Waseem Mirza

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Waseem Mirza born in Peterborough, England, is a British actor, [1] who transitioned to acting from a career as a broadcast TV News Presenter and Sci-Tech Journalist. [2] [3] Prior to his role on the DC Entertainment series, [4] Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler, [5] [6] he had won industry recognition for his work in British Television Journalism. [7] [8] As an Actor, he portrayed the physician Dr. Hamid in the 21 minute narrative: Beyond Belief - Talking to the Dead (2021). [9] The film garnered awards in two categories at the Crownwood International Film Festival [10] in July 2021. The awards were Best Director and Best Supporting Male Actor, awarded to Haider Zafar and Scott Samain respectively. Since then, the film has won further acclaim at The British Shorts Awards, LiftOff London and The White Deer Film Festival. [11]

Contents

On his most recent filming for the Warner Bros. production: Pennyworth The Origin of Batman's Butler (season 3 - 2022), [12] HBO Max had publicly announced that Season 3 would be broadcast and become available to stream in 2022. [13] [14] The series was subsequently named as a "Lionsgate+ Original" for its third-season premiere in the UK streaming market across various providers including directly at Lionsgate+ (the new name for StarzPlay in the country) on 11 December 2022. [15] This TV series is celebrated [16] for being a comic book adaptation of the Batman origin story. It was announced that the series would not be returning due to a change in direction at DC Studios. [17]

Early life and career beginnings

Mirza was born in Peterborough, England and graduated from the University of Lincoln located in Lincolnshire, England. As a child he appeared in the Nickelodeon show - School of The Week broadcast to a UK audience. However, it was his appearance as a child, on the video game shows on Sky One: Games World and then Games World Live (produced by Hewland International on behalf of BSkyB) [18] which kickstarted his media and broadcasting ambitions. He got his first real start in television when he was hired by BBC World as the first TV Researcher for the technology news show Click whilst on a placement from university. This led to a formal contract in his final year of studies. Here, Mirza received his first Presenter (Host) credit for the "Net News" [19] segment, when he stood-in during one episode for the former Presenter of the show, Stephen Cole. [19] He also received his first television reporter credit when reporting on the future of the home computer verses new internet devices [20] and digital music piracy. [21]

TV / film career developments

DC Comics - the home of Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler. DC Comics logo.svg
DC Comics - the home of Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler.

Mirza is a British actor, TV presenter and reporter with credits including the BBC drama series Doctors. [23] He was also hired by BBC News as a TV News Journalist while he was still studying in his final year at the University of Lincoln, England. By the time of graduation, he'd already worked for BBC News 24, BBC World News Channel and the BBC Asian Network before joining BBC Look East in the East of England.

He has also worked on the BBC's flagship international technology news feature show Click. [24] [25] He's been named TV Hotshot by Broadcast (magazine), as part of their influential annual list of "Britain's Top TV Talent Under 29." [2]

Before his debut in British TV News and Factual Television, he landed a role as a double for the daytime BBC drama series Doctors, [23] playing the character Dr. Rana Mistry, played originally by Akbar Kurtha. Mirza also co-presented a National Film & Television School pilot entertainment show, [26] produced by final year students, and which was partly funded by the BBC as part of its wider involvement with the educational establishment. [27] As a child, he appeared as himself on the Nickelodeon show called School of the Week [28] presented by Jenny Powell. The show featured his school, the Deacon's School, which is now known as the Thomas Deacon Academy. Interestingly, Mirza was featured in the role of a screaming man in 2020 for a music video by Zebra Katz titled "Ish". [29] In the same year, he appeared in the TV series Easy Ways to Live Well as himself. [30] In 2021, he appeared in the short film called There is Always Hope. [31] [32] This film is presently nominated [33] in the "Film" category for the United Kingdom Charity Film Awards, where votes are still being accepted. [33]

Mirza's appearance in the DC Comics Batman origin series Pennyworth as well as a role in the TV Mini Series Witness Data, [34] are both expected in 2022 according to the Internet Movie Database. In addition, his podcast series, FutureTECH, [35] is currently in production with an expected launch in 2022. Mirza is widely known [36] [37] [38] [39] to be an electric car [40] advocate having covered the latest developments [3] [41] in the technology for BBC Television. He reported on Britain's first case of Charge Rage [42] according to the BBC. His electric driving adventure went viral among tech-lifestyle blogs [39] [38] [37] [36] [43] when reporting from a Motorway Service Station in South East Britain. Notably, Mirza is a technology expert [44] and was transported virtually [45] into the videogame Minecraft, as part of a short BBC film [45] about the Professional Gamer and YouTuber DanTDM. [45] He appeared visibly sick, when describing on-camera for the BBC, the taste and texture of the world's first edible 3D-printed raspberry. [46] Mirza is a member of the Association of British Science Writers and also Equity, [47] which was formerly known as the British Actor's Equity Association.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleProductionProduction Awards/Nominations
2001Click1) Relief/Stand-in Presenter / Host - "Net News"

2) Reporter (Self)

Factual TV Series
2000-2001Doctors1) "Dr. Rana Mistry " (Double)

2) "Boyfriend"

