Ruby Wax
Encyclopedia
Ruby Wax is a BAFTA nominated American comedian
who made a career
in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy
scene in the 1980s.
at the University of California, Berkeley
.
. She began her acting career as a straight actress at the Crucible Theatre
, Sheffield
, where she began a long-standing writing and directing partnership with Alan Rickman
, who later was to direct most of her stage comedy shows. In 1978, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
, working alongside Juliet Stevenson
in Measure for Measure
, as Jaquenetta opposite Michael Hordern
in Love's Labours Lost, replacing Zoë Wanamaker
as Jane in The Way of the World
and appearing in the Howard Brenton
three-hander Sore Throats. While at the RSC, Wax also met and befriended Ian Charleson
, and later contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.
Wax made a one-off appearance in a 1980 episode of The Professionals
, Bloodsports, playing Lonnie, an American student. In 1981, she appeared in the follow up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show
, called Shock Treatment
. In the film, Wax portrays Betty Hapschatt, who got married to Ralph Hapschatt in the first film. Wax also appeared briefly as a secretary in Omen III: The Final Conflict
.
came from her interviewing technique: she was always forthright, brash and loud, conforming to the British stereotype
of an American. Her physical appearance matched this image, with red hair and blood-red lipstick
. She cemented this trademark image in 1985, when she starred as loud-mouthed American actress Shelley DuPont on the British sitcom Girls On Top
. According to a BBC
Arena
documentary narrated by Dawn French it was Wax's role as backstage interviewer at Amnesty International
's 1987 benefit show The Secret Policeman's Third Ball that eventually boosted her career to a higher level.
Many of her early television shows involved her being put into a situation where she simply met and interview
ed people, mostly extraordinary members of the public
(including a memorable visit to pre-breakup Soviet Russia
). In 1987, Wax was given her own comedy chat show Don't Miss Wax, on Channel 4
. She was also hired as a radio presenter by The Superstation
, an overnight sustaining service for commercial radio in the UK.
In December 1989, she appeared in the Red Dwarf
episode "Timeslides
" as an American reporter.
Wax began work with the BBC in 1991 in a variety of television documentaries and interview programs, similar in tone to her 1980s work on the UK's Channel 4. Programs on alternative health and primetime interviews culminated in the mid 1990s with Wax's 1996 series Ruby Wax Meets, for the BBC
in which she interviewed public figures such as Imelda Marcos
and Pamela Anderson
. Wax was nominated in 1996 for a BAFTA award for her interview with Sarah, Duchess of York
, an interview which attracted an audience of over 14 million viewers.
She also made several guest appearances in Absolutely Fabulous
, a programme on which she served as script editor throughout the run of the series.
From November 2001 to June 2002 Wax presented a TV quiz show broadcast on BBC1 called The Waiting Game. Her final BBC interview series aired in 2003.
In March 2003, Wax was one of the celebrity contestants on Comic Relief does Fame Academy
, which was a spin-off from the BBC
's Fame Academy
with all proceeds donated to Comic Relief. Although not a singer, Wax made it to the final, taking runner-up position to Will Mellor
.
Wax appeared in a supporting role opposite Olivia Williams
and Andie MacDowell
in the 2005 film Tara Road
. In September and October 2005, she appeared as a celebrity contestant in Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
, progressing through to Sale of the Century
before getting knocked out. In summer 2006, she was a celebrity showjumper in the BBC's Sport Relief
event Only Fools On Horses. She presented Cirque de Celebrité
on Sky One in 2006. Wax also appeared in an episode of Jackass
where she was participating in the Gumball 3000. While the race was stopped at the Latvian border she was wrestled by Jackass Personality Chris Pontius
.
In March 2009, Wax returned to Comic Relief to take part in Comic Relief Does The Apprentice
. Wax appeared in the 2010 Comic Relief in Comic Relief Does Master Chef in which Wax prepared an appetizer for the Prime Minister, David Cameron
.
