Katherine Ryan to host new Amazon Prime Video live comedy series

Katherine Ryan is to front a new live comedy stand up series for Amazon Prime Video .

Backstage with Katherine Ryan will launch worldwide on 9 June 2022.

Amazon describes the new show as an “all-new live comedy experience, blending world-class stand-up with behind-the-scenes access”.

Filming at London’s iconic Roundhouse, the series will feature the biggest and the most exciting new names from the world of comedy.

Those confirmed to appear include Frankie Boyle, Sara Pascoe, Judi Love, Ivo Graham, Jo Brand, Nish Kumar, Joel Dommett, Rosie Jones, Rob Beckett, Sue Perkins, Tom Allen, Michelle de Swarte, Jimmy Carr, Desiree Burch, Seann Walsh, Nick Mohammed, Sarah Millican, Joanne McNally, Russell Kane, Geoff Norcott, and Darren Harriott.

A teaser shares: “Based on the comedy industry truism that some of the funniest material of the night is never seen because it happens behind the scenes, Backstage with Katherine Ryan will reveal what comedians get up to before, during, and after the show.

“While the camera usually stops at the curtain, this series stays with the comedians throughout the show, joining the inner-sanctum of comedy as they hang out backstage. This is where they let their guard down, the pressure of the live audience is off, and the real business of comedy begins.

“We will see their pre- and post-performance rituals, observe the chemistry between the comics, hear them critique eachothers’ material, trade anecdotes, and enjoy the afterparty.”

“After having nearly two years of cancelled gigs, comics are as eager to get backstage as they are to get on stage again. That’s why I’m absolutely thrilled to be working alongside Amazon Prime Video and the brilliant team at Expectation to launch Backstage with Katherine Ryan,” said Katherine Ryan. “We’ll be taking you with us behind the curtain and into our sacred space so you can share in the candid hilarity that happens before and after a gig. It’s a whole new way to experience the magic of stand-up.”

“Thanks to the wonderful people at Amazon we’ve got the best stand-ups performing in a beautiful venue to a comedy-starved audience, hosted by the Queen of the Comedy Stage, Katherine Ryan,” said Ben Wicks, Creative Director, Entertainment and Executive Producer at production company Expectation. “That’s not all though, in a major blow to FOMO, we also have 40 cameras behind the backstage door. We’ll see the funniest comics on earth as you’ve never seen them before: wildly indiscreet and completely unfiltered. Just spare a thought for the editor.”

“It’s often said that the funniest material of the night takes place backstage, and this series is about peeking behind-the-scenes, giving the audience a backstage pass to comedy’s inner-sanctum,” said Dan Grabiner, Head of UK Originals, Amazon Studios. “In Katherine we have the perfect host, and we’re delighted to be featuring some of the very best in the business across the series.