TV Drama
2008- 2018Look EastPresenter (Self)TV NewsMirza was named Broadcast Magazine's "TV Hotshot" [48]
2020Easy Ways To Live WellSelf (Case Study)TV series
2020Zebra Katz - "Ish""Screaming Man"Music Video
2021Beyond Belief: Talking to the Dead"Dr. Hamid"Short FilmBest Director and Best Supporting Male Actor (awarded to Haider Zafar and Scott Samain respectively) at the 31st Crownwood International Film Festival. [10] Further accolades include:
2021There Is Always Hope"Railway Station Employee"Short FilmPresently nominated in the "Film" category for the Charity Film Awards [33] in the United Kingdom.
2022*Pennyworth (season 3) [49] "TV Reporter"TV DramaPennyworth Season 1 & 2 (2019 to 2021) received several nominations. [50]
2023*Witness Data"Bill Erran" (TV News Anchor)TV mini series

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References

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  2. 1 2 Waseem Mirza, 28, broadcast journalist (Waseem Mirza's profile as a journalist) Broadcast (UK magazine), Published 22 August 2008, Retrieved 14 May 2018
  3. 1 2 New lithium-air battery from Cambridge is 'most efficient' BBC News, Published 3 April 2013, Retrieved 14 May 2019
  4. ↑ "Pennyworth (2019 - Present)". DC. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Pennyworth" Rhyme 'n' Reason (TV Episode 2022) - IMDb , retrieved 3 January 2023
  6. ↑ Robertson, Jill, Episode #3.5, Pennyworth, retrieved 31 December 2021
  7. ↑ "Journalism graduate is a broadcasting hot shot". 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  8. ↑ News, Behind Local (24 May 2021). "Meet some of the Asian journalists doing inspiring things in local journalism". Behind Local News UK. Retrieved 31 December 2021.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ↑ Beyond Belief - Talking to the dead, Short Film, 2020-2021 | Crew United , retrieved 31 December 2021
  10. 1 2 "WINNER LIST – JULY 2021 MONTHLY EDITION - Crown Wood International Film Festival WINNER LIST – JULY 2021 MONTHLY EDITION". 22 August 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Beyond Belief: talking to the dead (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  12. ↑ Pennyworth (Action, Crime, Drama), DC Comics, Warner Bros. Television Productions UK, Warner Horizon Television, 28 July 2019, retrieved 30 December 2021
  13. ↑ "This January Stream "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," "Peacemaker," "Euphoria," "The Gilded Age," "The Fallout" And More On HBO Max". Pressroom. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  14. ↑ Pennyworth | Season 3 Announcement | HBO Max , retrieved 30 December 2021
  15. ↑ "Pennyworth Season 3 Trailer | there are origin stories and then there's this 😏 #Pennyworth Season 3 premieres 11 December 🕵️‍♂️ | By LIONSGATE+ UK | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Pennyworth's Shattered England Inches Alfred Closer to Gotham" . Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  17. ↑ Otterson, Joe (1 February 2023). "'Pennyworth' Canceled After Three Seasons at HBO Max". Variety. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "Beat the Elite - Production & Contact Info | IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
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  20. ↑ "BBC World Home Page". 18 March 2006. Archived from the original on 18 March 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  21. ↑ "BBC World Home Page". 18 March 2006. Archived from the original on 18 March 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  22. ↑ "Pennyworth (2019 - Present)". DC. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Doctors (TV Series 2000– ) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb". IMDb.
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  25. ↑ "BBC World Home Page". 15 October 2002. Archived from the original on 15 October 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  26. ↑ Museum of Now (trailer) (c)NFTS 2012 , retrieved 31 December 2021
  27. ↑ "Partners". NFTS. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  28. ↑ School of the Week (Reality-TV), Indie Productions, 7 September 1994, retrieved 30 December 2021
  29. ↑ Zebra Katz - ISH , retrieved 31 December 2021
  30. ↑ Episode #1.2, Easy Ways to Live Well, 29 January 2020, retrieved 31 December 2021
  31. ↑ Christie, Duncan; MacDiarmid, Calum (11 March 2021), There Is Always Hope (Short), Great Guns UK, Kharmel Cochrane Casting, Nomad Editing Company, retrieved 30 December 2021
  32. ↑ "Network Rail Proves There's Always Hope in Touching Mental Health Awareness Spot | LBBOnline". www.lbbonline.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  33. 1 2 3 "SMILEY". smileymovement.org. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  34. ↑ Witness Data (Thriller), Yet Film, retrieved 30 December 2021
  35. ↑ FutureTECH (Reality-TV), Mirza Productions, retrieved 30 December 2021
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  37. 1 2 Lambert, Fred (30 October 2017). "Tesla Supercharger stays online in power outage thanks to Powerpack system". Electrek. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
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  43. ↑ "Tesla jest trzy kroki przed konkurencją. Własne ładowarki z zapasowymi magazynami energii • SAMOCHODY ELEKTRYCZNE – www.elektrowoz.pl". SAMOCHODY ELEKTRYCZNE – www.elektrowoz.pl (in Polish). 30 October 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  44. ↑ "WASEEM MIRZA - Find Your Expert". FindYourExpert. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  45. 1 2 3 "Gamer's Minecraft videos a global hit". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  46. ↑ "Introducing the 3D-printed raspberry". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  47. ↑ "Equity - Waseem Mirza - Actor". www.equity.org.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  48. ↑ 2008-08-22T10:43:17. "Waseem Mirza, 28, broadcast journalist". Broadcast. Retrieved 30 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  49. ↑ Wang, K. L. Connie. "Here's Everything We Know So Far About Season 3 of 'Pennyworth,' Including Premiere Date and First Look Pics!". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  50. ↑ "Pennyworth Awards". TVGEEK. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
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