Ahir Shah is a British comedian (b. 1990). He was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

in 2017 and 2018, and was a finalist in the 2008 ''

So You Think You're Funny? So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom. The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past wi ...

'' competition for new acts. He has been called "one of his generation's most eloquent comic voices".

Early life

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

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

and went on to the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in Politics, Psychology and Sociology (PPS) from

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

Career

When he was 15, Shah started doing comedy at

open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...

nights. His father had encouraged him to try different extracurricular activities, and stand-up comedy "struck a passion". He performed all through his school and university years, taking his debut show ''Astrology'' to Edinburgh in 2011. In 2019 he toured the UK with his show ''Dots''. His previous shows are ''Astrology'' (2011), ''Anatomy'' (2013), ''Texture'' (2014), ''Distant'' (2015), ''Machines'' (2016), ''Control'' (2017), and ''Duffer'' (2018). Shah is a writer and performer on BBC Two's satirical news show ''

The Mash Report ''Late Night Mash'' is a British satirical comedy broadcast on Dave, as a continuation of ''The Mash Report'' on BBC Two. It is hosted by Rachel Parris, formerly by Nish Kumar, and features an array of comedians satirising the week's news. First ...

''. He has appeared on TV

panel shows A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...

including ''

Frankie Boyle's New World Order ''Frankie Boyle's New World Order'' is a British comedy television programme created, written and presented by Frankie Boyle. Premiering in 2017 on BBC Two, it followed his BBC iPlayer-exclusive "Autopsy" shows. After a few minutes of stand-up, h ...

'', '' Have I Got News For You'' and '' Mock the Week'', on BBC Radio 4's ''

The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4. History ''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart from ...

'', and has performed on '' Live at The Apollo''. His acting credits include roles in ''

Campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

'', ''

Brotherhood Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to: Family, relationships, and organizations * Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity * Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...

'', and ''

Catastrophe Catastrophe or catastrophic comes from the Greek κατά (''kata'') = down; στροφή (''strophē'') = turning ( el, καταστροφή). It may refer to: A general or specific event * Disaster, a devastating event * The Asia Minor Catastro ...

''. In December 2019, it was announced that Shah would be joining fellow comedian

Suzi Ruffell Suzi Ruffell (born 18 January 1986) is a British comedian, writer, and actress. Early life Ruffell was born in Portsmouth to a working-class family. Her father buys and sells lorries and her mother became his assistant after raising Suzi and ...

on her new radio panel show entitled ''Explicable Me'' on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

Personal life

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

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

, 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. The experience formed part of Shah's 2016 show ''Machines''.

References

External links

Official website

Twitter

Agent's website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Ahir English male comedians English people of Indian descent Living people British atheists Place of birth missing (living people) Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Comedians from Wembley