SHABAZ ALI will host and open a charity comedy show tonight at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, featuring a stellar line-up of comedians raising funds for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF UK).
Ali, who began performing stand-up comedy just three years ago, will perform his own 15-minute set before introducing acts including Dylan Moran, Ardal O'Hanlon, Grace Campbell, Christopher Hall, Elf Lyons and Anuvab Pal.
"I got involved through Mick Perrin Worldwide, a company that are running the show. I did a tour with them and went to the Edinburgh Fringe with them as well. I know the charity and I've worked with them before, so that's why I said yes," Ali told Eastern Eye.
"This one came because it was a charity, which is such an incredible charity, and I thought it'd be such a good way to raise awareness and do something good as well."
The former secondary school teacher, who taught 11 to 18-year-olds, credits his teaching background with shaping both his comedy and his approach to performing.
Comedy Sans Frontières takes place at Soho Theatre Walthamstow tonightComedy Sans Frontières
"I saw poverty. I saw kids and students with nothing and how they were comparing themselves to all these glitzy people online. That's where my comedy came from," he said.
"If you're not funny to a group of 14 or 15-year-olds, you're never going to be funny to adults. They kept me funny. They kept me humble."
Ali grew up in a working class town Blackburn, an old cotton town where migrants came to work in factories after the Second World War. "That migrant, hard-working, working class background" shaped his identity and comedy, he said.
Ali has built a large following as a comedian and broadcaster through his commentary on people who present "perfect" lives online. Known online as ShabazSays, he has become popular for entertainment commentary, celebrity fashion reviews and analysis of new television and film releases.
The British Asian published his first book I'm Rich You're Poor in March 2024. He completed his first UK comedy tour and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe last year.
On keeping his comedy sharp without being cruel, Ali said: "There's a difference between politely roasting someone and just being cruel about things they can't change."
"I used to be a teacher, so my teaching background has been helpful, because you have to edit yourself in a classroom. You've got young people in front of you, and editing myself has led to me understanding what sounds a bit too harsh."
Ali's journey into comedy was unplanned. A friend asked if he wanted to fill in for someone who had pulled out of a show last minute. "I said all right, go on then, for a laugh. I really enjoyed it, and then it led me to do more shows. Then the company Perry got involved, and I did my own tour."
For aspiring Asian comedians, Ali has clear advice: "Don't wait for permission. Don't wait for someone else to do it just so you can do it. Just do it. You can be the blueprint for the future."
"We seem to think that doctors, engineers, medicine - these kind of things are where the money can be. But there's so much reward for creative stuff as well. It's just not as linear. You've got to build blocks and stuff."
While Ali continues to enjoy stand-up, he said he doesn't want to tour full time. He wants to write his own scripted comedy show for TV and do more presenting work.
He said, "Comedy is always going to be who I am. But stand-up comedy - I would like to do maybe a small tour again, a couple of cities, but I just need to make sure it's the right time and it's the right fit."
MSF is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that provides medical care to those who need it most, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or political affiliation.
