Katherine Ryan says there's 'dangerous comic' warned 'not to share stage with'
Katherine Ryan has hinted she turned down work to avoid sharing a stage with a predatory male comedian as her secretive edition of Desert Island Discs finally aired.
On Saturday, speculation was ignited when the BBC refused to give details about the popular radio show - which sees former pop star Lauren Laverne ask celebrities what they would take with them if they were left deserted on an island. On Sunday, 40-year-old Canadian comedian Katherine was the subject of the show - and she made comments that proved to be unnervingly topical.
In recent weeks, Russell Brand has been accused of sexual assault, rape and abusive behaviour by a string of women following investigations by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches - allegations he has furiously denied. Around the scandal, speculation has been rife that Katherine has had issues with 48-year-old Brand as resurfaced clips have shown them having frosty exchanges and she had previously told Louis Theroux during an interview that she was aware of a sexual predator within the comedy community that she was anxious about - although she has never stated that this is Brand.
On Desert Island discs, Katherine again hinted at a male star that she is wary of due to rumours they are sexually inappropriate. She told the BBC radio show that she had “wrestled” with the decision of working with “someone who I believe to be a perpetrator of sexual assault”. She hinted she would possibly turn down work rather than appear on a shared stage or platform with the unidentified individual.
Katherine Ryan has shared her concerns about a 'sexual predator' working in the comedy circuit (Getty Images)
Russell Brand, who Katherine has not named, has denied recent allegations of sexual assault and rape (PA)She shared her belief that the unnamed individual “is or was dangerous” and revealed she devised a “compromise” when being invited on to projects that she knew he would attend as she vowed to “let him know under no uncertain terms what I think of him”.
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The latest episode was recorded on September 6 - weeks before allegations about Brand were made public. And while Katherine was on the show, she discussed the fact she had mentioned to Louis Theroux she was aware of a male comedian with an abusive reputation - and revealed that she suffered something of a backlash for not naming the individual at the time.
She said: "[I got] a lot of ‘why won't you say who it is?’. It's because everyone knows who it is, what they want is the women's names, and that's what I won't give and that's why I'm reluctant.”
She continued: “No one's asking for his name. It's funny how people go straight to accusing ‘you're the problem, you won't give his name’. We're not the problem. I had a choice - I could go to work with someone who I believe to be a perpetrator of sexual assault or I could turn down the job. Those were my options.
“And so I wrestled with that. I thought what am I meant to do in this instance? The choice is, do I go to work with someone who I think is very problematic, and do I stand near them and laugh and smile and look like I am allowing this kind of person to still be on television? Or do I stay home? My compromise was I'm going to go and let him know under no uncertain terms what I think of him.”
Fans of Desert Island Discs suspected Katherine could discuss the existence of a predator in the comedy circuit during her time on the show. It followed speculation that was ignited by the fact the BBC were uncharacteristically cagey about the content of the show.
A much shorter than usual press release about the episode was shared which stated: “Lauren Laverne's castaway is the comedian Katherine Ryan who reflects on her childhood growing up in Sarnia, Canada. She describes her awkward teenage years, how working in a branch of the restaurant chain Hooters taught her how to work a crowd and why she fell back in love with a childhood sweetheart after 20 years apart.”
A Radio 4 spokesperson later told the MailOnline: “On occasion, we don't make previews available in advance, preferring instead for listeners to hear first-hand the full programme with all its context when broadcast.”
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