Kae Kurd | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Comedian |
Years active | 2011–present |
Known for | Edinburgh Festival |
Notable work | Kurd Your Enthusiasm |
Kae Kurd (born Korang Abdulla) is a British-Kurdish stand-up comedian and writer. [1] He performed his show Kurd Your Enthusiasm at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017. [2] He has featured as a guest on the BBC Asian Network [3] and has written for the i [4] and Total Politics . [5] As of 2017 [update] , he is the UK's only professional standup comedian from a Kurdish background. [6]
Kurd came to Britain at 6 months old as a refugee. His parents had been part of the Kurdish resistance movement against Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government and were forced to flee as refugees. [2] [7]
"At my age, my father was running at tanks", he told one interviewer. Due to the Anfal campaign against Kurds in Iraq, Kurd's parents fled to Iran, where Kurd was born in 1990. Partly as a result of his father being injured in a poison gas attack in Iraq, his family were accepted as refugees and settled in Brixton, South London, where he still lives. [8]
Kurd's stage name came initially from the fact that his classmates at school could not pronounce his name. People would introduce him as “K, he's a Kurd”. After he was then announced on stage as 'Kae Kurd', decided he liked the name and adopted it as his Twitter handle. He told Festmag that, “I'm not complaining. It's nice to have some separation of your identity and stage persona.” [6]
Kurd's comedy focuses on issues of race, identity, and growing up Kurdish in the UK. He started out on the black comedy circuit in 2011 and some of his material revolves around imagining white comedians trying to pitch their routines to a black audience. [2] As someone from a nation without an independent state, “your whole existence is about trying to find an identity or to speak up for your identity”, Kurd said. [6] Reviewing his Edinburgh comedy show, Chortle noted Kurd as 'One to watch.' [9]
In 2021, Kurd began a legal case for libel against fellow comedian Darius Davies over allegations by Davies that Kurd had plagiarised his material. [10]
In March 2023, Kurd announced his first UK headline tour, set to take place in September 2023. [11]
Kurd has made various television appearances, notably two performances on Live at the Apollo . [12] [13] [14]
Kurd appeared as a contestant on episodes 76–80 of the fourth series of BBC Two's Richard Osman's House of Games . [15]
In June 2021, he appeared on Mock the Week . [16] In August 2022, he appeared on Celebrity Masterchef, becoming the second contestant to be eliminated in his heat. [17]
Kurd has written on numerous television shows, including BBC Two's Cunk on.., [18] Charlie Brooker's Antiviral Wipe [19] on BBC Two and Death to 2020 on Netflix; [20] Channel 4's Tez O'Clock Show ; Redknapp's Home Fixture, [21] Redknapp's Big Night Out [22] and Series 15 of A League of Their Own [23] on Sky One. He has also written for BAMOUS [24] on BBC Three and Have I Got News For You on BBC One.
Richard Keith Herring is an English stand-up comedian and writer whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring. He is described by The British Theatre Guide as "one of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy".
James Andrew Innes Dee, known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom Lead Balloon and hosts the panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He has hosted his own television shows, Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour, and appeared on the topical panel TV show Mock the Week. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for his 2006 Aberdeen Festival Fringe show. Howard has cited comedians Lee Evans, Richard Pryor, and Frank Skinner as influences.
Jon Joel Richardson is an English comedian. He is known for his appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and his work as co-host with Russell Howard on BBC Radio 6 Music. He presented Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, and also features with his wife Lucy Beaumont in the TV show Meet the Richardsons.
Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education also co-writing the latter and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie (2015).
Kevin Andrew Bridges is a Scottish stand-up comedian. His 2012 television series Kevin Bridges: What's the Story? was based on his stand-up routines.
Sean Christopher Walsh, known professionally as Seann Walsh, is an English stand-up comedian.
Diane Morgan is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has portrayed Philomena Cunk on the review programme Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe (2013–2020) and in the mockumentary series Cunk on Britain (2018) and Cunk on Earth (2022). She also played Liz on the BBC Two sitcom Motherland (2016–2022) and Kath in the Netflix dark comedy series After Life (2019–2022), as well as writing and starring in the BBC Two comedy series Mandy (2019–present).
Joel Patrick Dommett is an English comedian, television presenter and actor. After beginning his career as an actor, and appearing in various television shows including Casualty and Skins, he embarked on stand-up comedy and television presenting and became known for his television roles in Live in Chelsea (2011–2012) and Impractical Jokers UK (2012–2014).
John Michael David Robins is an English stand-up comedian and radio presenter.
Luisa Omielan is a British comedian based in Birmingham.
Dane Baptiste is a British stand-up comedian, writer and presenter. He was the first Black British act to be nominated for the "Best Newcomer" award at 2014's Edinburgh Comedy Awards and his comedy series Sunny D premiered on BBC Three in Spring 2016. He has made numerous TV and radio appearances, and hosts his own podcast Dane Baptiste Questions Everything. In January 2021, Baptiste's comedy pilot Bamous launched on BBC Three / BBC One.
Pierre Novellie is a South African-born comedian.
Ivo Charles Graham is an English stand-up comedian and comedy writer.
Larry Dean is a Scottish stand-up comedian. His comedy routines have earned him several awards including Scottish Comedian of the Year.
Daliso Chaponda is a Zambian-born Malawian stand-up comedian living in England. In 2017, he became a finalist in the variety show Britain's Got Talent, finishing third overall. In 2018, he launched a BBC Radio 4 series Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere.
Rachel Sarah Parris is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosts the satirical news show Late Night Mash.
Jamie Demetriou is an English comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Bus Rodent in Fleabag and for creating, co-writing, and starring in Stath Lets Flats. For the latter, he won Best Male Actor in a Comedy, Best Writer of a Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy at the 2020 BAFTA Awards.
Darren Harriott is a British stand-up comedian from Oldbury, West Midlands. He was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award and Best Show Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Tim Renkow is an American actor, writer and comedian. He plays the leading role of Tim in the TV series Jerk, which he also co-wrote.
{{cite web}}
: |first=
has generic name (help)