ENTERTAINERS

Ruby Wax

After a spell with the RSC, Ruby contributed to ‘Not The Nine O’Clock News’ before embarking on celebrity interviews and stage shows.

She met French and Saunders at a party and worked alongside them a number of times, on television in ‘Happy Families’, at charity events such as Hysteria and notably the sitcom ‘Girls on Top’. Apparently meant to be a kind of female ‘Young Ones’, French, Saunders and Wax all co-starred and co-wrote this ITV series. Ruby played Shelley Dupont, a stereotypically loud American, dying for a career in show business. Not a huge hit, ‘Girls on Top’ nevertheless gave the trio the chance to find their feet in comedy.

Ruby eventually got a chat show after interviewing Michael Grade (who was head of Channel 4 at the time) in a tent at the Edinburgh festival. She subsequently made a range of programmes (most featuring her name in the title!).

In the 1988 show ‘Ruby's Celebrity Bash’, Ruby interviewed stars including Joanna Lumley, Patricia Hodge and Felicity Kendall. More staged and rehearsed than Ruby’s more recent interviews, they included acted pieces and prepared one-liners to the cameras. Although the interviews are set up they are still hilarious. Ruby Wax later became the script editor for ‘Absolutely Fabulous’, coming up with many of the one-liners.

‘East Meets Wax’ (1989) is an interesting documentary following a pregnant Ruby as she tours Russia doing comedy through a humourless translator. We see their relationship develop in between clips of the performances and Ruby chatting with the Russian public.

In 1992 Ruby performed a stand-up comedy show at the Wimbledon Theatre, now available on video as ‘Wax Acts’. Written by Ruby, it consists of amusing monologue and observational comedy.

‘Ruby's Health Quest’ (1995) followed Ruby as she went in search of alternative medicines, advice and treatments in aid of seeking perfect health. There is also an accompanying book.

Several years ago she took a BBC director's course, saying: "people will get sick of me and my ego will have to be removed, but I'd still like to express my view of the world".

As for the future, alongside her interviews, Ruby has been writing a screenplay with Jennifer Saunders to star one of her previous guests, Goldie Hawn. Not much information has been revealed other than it’s a kind of “spiritual quest” and a “turning 50 thing” (not that she’s 50, not that she’s 50!).