Katherine Ryan has admitted that she felt “uncomfortable” performing dramatic scenes in Sky’s Romantic Getaway, where she stars opposite fellow stand-up and longtime friend Romesh Ranganathan.
The comedians play married couple Alison and Deacon, who decide steal £500,000 from their shared boss in order to fund another round of IVF treatment, which has so far proven unsuccessful for them.
Though primarily a comedy, boasting the talents of Ryan, Ranganathan and Johnny Vegas among others, there are moments of drama sprinkled in which give added weight to the couple’s daring scheme.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Ryan explained that she was out of her comfort zone in these serious scenes, referencing specifically one heavy moment from the opening episode in which Alison and Deacon mourn a lost pregnancy.
“I hated it,” began Ryan. “I don’t like drama. I feel like I’m very uncomfortable around it… I have crafted a life where no one takes me seriously ever, so to try to convey what is truly the worst moment in someone’s life – it’s a huge challenge to try to convey that accurately and respectfully.
“I tried my best, but it does not come naturally to me. If someone’s telling me a sad story, I find it very uncomfortable. This is why I have so few friends and I’m only friends with comedians, because we’ll slag each other off while the other one’s crying – it’s fine with us. But I mean, whoa, it was a challenge.”
Ryan is quick to praise the dramatic ability of her screen partner Ranganathan, who co-created the series with Benjamin Green, and expressed gratitude that the writers only lightly “peppered in” dramatic scenes for her character.
She added: “It’s not something I would dive into on purpose. Like, you will not see me on Call the Midwife.”
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Ranganathan countered: “I know Katherine’s sort of saying that she was rubbish, but she was great. And she also put a lot of thought into how to convey that performance.
“She wanted to be real, she wanted to be authentic. But the honest truth is, we’re not used to doing it. So it was the scene that we were the most nervous about, I think.”
The stakes only get higher for Alison and Deacon over the course of the series, as their first foray into criminality snowballs into ever greater danger. If you can’t wait to see what happens next, you can watch ahead on NOW.
Romantic Getaway premieres on Sky Comedy on Sunday 1st January 2023. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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