Bilal Zafar (comedian)

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]

Bilal Zafar
Born (1991-10-16) 16 October 1991
MediumStand-up comedy
NationalityBritish
Years active2013–present
GenresObservational humour, Satire
Subject(s)Islamophobia, Racism, Cakes
Websitewww.bilalzafarcomedy.com

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]

Zafar is now a Twitch partner, creating Pro Evolution Soccer 5 based content as well as numerous 'Dis-tracks' targeted at Scottish streamer 'McGurgle'.[15]

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