I’m currently at home by myself while my boyfriend is living it up and drinking beer touring in Canada and you know what that means – lots and lots of watching telly.
I was scouring the web for things to watch – no, not THAT kind of stuff, you filthy animals – and, because I’m a bit of a nerd, I spent a lot of time looking for new documentaries. I’d watched all my usual suspects like Louis Theroux and Stacey Dooley, and eventually stumbled across a three-part series with Kathy Burke.
For those of you who were born in this millennium, Kathy Burke was very popular in the ’90s for her role in British comedy with shows like Gimme Gimme Gimme, Absolutely Fabulous and French and Saunders. She’s not only known for being funny, but also for being an independent, no-fucks-given woman who don’t need no man (but makes no secret of the fact that she does like to get off with them).
Her latest show, All Woman, is something I absolutely smashed through in a matter of hours and, as a woman, I can safely say that she nailed it with this one.
The episodes touch on three main things – beauty, motherhood and relationships – and really explore these topics from extreme to the other. The whole thing is fascinating from start to finish, but there’s almost definitely at least something in each episode that will really tap into the experiences of so, so many women out there.
It’s just such a personal show, with Kathy herself opening up about feelings that some of us might be too afraid to express ourselves. When she says she doesn’t regret putting her career first, or that she was more hurt when people insulted her intelligence rather than her looks, it’s refreshing and encouraging.
And it’s not only Kathy’s voice that is a welcome relief; we meet a whole range of women in the episodes, including celebrities, from Katherine Ryan and Samantha Morton talking about their experiences as single parents, to Megan Barton-Hanson discussing the double-edged sword – or knife – of plastic surgery, and Caroline Flack opening up about being slut-shamed for her singlehood. It’s not just celebs who open up either – we also meet a great group of women who support each other by getting together to regularly stitch swear words into blankets. We even meet a nun along the way!
It’s a real deep exploration into being a woman, by women, for women. And I’m all for that!
So, ladies, if you’re stuck for something to do, or something to watch, this is my latest recommendation for some supportive, life-affirming girl power. All women should be watching All Woman!
Kathy Burke’s All Woman is available on All 4.
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