On April 1, 2009, Ruby Wax Goes Dutch premiered on Dutch television network Net5.
Wax's 2010 standup show Losing It deals with her experience of depression
. The show played in London at The Duchess Theater in 2011. Wax founded a mental health website in 2011 in response to the audience reaction from her theater show.
In addition, Wax teaches business communication in both the public and private sector, clients include Deutsche Bank
, the UK Home Office
and Skype
.
Currently, Wax is attending Kellogg College at Oxford University to obtain a Master's Degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy, having previously obtained a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy and counselling from Regents College in London.
, which poked fun at the Roman Catholic Church
. In it, Wax portrayed the Pope as a spoiled child. After protests, the BBC chose not to show the series.
columnist Richard Kay for opposing a proposed disabled-access ramp for the nearby Couper Collection
charitable art gallery. The UK Sunday newspaper The Observer
also reported the controversy, as did the act "I, Ludicrous
" in "The Ruby Wax Song", from their Dirty Washing 2008 EP.
, who produces some of the series of her long-time friends and working partners, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
. Wax and Bye have three children together: one son, Max (b. 1988), and two daughters, Madeleine (b. 1990) and Marina (b. 1993).
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
who made a career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy
Alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
scene in the 1980s.
Early life
Wax was born Ruby Wachs, the daughter of Jewish parents who left Austria in 1939 because of the Nazi threat. Her father became wealthy as a sausage manufacturer and her mother qualified as an accountant. Wax elected to major in psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Early career
Wax came to the UK and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and DramaRoyal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
. She began her acting career as a straight actress at the Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, where she began a long-standing writing and directing partnership with Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, who later was to direct most of her stage comedy shows. In 1978, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
, working alongside Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...
in Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
, as Jaquenetta opposite Michael Hordern
Michael Hordern
Sir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
in Love's Labours Lost, replacing Zoë Wanamaker
Zoe Wanamaker
Zoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
as Jane in The Way of the World
The Way of the World
The Way of the World is a play written by British playwright William Congreve. It premiered in 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London...
and appearing in the Howard Brenton
Howard Brenton
-Early years:Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Methodist minister Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian . He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal...
three-hander Sore Throats. While at the RSC, Wax also met and befriended Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev...
, and later contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.
Wax made a one-off appearance in a 1980 episode of The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, Bloodsports, playing Lonnie, an American student. In 1981, she appeared in the follow up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
, called Shock Treatment
Shock Treatment
Shock Treatment is a 1981 musical-black comedy film and a follow-up to the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. While not an outright sequel, the movie does feature several characters from the movie portrayed by different actors and several Rocky Horror actors portraying new characters...
. In the film, Wax portrays Betty Hapschatt, who got married to Ralph Hapschatt in the first film. Wax also appeared briefly as a secretary in Omen III: The Final Conflict
Omen III: The Final Conflict
Omen III: The Final Conflict is a 1981 British/American horror film directed by Graham Baker and the third installment in The Omen series...
.
Comedic Work
Her popularity in terms of comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
came from her interviewing technique: she was always forthright, brash and loud, conforming to the British stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of an American. Her physical appearance matched this image, with red hair and blood-red lipstick
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
. She cemented this trademark image in 1985, when she starred as loud-mouthed American actress Shelley DuPont on the British sitcom Girls On Top
Girls On Top
Girls On Top was a British television sitcom on ITV from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders - their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV network by Central.The...
. According to a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Arena
Arena (TV series)
Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. It has run since 1 October 1975, and over five hundred episodes have been made. Arena covers all manner of subjects, from profiles of notable people such as Bob Dylan to the Ford Cortina car...
documentary narrated by Dawn French it was Wax's role as backstage interviewer at Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
's 1987 benefit show The Secret Policeman's Third Ball that eventually boosted her career to a higher level.
