Shazia Mirza talks ahead of her gig at the Liverpool Hot Water Comedy Club

Posted on 30 October 2017
By Ellie Gregory
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Following her critically acclaimed 2016, 103 date sell-out international run of The Kardashians Made Me Do It and fresh from being ravaged by hunger and sand-flies on Channel 4’s Celebrity Island, Shazia Mirza returns to the road with her brand new show, With Love From St Tropez.

A show about lies and truth, nudity and the periodic table, these things hold the key to the future.

Shazia’s previous tour, The Kardashians Made Me Do It, explored politically correct liberalism, the intrusion of ISIS into young British lives and Jihadi brides and enjoyed four sell-out runs in London as well as the US, Sweden and Paris.

This brand new show is about lies, lies and more lies.

Ahead of Shazia’s Hot Water Comedy Club gig in Liverpool, we talked about her tour, her career and some awkward situations she has been in…

PR: What can people expect from your end of year tour? Will there be some classic one liners, and are you going to target some of 2017’s most popular topics?

Shazia: Well I hope people will find it funny, that’s one of the main things. And there will be one liners, but as for 2017’s most popular topics, those topics are all pretty grim; Trump, Brexit, increase in racism. But I will definitely now be talking about my time on The Island with Bear Grylls, as it’s over now and I’m alive to tell the tale.

PR: How will it compare to your previous sell out tour, The Kardashians Made Me Do It?

Shazia: Every show is different, and my previous show was very specifically about what was going on in the world at that time which was ISIS, political correctness and the nature of offense. My last show was specifically about the three girls from Bethnal Green that went to join ISIS. This show is not any particular incident, but more my thoughts on the world.

PR: How did you find your journey to become a top comedian? Did you find it challenging?

Shazia:The journey is never ending. and I never feel like this is it! I’ve done it! Because it’s never it, and it’s never the end. Any success is an accumulation of many, many years of hard work. Every time I get anywhere, I think about long it’s taken me to get here.

PR:Do you think the comedy industry needs more diversity in sex, age, race and culture? Or do you think it is quite reasonable?

Shazia:When I was growing up, there was no one on TV that looked like me. I used to watch Larry Grayson, Frankie Howerd, Kenny Everett. I thought the comedy world only consisted of white gay men. If you don’t see people that look like you doing certain jobs, it never seems like a possibility to you. Which is why we need to see all types of people, visibly and publicly, doing all kinds of roles on TV.

PR: Who is or was your idol who inspired you to be who you are today?

Shazia: In comedy, it was Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Joan Rivers and George Carlin. All the greats who were all unique and all dead now.

PR: What have been some highlights that your job has taken you to, and what have been some lowlights?

Shazia: Highlights have been traveling the world and doing shows in some amazing places; The Swiss Alps, Pakistan, India, Oman, Kosova, Norway, Denmark, Sweden

And lowlights have been places I’ve been where they didn’t speak English and didn’t understand a word I was saying. Like a village in northern Sweden.

PR: Why have you decided to go on tour now?

Shazia: I have a new show and I really enjoyed touring my last show so I decided to do another tour now, while I still have things to talk about, and haven’t bored myself to sleep yet.

PR: What advice can you give upcoming comics? Any handy tips?

Shazia: Work hard. Never give up. Fail, fail again, and fail better each time.

PR: Have you ever been in an awkward situation with the audience or an audience member?

Shazia: Yes, many times. Last night a man- a solicitor – stood up in the middle of the room and said, “Your job is to entertain. That is what you’re meant to be doing, you are not meant to be talking to the audience and bantering”

He thought he was in court. I told him to shut up and sit down. That was pretty awkward.

PR: Where can your career take you now?

Shazia: I would like to do films, sitcoms, write a book and am writing a film right now.

You can pick up tickets via Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club website or call up their Box Office on 07478 699 007. Shazia will be performing her newest comedy gig on Thursday 6th November.

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