Wax studied psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, before attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow. She began her career as an actor at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and in 1978 she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. However, it was as a comedienne that she made her name. Wax established herself as a forthright interviewer before landing her own Channel 4 comedy show, ‘Don’t Miss Wax’ (1987). In 1991 she began to work for the BBC in a variety of TV shows, which culminated in her series ‘Ruby Wax Meets’ (1996). Wax also served as a script editor throughout the series ‘Absolutely Fabulous’. She teaches business communication and is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness.