 6.1m views and was only bested by Clarkson’s Farm.
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