‘Some comedians think their material will change the world, but it won’t’: 10 Questions for Shazia Mirza

COMEDIAN, columnist and actress Shazia Mirza is of Pakistani descent and uses her Muslim heritage in her stand-up act.

She is a regular on Channel Five’s The Wright Stuff and she took part in Channel Four’s Celebrity Island.

Her new show, With Love From St Tropez, is currently touring.

How do you come up with new material?

Often it’s when something, or someone, annoys me. I think of an angle and write a line or two, but then it might not work on stage, so I try it at least three or four times with different audiences to make it better.

What’s the new show about?

My time on Celebrity Island, why I think the women survived better than the men, a wee bit about Brexit, that sort of thing.

How’s your Brexit material going down?

I’m meeting strong resistance in areas where they voted to leave. I think I’ll be fine in Scotland. I voted to remain.

Do you worry about people stealing your material?

No. I saw a guy who stole half an hour of Kevin Bridges’ act once and he died on his backside. It only suits the person who wrote it. My stuff about being a Muslim woman isn’t going to help a white male.

Who comes on tour with you?

Just my tour manager, Martin, who does everything for me. He drives, does sound, lights, everything. The travel is what makes touring tiring.

Does comedy change people, or is it just laughs?

Some comedians think their material will change the world, but it won’t. After a show the poor are still poor, and there’s still a war in Syria. My favourite comedians, Richard Pryor and George Carlin, were great but did they change the world?

Why did you do Bear Grylls’ Celebrity Island?

I mentioned the TV company’s offer to comedian Josie Long who had already done it. She said: “It’s awful, but go for it. You’ll learn stuff about yourself.” It wasn’t for the money. They didn’t pay me enough.

So what did you learn?

I had time to sort out my head, who I wanted out of my life when I got back, that kind of thing. Bear Grylls said: “If you can do this, you can do anything.” He was right.

Are your parents proud of you as a comedian?

They’ve never been supportive as they think comedy isn’t what women should do. Now they just don’t talk about it. They’ll discuss anything else but not my career.

You have 24 hours left to live. How do you spend it?

I do believe in the afterlife so I wouldn’t hurt anyone. I’d probably do everything that’s been forbidden in my life, such as drinking alcohol and eating bacon while wearing a bikini.