He was heavily involved with Comedy Improvisation, as part of the first all Asian Impro Team, which now tours Canada and the US.

Writing is a passion of Jay’s and he has written a sketch show that is currently being viewed by several TV companies and currently working on a feature length film script.

He also made a short film and entered it into a major short film competition, and made it through to the final.

In the little spare time he has, Jay teaches Stand-up comedy.

He has appeared everywhere from tiny comedy clubs to large theatres to Television and even around the world (France, Croatia, New York, LA).

Quotes:

“Up and Coming Gagsmith” – Guardian

“Fantastic Compere” – London Metro

“Challenging and extremely funny” – London Evening Standard

“Cuddly” – Ex-girlfriend

“Unmitigated Genius” – Omid Djalili

“Amusing and Funny” – Timeout Magazine

TV Credits:

BBC New Comedy Awards Semi Finals (Birmingham) 2000 (BBC Choice)
BBC Mega Mela Malai Comedy – Cream of Asian Comedy 2001 (BBC 2 and BBC Choice)
BBC Mega Mela Malai Comedy 3 – Cream of Asian Comedy 2002 (BBC 2 and BBC Choice)
Look East – Asian Magazine Program 2003 (BBC 2 Midlands)
Whats up at the Edinburgh Fringe?  2007 Current TV

In the Asian Comedy field he has worked with and for the ‘One Nation. ..lnnit! ‘ Team based at Watermans in Brentford and has also played all the major comedy clubs and is a regular at Jongleurs Comedy Clubs.

“Excellent” – London Evening Standard

“Europe‘s Top Asian Comedian” – THE GUARDIAN

On the Box

• BBC1 Esther
• BBC1 My Hero
• BBC1 Judge John Deed
• BBC1 Stand Up Show
• BBC1 Big Kids
• BBC2 Network East
• BBC2 Comedy Nation
• Meridian House of Fun
• LWT End of the Week Show
• Channel 5 The Big Stage
• Channel 5 Club Class
• ITV Eastern Mix
• ITV The Bill
• Anglia TV’s Warehouse
• Granada Nothing But the Truth
• OnDigital net.comedy
• Channel East Comedy Half Hour
• Zee TV Various Programmes

Box Office

• Bend it like Beckham
• It was an Accident
• Tomb Raider (DVD)

Festivals

• Glastonbury Festival
• Edinburgh Festivals in his own shows
• Leicester Comedy Festival
• Also heard on BBC Radios 4 & 5

Seen by many as the UK’s number one Asian comedian, with approximately three million YouTube hits, Paul Chowdhry has distinguished himself as one of the most talented and popular comedians to have recently emerged. Inspired by comedians such as the late Richard Prior, George Carlin and Sam Kinison, Paul is one of the few comics with the ability and diversity to effortlessly straddle the urban and main stand-up circuits as an international headline act – with his highly charged dry observational humour tapping into the multicultural diversity of contemporary Britain.

One of the most sought after comics on the UK comedy circuit, Paul has recently embarked on a twenty-five date sell-out UK tour, including two sell-out nights at London’s Indigo2.

Paul’s talents extends past the realms of stand-up and has also starred in numerous acting roles in high profile theatrical film releases including: Swinging With The Finkles alongside Martin Freeman and Jerry Stiller, Colour Me Kubrick with John Malkovich, Rogue Trader with Ewan McGregor and Anna Friel and It Was An Accident alongside Thandie Newton.

In addition to Stand Up For The Week, his varied TV appearances includes: BBC1′s weekly topical politics show This Week presented by Andrew Neil, Comedy Central At The Comedy Store, presenting MTV’s Comedy Weekend, plus appearances on The World Stands Up and The All-New Comedy Store for Paramount Comedy Channel and USAs Comedy Central.

QUOTES:

“One of the finest Asian comics around, he’s laidback, very cool and always has a great take on multicultural Britain.” - Time Out

“Thoughtful Anglo- Indian comic who says a lot of unsayable things about modern society with a winningly bashful smile and a lovely turn of phrase.”  - The Telegraph

“Quickfire style. Chowdhry keeps up a steady stream of gags and left-field links that fuel what is a unique perspective of observations on British life, leaving the audience wanting more.”  The Stage

“Chowdhry’s humour is profound and clever, outlining ignorance in a society obsessed with rectitude and sharing with us his own experiences with racism. One of the more honest stand-ups I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe.” - Three Weeks

“A star-in-the-making” - The Daily Telegraph

“One of the sassiest, subtlest and most cerebral on the circuit Talent beyond the crass quips.” - Evening Standard

“Paul Chowdhry is naturally funny. Chowdhry has the balance of humour and honesty just right. Someone just needs to tell him.” – Metro

“Destined for greatness” - BBC Radio London

Paul’s second full length solo show “Saint or Sinha” received widespread critical acclaim at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was nominated for the if.comedy award (formerly the Perrier).