Many of her early television shows involved her being put into a situation where she simply met and interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
ed people, mostly extraordinary members of the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
(including a memorable visit to pre-breakup Soviet Russia
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
). In 1987, Wax was given her own comedy chat show Don't Miss Wax, on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. She was also hired as a radio presenter by The Superstation
The Superstation
The Superstation was set up as an over-night sustaining service for Independent Local Radio...
, an overnight sustaining service for commercial radio in the UK.
In December 1989, she appeared in the Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
episode "Timeslides
Timeslides
"Timeslides" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series III, and the seventeenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 12 December 1989. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the plot deals with Lister's desire to...
" as an American reporter.
Wax began work with the BBC in 1991 in a variety of television documentaries and interview programs, similar in tone to her 1980s work on the UK's Channel 4. Programs on alternative health and primetime interviews culminated in the mid 1990s with Wax's 1996 series Ruby Wax Meets, for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in which she interviewed public figures such as Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos
Imelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
and Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
. Wax was nominated in 1996 for a BAFTA award for her interview with Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
, an interview which attracted an audience of over 14 million viewers.
She also made several guest appearances in Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, a programme on which she served as script editor throughout the run of the series.
From November 2001 to June 2002 Wax presented a TV quiz show broadcast on BBC1 called The Waiting Game. Her final BBC interview series aired in 2003.
Writing, Academia, Corporate Training and Returns to Television and Stage
In 2002 Wax authored her memoir, How Do You Want Me? which became a bestseller according to The Sunday Times bestseller list.In March 2003, Wax was one of the celebrity contestants on Comic Relief does Fame Academy
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy is a spin-off of the original Fame Academy show where celebrities sing as students of the Academy. The programme was launched in 2003 to help raise money for the charities supported by Comic Relief, with the final of the show occurring on Red Nose Day...
, which was a spin-off from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
with all proceeds donated to Comic Relief. Although not a singer, Wax made it to the final, taking runner-up position to Will Mellor
Will Mellor
William "Will" Mellor is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks, Gaz Wilkinson in comedy, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps...
.
Wax appeared in a supporting role opposite Olivia Williams
Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
and Andie MacDowell
Andie MacDowell
Rosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell is an American model and actress. She has received the Golden Camera and an Honorary César.-Early life:...
in the 2005 film Tara Road
Tara Road (film)
Tara Road is a film based on the novel of the same name by Maeve Binchy.-Plot:Two women trade houses without ever having met. They're both looking for an escape from their problems, but by running away, both come to discover a great deal about themselves.Ria Lynch is to married Danny Lynch and they...
. In September and October 2005, she appeared as a celebrity contestant in Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
Gameshow Marathon (UK game show)
Gameshow Marathon is a British game show, broadcast from 17 September 2005 to 26 May 2007 on ITV .After a quick retrospective look at the history of the particular show, the show itself is recreated. This involved recreating the original set and using original opening programme titles, including...
, progressing through to Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century is a television game show format that has been screened in several countries in various incarnations since 1969. The show found its biggest success in Australia, where it aired weeknights from 1980 to 2001...
before getting knocked out. In summer 2006, she was a celebrity showjumper in the BBC's Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
event Only Fools On Horses. She presented Cirque de Celebrité
Cirque de Celebrité
Cirque de Celebrité was a celebrity reality TV show broadcast on Sky One. The show features celebrities training for and then performing various circus acts. The winner of the 2006 series was Grace Adams-Short....
on Sky One in 2006. Wax also appeared in an episode of Jackass
Jackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
where she was participating in the Gumball 3000. While the race was stopped at the Latvian border she was wrestled by Jackass Personality Chris Pontius
Chris Pontius
Christopher Andrew "Chris" Pontius is an American entertainer and daredevil. Pontius is a member of Jackass, and along with Steve-O, was the co-host of Wildboyz.-Life and career:...
.
In March 2009, Wax returned to Comic Relief to take part in Comic Relief Does The Apprentice
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice is a special celebrity version of British reality television series The Apprentice, produced to raise money for Comic Relief. The first edition aired in March 2007, and the second in March 2009. Five male celebrities and five female celebrities took part in the show...
