May Comedian of the Month #40, Guz Khan
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.
Guz Khan is a Brummie comedian (well he’s from Coventry, at least), so maybe that’s why I feel a personal connection to his comedy, and to him. After all, I first came across Khan at a fundraising event for Crisis at Birmingham Glee Club. But while this fun night of charity promoting and laughter is how I came to know of Guz, many others have become aware of him through his YouTube videos, as this video urging people to boycott Jurassic World went viral:
Khan quit his teaching job in 2015 to pursue a comedy career full time, after landing himself a radio role presenting the Saturday Breakfast Show on BBC Asian Network. He has since written a comedy pilot for BBC Three, called Man Like Mobeen, about a reformed gangster who becomes a man of faith and is landed with the responsibility of looking after his younger sisters.
And if his viral YouTube videos somehow passed you by, surely you can’t have missed Guz Khan’s cheeky humour on your Facebook timeline this week. Guz has been exploring the perception of British Muslims in 2017. This is a sensitive topic and Khan has recognised that he has a powerful voice within this area, because he is part of the group receiving prejudice that is worsening as terrorist attacks in the UK are increasing and ignorance has created a bigoted blame game. Guz’s message, and therefore his comic voice, is particularly important right now. And it helps that he is geting his message across in his effortlessly charismatic, droll way.
For more information, follow Guz Khan on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.