Since then Paul has been in great demand, whether on TV shows such as Edinburgh and Beyond, World Stands up, Comedy Shuffle and Comedy Cuts, on Radio 4′s Loose Ends and the Now Show, or his numerous contributions to Radio 5 Live and Talksport, as well as having recorded for Shane Warne’s Ashes podcasts.

Quotes:

“Sinha’s wonderfully uncluttered one-liners are delivered with the crisp clarity of cut glass, but, crucially, his set retains an engaging warmth. He doesn’t so much walk the line between controversy and outrage as use it for a skipping rope. Highly original.” –  Metro

“Universal anecdotes as warmly delivered as you would find anywhere……..its a pleasure listening to him” – Chortle

“His confidence on stage was excellent and his talent for adlibbing and summoning gags off the cuff were very funny” – BBC Online

“Wonderfully inventive and intelligent” – Evening Standard

Revered, applauded, loved and reviled Shazia Mirza is an award-winning comedian and columnist, as much recognised for her literary prowess as she is for her unique comedic talents.

A trained biochemist, Shazia was born and educated in Birmingham – the daughter of first-generation Pakistani immigrants. Raised in a strict Muslin family envoiroment, Shazia relunctanly pursued a career as a science teacher whilst secretly honing her writing, acting & comedy skills part-time at drama school and with late-night gigs across the country. Oblivious to Shazia’s determined but clandestine commitment to her art, it took an appearance on Have I Got News For You for friends and family to realise the extend of Shazia’s ambitions. “Although it remained the ‘c’ word in the family house for years”, she remarks.

Fusing contemporary issues with her own personal experiences, Shazia pressed a lot of buttons with her tabboo-breaking, deadpan, confident style, She grabbed national attention in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks by performing her act in recognisable hijab dress and beginning with the remark, “My name is Shazia Mirza. At least, that’s what it says on my pilot’s licence.” This was the year she won her first award – at the London Comedy Festival.

In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy and won the GG2 Young Achiever of the Year Award. She also trot the boards in The Vagina Monologues at The Royal Albert Hall.

TV work soon followed both in the UK and in the States and in 2007, she presented a documentary on BBC 3 called F*** Off, I’m a Hairy Woman – for which she spent seven months in the service of hirsutism. She was also a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2008) and other TV credits include: Muslim Driving School (Voiceover BBC2 2010), Beautiful People (BBC2 2009) Richard and Judy ( Channel 4 roving reporter 2007) 28 Acts in 28 Minutes (BBC3 2005) The World Stands Up (Paramount Comedy 2004) and 60 Minutes (CBS 2004).

Shazia has performed her stand-up shows across the world – from the Edinburgh Fringe to Texas, USA to Dubai and Kosovo. She has particularly travelled extensively across Europe, where she is in great demand. Her hit shows have included The Last Temptation of Shazia Mirza and Portrait Of Shazia Mirza. Radio appearances include a regular slot on BBC Radio Scotland and The Now Show on BBC Radio 4.

As a writer Shazia formely penned a fortnighly column for The New Statesman for which she won ‘Columnist of the Year 2008′ at the prestigious PPA Awards. She has written for the Guadian for many years and currently has a new weekly column in their Weekend magazine entitled ‘Dairy of a Disappointing Daughter’. She also writes for Virgin’s Hotline Magazine. In March 2009, she was listed on the inaugural Muslim Women’s Power List as one of the 20 most successful Muslim women in the UK.

QUOTES

“Clever, groundbreaking and very funny” – Evening Standard

“Engagingly wry, with great detail in material” - The Stage

“Rave reviews” – Telegraph

“Great routines” – New Statesman

“Mirza the Lenny Bruce of female stand-up” – Metro

“A cool, smart, opinionated, clever, funny comic” – Fest

“Shazia Mirza has won rave reviews for her frank and honest stand up comedy routines about being a young Muslim woman in Britain” – The Daily Telegraph

“One of the top new stand up comics” – The Sun

“She’s Hilarious….. An instantly likeable and warm character and a sharp and sassy performer” – Edinburgh Evening News

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