Jay Shareef Explained

Jay Shareef
Pseudonym:Jay Islaam, Bambam Shaikh, Rabbi Hyman Patel
Medium:Stand-up
Nationality:British
Active:2013–present
Genre:Observational humour, Character comedy, Satire
Subject:Autism, Political Correctness, Racism, Islam
Influences:George Carlin, Frankie Boyle, Omid Djalili -->

Jay Shareef (born 1982) is a British stand-up comedian, broadcaster, podcaster and social commentator,[1] [2] also known by the stage name Jay Islaam.[3] [4]

Shareef has written for The Guardian,[5] Huffington Post,[6] Birmingham Mail,[7] Chortle, Beyond The Joke and Gigglebeats. He presents weekly arts and culture shows on Radio Peterborough[8] [9] and Switch Radio,[10] [11] and has also appeared on BBC Radio London,[12] BBC Radio Nottingham, BBC Radio WM[13] and BBC Asian Network.[14]

Personal life

Shareef is from Birmingham, England, and lives in the Cambridgeshire city of Peterborough. He is of Pakistani descent.[15] He previously worked as a marketing consultant, and started performing stand-up comedy when he visited the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2013.[1] He is teetotal and vegan.[16]

Career

Shareef is a Muslim[17] of Punjabi heritage.[18] He refuses to label himself as an "ethnic comedian", and has written about his objection to positive discrimination.[19] [20] He has described his comedy as "neither left-wing nor right-wing" and cites George Carlin, Omid Djalili and Bill Hicks as influences.[21]

Shareef has been called "one of the bad boys of British comedy".[9] He performs "political satire" that has been described as "cleverly controversial",[22] "risqué" and "comedy genius".[23] He has performed at The Glee Club[24] and The Comedy Store.[17]

In 2014, Shareef created the Midlands Comedy Awards "to recognise the huge number of hard working and talented people in [the] regional comedy community".[25] [26] [27]

In August 2014, he was due to premiere his debut solo show, titled Racist Joke Show, about the evolution of political correctness[21] and the rise of the far right. The show's publicity featured a golliwog on the poster. Due to the controversy the show generated, it was banned from being performed by its host venue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He described the cancellation of his show as "a difficult and unhappy outcome" that was outside of his control and stated he was "very disappointed about the situation".[28] [29]

In February 2016, he performed a show at the Leicester Comedy Festival exploring the subject of Autism, titled Travels with Autism. This was his first full-length solo show,[30] which was then performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2016 for a short run.[31] [32] The show, about his life and his struggle with Asperger syndrome, was described by one reviewer as a "raw and personal show" with "dry wit and intelligence".[33]

In October 2016, Shareef was part of the Super Muslim Comedy Tour of standup comedy, along with Azhar Usman and Omar Regan, that visited twelve cities in England.[34]

Awards

As a new act Shareef won 20 comedy competitions.[9] In July 2014, he won his first national award, within a year of starting his comedy career, when he beat more than 100 new comedians to be recognised as Breakthrough Act 2014.[35] In 2015 he was a semi-finalist in the English Comedian of the Year competition,[36] and runner-up for the Joker of the Year award.[14]

In February 2016. it was reported that he had become a finalist in three different British comedy awards,[18] and later that month he was given the New Act of the Year Award 2016 at Moseley Comedy Festival.[37] [36] In August 2016 he was one of three finalists for the Asian Arts Award for Comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his show Travels with Autism.[38] In October 2016, he was runner-up for the New Comedian of the Year Award at Colchester Comedy Festival.[39]

