Art & Hue
Ruby Wax Pop Art
Ruby started as an actress at the Crucible in Sheffield before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1978. Ruby’s earliest screen acting roles were in a 1980 episode of “The Professionals” (which also featured future-Bond Pierce Brosnan), and the Oscar-winning film “Chariots of Fire”.
Along with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Wax went on to create & star in the 80s sitcom “Girls on Top” which cast Joan Greenwood as their eccentric landlady Lady Carlton.
Following her Channel 4 chat show “Don’t Miss Wax”, Ruby joined the BBC and went on to produce a run of ground-breaking and influential shows which redefined the television landscape. “The Full Wax” ran from 1991 until 1994 during which we saw the innate comic talents of Joanna Lumley.
The sight of Joanna dressed as Purdey from “The New Avengers” rolling around the Television Centre rotunda was a classic TV moment and led to her casting as Patsy Stone in Jennifer Saunders‘ “Absolutely Fabulous” with June Whitfield (which was script-edited by Ruby).
Her lightning-fast responses and incisive questioning saw her interviewees open up in ways that no other documentarian could match. More than an interviewer, Ruby became their friend & confidant which led to her subjects sharing details they wouldn’t have done with anyone else, such as Ruby’s cameras being shown some of Imelda’s legendary shoe collection.
From 1997, the late-night series “Ruby” saw informal chats with groups of varied personalities around a table, including Joanna Lumley, Carrie Fisher, Jackie Collins, & John Diamond. As if eavesdropping on the live CCTV transmission of a private dinner party, the unscripted discussions were fascinating & transfixing.
Whilst mental health issues have seemingly only come to the fore in recent years, Ruby was ahead of the conversation back in 2010. Her stand-up show “Losing It” was followed by a degree in cognitive therapy, books, talks, a website (now part of the charity SANE of which Ruby is an ambassador), innovative Frazzled Café meetings, a chancellorship, and an O.B.E. in 2015 for services to mental health.
Art & Hue presents Comedy Queens
Available in A4, A3, and A2 sizes to fit standard-size picture frames. Please note that black frame is not included – for a guide on choosing a frame size take a look here.
This illustrated print is part of the new collection of stylish pop art prints, exclusively by Art & Hue, inspired by 1990s Comedy Queens and features Art & Hue’s signature halftone style (halftone is an age-old technique that uses dots to make up the printed image, similar to newspapers or comic books) along with graphic blocks of colour.
