Imran Yusuf - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Imran Yusuf is a British stand-up comedian. Yusuf came to notice following rave reviews and a Best Newcomer nomination for the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2010 and appearing on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow is a British stand-up comedy television series hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre from different venues around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The first series was broadcast with six episodes in 2009. Each episode features a routine from McIntyre,...

, both in the summer of 2010.

Early life and career

Yusuf is a kokni Muslim born in Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

and initially grew up in Hackney

London Borough of Hackney

The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....

, East London before moving to Harrow

Harrow, London

Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...

, North-West London. Both his parents and two older brothers became refugees of the economic war following the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Idi Amin

Idi Amin

Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...

in 1972. Yusuf also attended school in the USA from 1992–1993 and attended William Allen III Middle School in Moorestown

Moorestown Township, New Jersey

-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there were 19,017 people, 6,971 households, and 5,270 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,287.3 per square mile . There were 7,211 housing units at an average density of 488.1 per square mile...

, New Jersey.

He initially worked in the video game industry, where he worked at the European office of the American company Midway Games

Midway Games

Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...

. He worked on the development for several Midway video games such as Spy Hunter (2001), and had ambitions to work for Nintendo

Nintendo

is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

in Japan. Some of his other influences included anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

and comedian Dave Chapelle.

Comedy career

Imran Yusuf initially performed two open spots in 2000 at a comedy show hosted by comedian Jeff Mirza, but then did not choose to pursue stand-up comedy in until the summer of 2003 whilst on sabbatical from his career in the video games industry. He was the first winner of the "You Must Be Joking" stand-up competition at Newbury Comedy Festival in 2004. In 2010, he finally made his impact at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 with his first solo show An Audience with Imran Yusuf, receiving five star reviews and a nomination from the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards for Best Newcomer. Yusuf was the first performer in a free show to have received a nomination for the award. Later that summer, Yusuf appeared on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. This performance on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (BBC1) and subsequent Edinburgh Comedy Gala (BBC3) captured millions of viewers, setting Imran on course to become a household name. October and November saw Imran begin crafting his 2011 Edinburgh show with special invitation gigs, plus releasing official confirmation of his 43 date UK tour An Audience with Imran Yusuf starting in February 2011 at London’s Soho Theatre. On radio, Boxing Day 2010 saw Imran's debut on BBC Radio 7's The Now Show for a satirical look at current affairs and news. The special 45 minute show used Radio 4’s format for an extended show with Imran & guests. A follow up appearance on BBC Radio 4's prestigious The News Quiz

The News Quiz

The News Quiz is a topical panel game broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4.-History:It was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently it was chaired by Simon Hoggart, Barry Took , and then again by Simon Hoggart until March 2006. Hoggart was replaced by Sandi Toksvig in...

came soon after in February 2011 along with his television debut on BBC2's How TV Ruined Your Life

How TV Ruined Your Life

How TV Ruined Your Life is a six-episode BBC Two television series written and presented by Charlie Brooker. Charlie Brooker, whose earlier TV-related programmes include How to Watch Television, Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and You Have Been Watching, examines how the medium has bent reality to fit...

with Charlie Brooker, offering an opportunity to see Imran in sketch show action in the episode 'Aspiration'. Further to this, between March and April Imran made a second appearance on The Now Show

The Now Show

The Now Show is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the week's news. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis...

and a debut special guest slot on Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (BBC Radio 4 Extra).

Summer 2011 soon saw more great news and opportunities coming for Imran when Zai Bennett, controller at BBC3 green lit The Imran Yusuf Show for a broadcast pilot in anticipation of a series for the show. Interest from BBC America also saw Imran record a performance for Funny As Hell, a stand-up series presenting the best of British comedy in the United States. Soon came Edinburgh Fringe 2011 where Imran took his all new show 'Bring The Thunder' to the festival. Continuing with the previous year's trend of recording TV slots during the festival; Imran recorded a section of his show for Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live 2011 and BBC Comedy Presents: Free@TheFringe.

Tours

Following Imran’s performance on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Best Newcomer Nomination at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, his debut 43 date UK tour An Audience with Imran Yusuf hit the road in Spring 2011. With an engaged following of fans on Twitter, facebook and Imran Yusuf Fan Club friends, the tour came as a direct response to demand to see his Edinburgh 2010 show on the road.

Television Credits

BBC Comedy Presents: Free@TheFringe (2011)
Edinburgh Comedy Gala (2011)
How TV Ruined Your Life
How TV Ruined Your Life
How TV Ruined Your Life is a six-episode BBC Two television series written and presented by Charlie Brooker. Charlie Brooker, whose earlier TV-related programmes include How to Watch Television, Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and You Have Been Watching, examines how the medium has bent reality to fit...

(2011)
Edinburgh Comedy Gala (2010)
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow is a British stand-up comedy television series hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre from different venues around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The first series was broadcast with six episodes in 2009. Each episode features a routine from McIntyre,...

- series 2 (2010)
Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live (2010)
Laughtershock (2010)
Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off (2009)

External links

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