Background
Mirza was born and brought up in East End of London, England to Pakistani parents.
Mirza was born and brought up in East End of London, England to Pakistani parents.
University of London.
At the age of 14, Mirza had his first stint at comedy when he told anecdotes about his summer holidays for assembly at his Ilford Comprehensive School. After graduating from the University of London with a Master"s degree in Civil Engineering, he formed two groups: "The Men from ChaCha" and a dance parody of the Chippendales called "The Chappattidales". He has written pieces for magazines and is well known on the London comedy circuit.
Since that initial success he gave up his job as a structural engineer and began work as a full-time stand-up comedian.
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.
He has played the circuit in London including Jongleurs and The Comedy Store. He is regularly involved with interfaith dialogue between different communities and often called in to lighten-up and moderate contentious debates between multi-faith conservatives.
From June to 28 August 2011, he presented a series of eight programmes in the world"s first interfaith game show called Faith Office on the Islam Channel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Underbelly, Cowgate, Edinburgh.
He also performed his show Jihad: Heresy Or Hearsay. Mirza is now developing a television sitcom and writing new material for a world tour. Mirza"s film credits include Bend lieutenant Like Beckham, Tomb Raider, lieutenant Was an Accident and Desi Boyz.
His television appearances include White Teeth, Chuckle Vision, Murder in Mind and Doctors.
Mirza challenges stereotypes in his acclaimed live shows. "Excellent" – Andrew Martin, London Evening Standard.
"Europe"s Top Asian Comedian" – Andy Beckett, The Guardian. "Sharp witted rising star" – William Cook, The Guardian.
"Comedy jihad. His warm, incisive, wit-strewn comedy celebrates the absurd" – The Guardian.
In 1995, reached the finals off the British Broadcasting Corporation Open Mic Award. Mirza is a West Ham United football fan.
In 1995, he was a finalist in the British Broadcasting Corporation Open Mic Award for The Stand up Show at the Edinburgh festival. He has performed all over the world, and is the first British comedian ever to perform stand up comedy to sell out shows in Saudi Arabia. "The sharpest Asian stand up on the alternative comedy circuit, but also Britain"s best loved Asian comedian" – Time Out.