‘Donald Trump REALLY hated me!'

Ruby Wax on how she reinvented documentaries with the help and hindrance of some familiar faces

- TESS LAMACRAFT

During the 1990s, Ruby Wax rewrote the handbook on how to interview celebrities. From snuggling up in bed with film star Goldie Hawn and rooting around the shoe closets of Imelda Marcos to being chucked off Donald Trump’s private jet, the comedian’s refreshingly irreverent approach got viewers close to the rich and famous like never before.

Over 25 years have passed since her BBC series Ruby Wax Meets… first hit our screens, and not only have the shows never been repeated, but Ruby has never watched herself back. So she jumped at the chance to reflect on memorable encounters, and her career, for When Ruby Wax Met…, a new three-part series starting on BBC2 this week.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Ruby, 68, tells TV Times more…

What appealed to you the most about this series?

Well, they haven’t shown my shows on TV for 25 years, don’t ask me why! So when they said, ‘Do you wanna put it together?’ I replied, ‘Well, yeah, sure, while I’m still alive,’ because that’s unusual!

How did you find watching the interviews back?

I didn’t know I was so cute! Nobody told me that. Or they did and I didn’t listen. When I watched some of them, I thought, ‘That woman is having the best time.’