In January 2017, he was chosen as one of five finalists for the "Best Midlands Comedian Award 2017" by What's on magazine, and was also a finalist for the Arts and Culture Award for the British Muslim Awards 2017.[40] [41]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lamy . Joel . Dream comes true for Peterborough comedy award-winner . . 9 August 2014 . 25 January 2016 . 31 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160131201235/http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/what-s-on/latest-leisure-lifestyle/dream-comes-true-for-peterborough-comedy-award-winner-1-6227478 . dead .
  2. Web site: The Comedy Cannon . . 20 February 2016 . 29 February 2016.
  3. Web site: Midlands Bankers . Chortle . 30 December 2019 . April 5, 2020.
  4. Web site: Midlands Comedy Awards 2019 results . . 30 December 2019 . April 5, 2020.
  5. Web site: Jay Islaam Guardian Articles . . 10 October 2016 . 21 October 2016.
  6. Web site: Jay Islaam Profile . . 31 July 2014 . 21 October 2016.
  7. Web site: Islaam . Jay . 8 comedians you should go see in Birmingham during 2017 . Birmingham . . 22 January 2017 . 26 January 2017.
  8. Web site: Radio Peterborough schedule . Peterborough . Radio Peterborough . 29 February 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153852/http://www.radiopb.uk/Schedule.html . 6 March 2016 .
  9. Web site: Habib . Adam . Britain's Muslim Comedy Revolution . Edge Magazine . 15 February 2016 . 17 February 2016.
  10. Web site: The Comedy Cannon . . 12 March 2016.
  11. Web site: Britain's Muslim Comedy Revolution . . 1 March 2016 . 3 March 2016.
  12. Web site: Lederman . Simon . Overweight doctors, cyclists with headphones and sibling rivalry . . 30 July 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  13. Web site: Islaam . Jay . In The Media . Jay Islaam . 7 January 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  14. Web site: Khan . Noreen . Comedian Jay Islaam . . 9 March 2016 . 12 March 2016.
  15. Web site: Stamford comedy club is no joke as it wins top prize . Rutland & Stamford Mercury . 23 January 2016 . 24 January 2016.
  16. Web site: Jay Islaam: 10 Edinburgh Fringe questions . . 8 August 2016 . 1 September 2016.
  17. Web site: Muslim Comedian Wins National Comedy Award . Middle East Online . 28 July 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  18. Web site: Muslim funnyman up for three comedy awards . East London . East London News . 1 February 2016 . 2 February 2016.
  19. Web site: I refuse to be an ethnic comedian . Gigglebeats . 29 July 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  20. Web site: I refuse to be an ethnic comedian . . 31 July 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  21. Web site: Walker . Martin . The Jay Islaam Three Minute Interview . . 16 July 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  22. Web site: Fringe Festival Comedy Prelude . Mumble Comedy . 9 June 2015 . 25 January 2016.
  23. Web site: Musa . Junaid . World of Comedy 2014 Show 3 Review . https://web.archive.org/web/20160605192848/http://worldofcomedy.blog.com/2014/03/24/world-of-comedy-2014-show-3-review-%E2%80%93-hoddlesden-club-22032014/ . dead . 5 June 2016 . World of Comedy . 24 March 2014 . 25 January 2016 .
  24. Web site: Bourke . Fionnuala . The Glee Club at The Arcadian in Birmingham's Southside . . 16 September 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  25. Web site: Stamford comedy club is no joke as it wins top prize . . 23 January 2016 . 25 January 2016.
  26. Web site: Nottingham acts and events recognised in Midlands Comedy Awards . . 22 January 2016 . 25 January 2016.
  27. Web site: Midlands Comedy Awards 2016 results . . 21 January 2016 . 25 January 2016.
  28. Web site: Racist Joke Show Axed From The Fringe . Chortle . 4 August 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  29. Web site: Fleming . John . Edinburgh Fringe: How the banned "Racist Joke Show" was a cunning stunt . So It Goes . 20 August 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  30. Web site: Autistic Fantastic . Leicester Comedy Festival . 25 January 2016 . 25 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160130165323/http://www.comedy-festival.co.uk/events/show.php?event_id=5052&showdate=2016-02-18&venue=404 . 30 January 2016 . dead .
  31. Web site: Travels With Autism . . 16 August 2016 . 1 September 2016.
  32. Web site: Travels With Autism . The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society . 1 August 2016 . 1 September 2016.
  33. Web site: Farnham . Matt . Review: Travels with Autism . The Reviews Hub . 17 August 2016 . 1 September 2016.
  34. Web site: The Super Muslim Comedy Tour 2016 . Penny Appeal . 18 October 2016 . 26 October 2016.
  35. Web site: Muslim comedian wins national comedy award . East London News . 3 August 2014 . 25 January 2016.
  36. Web site: Stage set for comedy night . Sleaford . Sleaford Standard . 25 February 2016 . 29 February 2016.
  37. Web site: Moseley Comedy Festival New Act competition . Cheeky Monkey Comedy . 5 February 2016 . 13 February 2016.
  38. Web site: Brummie DJ nominated for Edinburgh festival award . Birmingham . The Birmingham Press . 7 September 2016 . 12 September 2016.
  39. Web site: Colchester Comedy Festival . Colchester . Colchester Comedy Festival . 16 October 2016 . 20 November 2016.
  40. Web site: What's on Readers' Awards Finalists announced . What's on magazine . 26 January 2017 . 29 January 2017.
  41. Web site: Kavanagh . Dean . Switch Radio presenter nominated for local comedy award . Birmingham . . 28 January 2017 . 29 January 2017.

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