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Ahir Shah

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Ahir Shah
Born (1990-12-28) 28 December 1990 (age 33)[1]
London, England, UK
MediumStand-up
EducationClare College, Cambridge (BA)
GenresPolitical comedy
WebsiteOfficial website

Ahir Shah (born 28 December 1990) is a British comedian. He was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award[2] at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and 2018, and won the award in 2023.[3] Before that he was a finalist in the 2008 So You Think You're Funny? competition for new acts.[4] Shah has been called "one of his generation's most eloquent comic voices".[5]

Early life

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Shah was born and raised in London.[6] His parents, Vikram and Ulka, are originally from India.[7] Shah's mother is a state primary school teacher.[8] His grandmother, who had been living with the family in the UK, was deported to India when Shah was five years old.[9]

He attended Preston Manor comprehensive school in Wembley[10][11] and went on to the University of Cambridge. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in Politics, Psychology and Sociology (PPS) from Clare College.[12]

Career

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When he was 15, Shah started doing comedy at open mic nights. His father had encouraged him to try different extracurricular activities, and stand-up comedy "struck a passion".[8] He performed all through his school and university years, taking his debut show Astrology to Edinburgh in 2011.[13]

In 2019, he toured the UK with his show Dots.[14] His previous shows are Astrology (2011), Anatomy (2013),[15] Texture (2014),[16] Distant (2015),[17] Machines (2016),[18] Control (2017),[19] and Duffer (2018).[9][20]

Shah is a writer and performer on BBC Two's satirical news show The Mash Report.[21] He has appeared on TV panel shows including Frankie Boyle's New World Order, Have I Got News For You and Mock the Week, on BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, and has performed on Live at The Apollo. His acting credits include roles in Campus, Brotherhood, and Catastrophe.[8][22]

In December 2019, it was announced that Shah would be joining fellow comedian Suzi Ruffell on her new radio panel show entitled Explicable Me on BBC Radio 2.[23][24] In 2021, Shah had an HBO special called Dots.[25]

In 2023, Shah won the Best Comedy Show award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his show Ends.[26] The show will be streaming as a Netflix special from September 2024.

In 2024, he appeared as a co-host of The Bugle podcast.[27]

Personal life

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Shah has suffered from depression, and has discussed coming off medication for it during his stand-up routine.[28] He has spoken about his reluctance to be a "nodding dog" (an unthinking advocate) for white guilt in relation to European colonialism.[29]

During the November 2015 Paris attacks, Shah was performing at Le Paname Art Café in the Rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, only a few doors down from the Café Bonne Biere that was one of the attack sites.[8] The experience formed part of Shah's 2016 show Machines.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Ahir Shah [@AhirShah] (28 December 2020). "I am now 30 years old, a fact I hope will lead to a decline in the amount of clowning around I must tolerate" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Record NINE nominees for Edinburgh comedy award". Chortle. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  3. ^ Lee, Veronica (26 August 2023). "Edinburgh festival fringe: Ahir Shah's Ends wins best show at comedy awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Ahir Shah, comedian". Chortle. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  5. ^ Saunders, Tristram Fane (17 August 2017). "One of his generation's most eloquent comic voices – Ahir Shah: Control, Edinburgh Fringe, review". Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  6. ^ Hogan, Michael; Jones, Ralph (22 July 2018). "All the fun of the fringe: the best comedy to see in Edinburgh, part one". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Ahir Shah : New Order". Beat Magazine. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d "RHLSTP 249 - Ahir Shah". www.rhlstp.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Ahir Shah: Duffer review - Political Standup gets personal". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  10. ^ Raffray, Nathalie. "Former students return to Wembley school for WOW talk event". Kilburn Times. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Standing up to the crunch". getwestlondon. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Spotlight on: Ahir Shah — Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS)". www.polis.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Ahir Shah - Edinburgh Fringe 2011". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  14. ^ Logan, Brian (6 August 2019). "Ahir Shah: Dots review – humour and poetry in existential angst". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  15. ^ Brown, Rivkah. "Theatre: Ahir Shah: Anatomy". Varsity Online. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  16. ^ "Ahir Shah – Texture (Ahir Shah) | ThreeWeeks Edinburgh". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Ahir Shah: Distant: 5 star review by Jake A Ellamen". broadwaybaby.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Ahir Shah: Machines". Edinburgh Festival. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  19. ^ Laing, Morgan (9 August 2017). "Ahir Shah: Control". Edinburgh Festivals Magazine. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Ahir Shah". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  21. ^ Richman, Darren (16 February 2018). "We shadowed a weekly satire show to find out how they work". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Ahir Shah". IMDb. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Explicable Me - Radio 2 Panel Show". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  24. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Radio 2 show for Suzi Ruffell and Ahir Shah : News 2019 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  25. ^ "Ahir Shah: Dots (TV Special 2021) - IMDb". IMDb.
  26. ^ "2024 Winners".
  27. ^ "The Bugle - Trump on Trial!". acast.com. 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  28. ^ Saunders, Tristram Fane (22 August 2018). "Ahir Shah: Duffer review, Edinburgh Fringe: a blazing talent firing on all cylinders". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  29. ^ "Ahir Shah: Dots, Soho Theatre, review: a captivating, energising hour". The Telegraph. 18 September 2019.
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