Katherine Ryan has released stand-up sets on Netflix to great acclaim, but now she's moving into sitcom territory on the platform with her new comedy The Duchess.

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Due to land on the streamer next month, the scripted series stars Ryan as a "fashionably disruptive single mum living in London" who debates whether to have a second child with her estranged baby daddy Shep (Rory Keenan).

Netflix recently dropped the show's first trailer, which reveals Australian comedian Steen Raskopoulos and presenter Michelle de Swarte to be also in the cast.

Here's everything you need to know about The Duchess.

When is The Duchess on Netflix?

The Duchess is set to land on Netflix on Friday 11th September 2020.

Katherine Ryan and Kate Byrne in The Duchess
Katherine Ryan and Kate Byrne in The Duchess Netflix

What is The Duchess about?

The Duchess stars Katherine Ryan as a "fashionably disruptive" single mother whose daughter, Olive, is the love of her life, and wants a second child.

Whilst dealing with a boyfriend who wants to take their relationship to the next level, Katherine finds herself debating whether to have more offspring with her estranged and troubled baby daddy – Olive's father.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com at the South Bank Show Awards in July, Ryan said: "I’ve never written a sitcom so that makes it very different [from my previous Netflix specials], and it was a challenge, because I’m not a screenwriter who’s experienced, I don’t know the rules, I’m learning the rules. I’m also learning that Netflix allows you to break a lot of those rules, and they just want authentic voices from all over the world.

Katherine Ryan and Rory Keenan in The Duchess
Katherine Ryan and Rory Keenan in The Duchess Netflix

"The Duchess is super authentic I think to my personality, to my stage persona, because it’s a disruptive mum who’s a bad person but a good mum. She’s fashionable, she loves being a mother she’s not sad about it — it’s me, yes. The rest is fiction, but it is a heightened version of me, and I’m really lucky because they’re just letting me go and write the real thing that I would have wanted to, and I don’t think I would have been as lucky with a traditional network, I don’t think they would give me the same liberty that Netflix does. It’s gonna be fun.

"I pitched it to them a year ago, sort of now, June, and so it’s been going on that long but I had to write all the scripts."

The Duchess trailer

Netflix released a trailer for The Duchess on Monday 17th August, giving fans a closer look at the upcoming sitcom.

We meet Katherine, a single mother who finds herself jugging her new boyfriend and school gate politics whilst exploring the possibilities of having another child, whether that's with a sperm donor or her messy ex.

The Duchess cast

The Duchess stars Katherine Ryan as Katherine, a fashionable single mum, raising her daughter Olive, played by Kate Byrne.

Canadian comedian Ryan regularly appears on UK panel shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You and Have I Got News For You. She's released two stand-up specials on Netflix and acted in sitcoms Campus and Episodes.

Katherine Ryan and Michelle De Swarte in The Duchess
Katherine Ryan and Michelle De Swarte in The Duchess Netflix

She's joined on screen by Rory Keenan (Peaky Blinders, Stan Lee's Lucky Man), who plays Katherine's ex, the father of her daughter and former boyband member Shep, while Australian comedian Steen Raskopoulos (Feel Good, Top Coppers), plays Katherine's boyfriend Evan.

Actress and presenter Michelle de Swarte (Dirty Digest, The Fashion Show) also stars in the sitcom as Katherine's friend.

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The Duchess will launch on Netflix on Friday 11th September. Check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide.

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