Katherine Ryan: TV’s Comedy Jewel Is Back

There is something powerful about jewellery. A necklace or ring can be beautiful, sparkly and decadent, but it’s more than that. Many of us will have at least one piece that ties us to a loved one, or to a time of our lives, anchoring us to something emotional. Katherine Ryan{ =nofollow}, host of new series All That Glitters, is no exception.

‘My mother and grandmother were very glamorous,’ Katherine tells Grazia ahead of the show’s debut. ‘They loved gold, sparkling jewellery and make-up and lashes and hair.’ In fact, her favourite piece of jewellery (apart from a necklace made out of pasta by her daughter Violet) is an heirloom from her grandmother, who passed away when Katherine was a teen. ‘It’s a gold cocktail ring with loads of cluster diamonds,’ she says. ‘It’s very her, but I also feel like it holds some of her energy. So I love that.’

Katherine is steering proceedings as eight creatives battle it out in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter in what’s being billed as Great British Bake Off with bling. Each episode sees the jewellers have two challenges: to create a best-selling piece, and to then design a bespoke piece for a client. Katherine is joined by industry giants Shaun Leane, who has worked with the likes of the late Alexander McQueen and Princess Beatrice, and Solange Azagury- Partridge, whose work is featured in the permanent collections of London’s V&A.

Known for her love of sparkle and glamour – best displayed in her Netflix series The Duchess, in which she is rarely seen without a bejewelled Alice band – Katherine is a perfect fit. ‘I feel like I made a clear decision at the beginning of my comedy career that I wanted to be glam on stage, and I think a lot of that came from the idea that women should not look in any way distracting,’ she explains.

As well as her dazzling fashion sense, Katherine has also brought her trademark form of comedy to the show - but she says her approach to presenting All That Glitters has been supporting the jewellery-makers. ‘I wanted to approach it in the way bringing the best out of the contestants - because for me, I thought this show is all about the competitors,’ Katherine says. ‘It's not about me at all. But the way that I interact with people is that I like to distract them from whatever tension they're feeling, or distract them from pressure. And then they can put their best foot forward and deliver their best creative attempt.’

After the first show aired last week, some headlines centred on a comment Katherine made during a pep talk, when she told Sri-Lankan born contestant Tamara: 'You need to really back yourself. Do you know how confident a straight white man would be right now?' But, speaking to Grazia before the episode aired, the comedian says she was just trying to make Tamara laugh. 'In that moment, Tamara was feeling a little bit stressed out and I thought if I could just say something to make her laugh a little bit and to distract her from what's going on,’ Katherine says.

She also anticipated that some viewers wouldn't be best pleased with the joke. ‘You know it’s going to be a headline with certain people,' she says matter-of-factly. 'I’m going to be in trouble for a few weeks, aren't I?' (There may have been complaints from some on social media, but the BBC have since defended the comment in a statement.)

Beyond the show, Katherine has been spending lockdown waiting to get back on stage as a stand-up and on TV as a regular show panellist. It’s given her time to focus on her forthcoming memoir, The Audacity. ‘In my work, when women specifically are honest and provocative and passionate, then we just get labelled audacious,’ she says. ‘And I’m fine with that. I’ve lived my life, and continue to do so, in exactly the way I think is correct.’ Coming up with a title is one thing. Writing the book is another. ‘I’ve quite enjoyed writing it,’ she insists. ‘I tried to do it as though I’m writing my friend an email every day. It’s like having an office job and waking up and doing the school run, and dedicating time to this book. It’s been so wonderful to do. I want it to be amazing.’

All That Glitters is on BBC Two at 8pm on Tuesdays.

READ MORE: 'If I Can Have This Career, A Toad Could Do It' - Meet Katherine Ryan, Queen Of Comedy