. Wax appeared in the 2010 Comic Relief in Comic Relief Does Master Chef in which Wax prepared an appetizer for the Prime Minister, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
.
On April 1, 2009, Ruby Wax Goes Dutch premiered on Dutch television network Net5.
Wax's 2010 standup show Losing It deals with her experience of depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
. The show played in London at The Duchess Theater in 2011. Wax founded a mental health website in 2011 in response to the audience reaction from her theater show.
In addition, Wax teaches business communication in both the public and private sector, clients include Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
, the UK Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
and Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
.
Currently, Wax is attending Kellogg College at Oxford University to obtain a Master's Degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy, having previously obtained a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy and counselling from Regents College in London.
Popetown
In 2004, the BBC planned to show a cartoon series called PopetownPopetown
Popetown is a controversial animated sitcom, billed by its producers as "Father Ted meets South Park", following the doodles and scribblings of a student at school during a lesson. His drawings depict the life of Father Nicholas, who lives in a Vatican City parody referred to as "Popetown"...
, which poked fun at the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. In it, Wax portrayed the Pope as a spoiled child. After protests, the BBC chose not to show the series.
Slander case
In February 2004, Irish broadcaster Patricia Danaher reached an out-of-court settlement with Wax, who had initially claimed that Danaher had made racist remarks about her Jewish origins in an interview for Ulster TV. Wax's legal team apologised and announced that there had been a financial settlement.Opposition to disabled-access ramp
In November 2005, Wax was criticised by the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
columnist Richard Kay for opposing a proposed disabled-access ramp for the nearby Couper Collection
Couper Collection
The Couper Collection is a floating art museum and registered charity, on converted barges, which is permanently moored at on the banks of the Thames in Battersea, London. It exhibits artworks and installations by artist Max Couper nee Lovegrove, as well as hosting exhibitions and events by other...
charitable art gallery. The UK Sunday newspaper The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
also reported the controversy, as did the act "I, Ludicrous
I, Ludicrous
I, Ludicrous is a three piece pop music ensemble, formed in South London in 1985, by John Procter and David Rippingale...
" in "The Ruby Wax Song", from their Dirty Washing 2008 EP.
Personal life
Wax is married to television producer and director Ed ByeEd Bye
Edward Richard Morrison Bye is a British film and TV producer and director. He is best known for his work with Grant Naylor, Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott, and has worked with many of British TV's best known comedians and comedy actors...
, who produces some of the series of her long-time friends and working partners, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
. Wax and Bye have three children together: one son, Max (b. 1988), and two daughters, Madeleine (b. 1990) and Marina (b. 1993).
Interview Programs & Documentaries
- Don't Miss Wax, Channel 4, 1987-1988
- Miami Memoirs, Channel 4, 1988
- East Meets Wax, Channel 4, 1988
- Class of '69, Channel 4 1989
- Wax on Wheels, Channel 4, 1988-1989
- Ruby Takes a Trip, BBC, 1991
- The Full Wax, BBC, 1991–1993
- Ruby Wax Meets..., BBC, 1994–1998
- Ruby's American Pie, BBC, 1999
- Ruby Gets Streetwise, BBC, 2000
- Ruby, BBC 1997-2002
- Ruby Wax With..., BBC, 2003
External links
- Profile from her agent's page
- Wax in the RSC performance database
- Ruby's Room, Ruby Wax's web show on BBC Headroom, where she regularly interviewed people with different mental health conditions.
- Ruby Wax discussion her choice of a great life on the BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
program Great LivesGreat LivesGreat Lives is a BBC Radio 4 biography series, produced in Bristol. It is presented by Matthew Parris. A distinguished guest is asked to nominate the person they feel is truly deserving of the title "Great Life". Matthew and a recognised expert are on hand to discuss the life...
, first broadcast on 1 May 2009.