Bilal Zafar (comedian) explained

Bilal Zafar
Birth Date:1991 10, df=yes
Medium:Stand-up comedy
Nationality:Pakistan
Years Active:2013–present
Genre:Observational humour, Satire
Subject:Islamophobia, Racism, Cakes

Bilal Zafar (born 16 October 1991) is a British comedian who won the New Act of The Year Award (NATY) in 2016[1] and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in the same year.[2] He has written for The Independent[3] and The Guardian.[4]

Personal life

Zafar is from Wanstead, London, and he studied at Wanstead High School before moving to Manchester to study screenwriting at The University of Bolton.[5] [6] He worked part-time as a concierge and a care assistant while living in Manchester.[7] Zafar moved back to London in January 2016.[5]

Career

Zafar began performing stand-up comedy in his final year of university in 2013 and is best known for performing material about racism and islamophobia. He cites Simon Amstell and Chris Morris as influences.[5]

In 2015, Zafar was runner-up in the New Comedian of the Year competition run by Leicester Square Theatre.[8] [9] The following year he won first prize at the NATYS Awards in London at the same venue.[10] [11]

Described as a "wry storyteller",[10] Zafar appeared on the BBC Asian Network's Comedy Show in 2016 and 2017.[12] He has also appeared on BBC Radio Four's Loose Ends[13] and presented one of the station's Stand-Up Specials.[14]

Since 2020 Zafar has attracted a large regular audience and gained the status of Partner for his channel on live-streaming platform Twitch, where he portrays the manager of a football team within the videogame Pro Evolution Soccer 5. The manager character frequently engages his audience of “assistant managers” whose participation in the stream’s chat room and enthusiasm for in-jokes Zafar encourages.[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Venables . Ben . Londoners Take The Cake At New Acts Of The Year Showcase . London . . 1 February 2016 . 2 February 2016.
  2. Web site: Bilal Zafar: Cakes. . Edinburgh Comedy Awards. 3 June 2018 .
  3. Web site: Bilal Zafar articles . . 3 February 2016.
  4. News: Bilal Zafar: An Asian Don't Tell The Bride? Don't get me started . Zafar. Bilal. 29 July 2017 . . 3 June 2018 .
  5. Web site: Enfield . Laura . The Wanstead comedian tackling Islamaphobia one joke at a time . London . . 28 January 2016 . 2 February 2016.
  6. Web site: Nair . Ajay . Prize win icing on cake for Wanstead comedian combatting Islamophobia . Ilford Recorder . 12 February 2016 . 12 February 2016.
  7. Web site: Maguire . Samar . Interview with Bilal Zafar . Edinburgh . Samar Maguire . 31 July 2014 . 2 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160706000142/http://www.samarmaguire.com/page13/blog-2/files/962ca6d726b9ef4293dfe148b5f27e8e-2.html . 6 Jul 2016 . dead.
  8. Web site: New Comedian of the Year . London . . 29 November 2015 . 2 February 2016.
  9. Web site: Bennett . Steve . Leicester Square New Comedian Of The Year 2015 . . 30 November 2015 . 2 February 2016.
  10. Web site: Bennett . Steve . Naty New Act Of The Year final 2016 . . 1 February 2016 . 2 February 2016.
  11. Web site: Dessau . Bruce . News: New Acts of the Year 2016 Results . London . Beyond The Joke . 31 January 2016 . 2 February 2016.
  12. Web site: Asian Network Comedy - 5 hilarious moments from Asian Network Comedy in Wolverhampton - BBC Asian Network. BBC. 2017-12-27.
  13. Loose Ends: Mark Thomas, Vicky McClure, Ken Hom, Bilal Zafar, Sampha, Loyle Carner, Scottee, Clive Anderson . Loose Ends. Presenter: Clive Anderson; Participant: Bilal Zafar; Producer: Producer: Sukey Firth. BBC. BBC Radio Four. 28 January 2017. 29:40. 3 June 2018 .
  14. Stand-Up Specials: Bilal Zafar's British Muslim Love . Stand-Up Specials. Writer and Performer: Bilal Zafar; Additional Material: Glenn Moore; Producer: Daisy Knight . BBC. BBC Radio Four. 6 May 2018. 3 June 2018 .
  15. News: Zafar. Bilal. 2020-06-30. As a kid I loved Pro Evolution Soccer 5 – now it's won me a new comedy audience Bilal Zafar. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-07-01. 0261-3077.

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