Tez Ilyas - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)

Tez Ilyas is an English comedian of Pakistani descent, born and raised in Blackburn.

Ilyas came to comedy almost by accident, completing a week-long open mic workshop and turning professional in 2010. In his first three years as a stand-up, he reached eight competition finals. In June 2015 he made a short film The Fast And The Fool as part of the British Muslim Comedy series, and also performed at BBC Asian Network's special comedy night in Birmingham.

In that same year his debut stand-up hour Tez Talks, a comedic take on the popular conference lecture series TED Talks, sold out at the Soho Theatre and he was awarded his own BBC Radio 4 series Tez Talks, with a second series in 2018 and a third already commissioned. The show draws inspiration from Ilyas's life as a British Muslim, staged as though the audience were potential new recruits to conversion to Islam. This allows him to reflect critically and amusingly on the role and influence of 'British values' in contemporary society, unpicking Islamophobia, bigotry, ignorance, and misunderstanding.

In 2016, Ilyas's highly anticipated stand-up show Made In Britain was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Fringe, leading to a nationwide tour in 2017, and his third show, Teztify, showcased his provocative, engaging comedy further, probing questions of national identity, race, and empathy in modern British culture.

In 2019 Ilyas debuted his own late-night, fast-paced satirical sketch show on Channel 4, entitled The Tez O'Clock Show. Here he invites a range of high-profile comedians to offer updates and reflections on political events, all with a sharp comedic edge.

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