Comedian Katherine Ryan reveals there is ‘a dangerous comic’ in British showbusiness: Star makes startling claim on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs

Katherine Ryan has claimed there is a ‘dangerous comic’ at work in British showbusiness during an appearance on Desert Island Discs.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, the comedian said she had ‘struggled’ with deciding whether she should work with ‘someone who I believe is a perpetrator of sexual assault’ or whether she should turn down jobs.

Ryan did not specify who she was talking about on Desert Island Discs. It comes weeks after Russell Brand was at the center of allegations of rape and sexual assault, which he denies.

The Canadian-born comedian told host Lauren Laverne on a show taped before Brand’s allegations became public that while she believed the person “is or was dangerous,” she was willing to appear on a show with him.

The 40-year-old revealed that her ‘compromise’ was to appear on the show with the unnamed comic, but ‘let him know in no uncertain terms what I think of him’.

She added that she didn’t notice “much of a reaction” from the comedian in question, but that other comics who were aware of the person’s reputation “really liked what I said.”

Ryan has been outspoken about the issue and is said to have challenged Brand, 48, when they co-hosted TV comedy show Roast Battle in 2018, making comments about him on camera that were later removed from the broadcast.

In the episode, which was released today but recorded on September 6, Ryan recalled her journey from the city of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, to a mainstay on the British comedy circuit.

On the show, host Laverne brought up an interview Ryan did with broadcaster Louis Theroux last year, in which she claimed to have confronted a male comedian with allegations of predatory behavior.

When asked why she decided to speak out in the first place, Ryan said she received “a lot of backlash” for not naming the man at the time.

She said: “(I’ve) had a lot of ‘why don’t you tell me who it is?’. It’s because everyone knows who it is, what they want are the names of the women, and that’s what I won’t give and that’s why I’m holding back.’

Ryan added, “No one asks his name. It’s funny how people immediately start accusing, “you’re the problem, you don’t want to mention his name.”

‘We are not the problem. I had a choice: I could work with someone who I believe was guilty of sexual assault, or I could turn down the job. Those were my options.

“And so I struggled with that. I thought: what should I do in this case? The choice is: Do I work with someone who I think is very problematic, and do I stand next to him and laugh and smile and look like I’m allowing this kind of person to still be on television? Or do I stay home?’

She added that she believes this person “was or is dangerous,” but said she felt nothing would change if she stayed away from the program.

“My compromise was that I would let him know what I think of him under no uncertain terms,” she said.

“I’m not going to just allow this behavior, I’m not going to let him think that I don’t know and that everyone he works with is just letting him get away with it.

“So that’s the attitude I took on the show. And did I do the right thing or the wrong thing? I still do not know. But I just felt: why should I stay home? He has to stay home, but if he is, I will be there to tell him what I think.”

When asked how the man in question reacted, Ryan said there was no “obvious reaction” from him.

She revealed that other comics “really liked what I said” and thought it was “funny and brave.”

“I think it’s the nuance, did I mean that or was I joking? But certainly the people who know know that I wasn’t joking.’

Referring to the same confrontation, Ryan previously told Louis Theroux that she confronted the unnamed man while they were working together on a public TV show “over and over again.”

Speaking in 2022, the 40-year-old said she had no qualms about that because she had decided to handle it “like a man” – although the confrontation itself was later removed from the broadcast.

In her conversation with Theroux, Ms Ryan claimed that she had been criticized afterwards for not publicly naming the person in question, but said that just talking about him was a “litigious minefield” because he had “very good lawyers”.

The comedian added that it was “not my story to tell” but that she believed the allegations as sources “very credible.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that Ryan Russell repeatedly accused Brand of being a “sexual predator” while filming for his latest major television job.

Brand was a judge on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018, but was only picked up for one season after Ryan allegedly roasted him on camera over allegations that he had sexually assaulted women – which he fervently denied.

The comedian has been the subject of claims from a number of women between 2006 and 2013 who accused him of abusive and predatory behavior, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.

The Metropolitan Police have also confirmed that they are now investigating an alleged assault in Soho in 2013 – three years before it took place, three years before the four assaults Brand has already been accused of.

The comedian absolutely denies the allegations and insists that all his relationships have been consensual.

Roast Battle consists of comedians making jokes at each other’s expense. The first season included Brand, Ryan and Jimmy Carr. Jonathan Ross replaced Brand for the second season.

During the filming of the show – made by Fulwell 73 – Ryan reportedly fired accusations at Brand. According to Deadline, her comments did not make it into the broadcast show.

Ryan’s confrontations allegedly exposed how comedians in the industry spoke openly about Brand’s sexual and predatory behavior.

Brand is said to have been ‘absolutely furious’ after being targeted by Ryan on the show, a source told the newspaper.

Two other sources claimed that he demanded that producers protect him from criticism over these serious allegations.

Industry insiders have now revealed that they felt it was best for Brand to step down as a judge on the programme, and that ‘ultimately it came down to the fact that it seemed like Russell didn’t have a good sense of humour’.