Even though Katherine Ryan's new Netflix series The Duchess is outrageously NSFW, there are lines even she was not allowed to cross.
The sitcom features the Canadian comedian playing a not-quite autobiographical single mum also named Katherine Ryan who considers having a second child with her daughter Olive's dad, even though they don't get on!
And though Katherine describes her working relationship with Netflix as "collaborative", she has admitted to Digital Spy and other media that there was one scene set at Buckingham Palace that was just too scandalous to make the final cut.
"There was a scene where my bum was out around Buckingham Palace. I'm not sure if that was treason and that's why that was cut out," she joked. "But to me, as a 37-year-old woman, I have dimples now, and cellulite, and nudity, to me, now, carries a very different purpose, and a very different message, than nudity when I was 20 years old.
"Because I would have been objectified then, or portrayed in a different sexualised way then, potentially, by the culture that we live in."
Katherine expanded on how she encouraged producers to at least let her film the deleted scene because it reflected "body-positive" comedy.
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"When I see women of my age naked with any imperfections, I find it very empowering and very body-positive," she said. "I really wanted to get my bum out. This bum. Not that bum. This bum. And nobody wanted that. I mean, unanimously, that was vetoed.
"We did shoot it. They indulged me. They let me shoot it, and then they were like, 'Uh… we'd like to lose the bum.' And I thought, 'Oh, fine.'
“So it was collaborative, and I didn't always get my way. And that was good for me . I feel like Clerkenwell [production company] really keep me on track with the story, but they let me be my authentic self as well – but with trousers on."
The Duchess is now available to stream on Netflix worldwide.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
