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Paul Sinha

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Paul Sinha
Paul Sinha holding the Fighting Talk Champion of Champions Trophy
Born (1970-05-28) 28 May 1970 (age 54)
Luton, Bedfordshire, England
Occupation(s)General practitioner, television personality, comedian
Websitepaulsinha.com
Notes
if.comeddies nominee (2006)
Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Runner-up (1999)

Paul Sinha (born 28 May 1970) is an English doctor, comedian, broadcaster and quiz player of Indian descent. He is best known for being a "Chaser" on the ITV game show The Chase, which he joined in 2011; his nicknames on the show are "The Sinnerman", "The Smiling Assassin" and "Sarcasm in a Suit".

Education

Sinha was educated at Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School.[1] While at medical school, he developed a taste for the stage in St George's annual revue and refined his comedy as co-editor of the medical school newsletter, popularly known as the "Slag Mag".[2] Sinha is a qualified general practitioner.[3]

Stand-up comedy

Sinha began performing stand-up while working as a junior doctor in hospitals in London and King's Lynn. His early material drew on his sexuality (he is openly gay) and ethnicity, with a high pun concentration.[1] In 1999, he was runner-up in the final of the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year.

After several years of combining touring with his nascent medical career, Sinha's breakthrough came with his second solo Edinburgh show, Saint or Sinha?, which earned him an if.comeddie nomination in 2006.[4]

In 2013 he appeared in the Comedy Central UK show The Alternative Comedy Experience.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows

  • 2004 Aspects of Love, Actually
  • 2006 Saint or Sinha? (if.comeddie award nomination)
  • 2007 King of the World
  • 2009 39 Years of Solitude
  • 2010 Extreme Anti-White Vitriol
  • 2011 Looking at the Stars[5]

Radio

Sinha has performed several times on BBC Radio 4, on shows including The News Quiz, The Now Show, Loose Ends, 28 Acts in 28 Minutes, Shappi Talk and Just a Minute. His interest in football (he is a Liverpool F.C. fan[6]) and cricket has led to appearances on Radio 5 Live, most notably on Fighting Talk.

He has appeared as a guest on Midweek, Woman's Hour, Broadcasting House and as a political pundit on PM.[7][8][9]

On 12 March 2011, Sinha presented his own Radio 4 documentary, Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture, in which he explored the world of competitive quizzing. His second documentary, The Sinha Test, aired on 14 July 2011 and examined patriotism and sporting allegiance.[10][11]

On 24 July 2012, he presented a programme called The Sinha Games on BBC Radio Four about the Olympic Games and his experience as a Londoner.[12]

As noted earlier, Paul has been a frequent contributor to BBC 5 Live's popular sports comedy show fighting talk. At the end of May 2015 he emerged as the Fighting Talk Champion of Champions from a panel of Bob Mills, Richard Osman and John Rawling hosted by Josh Widdicombe. His "Defend the Indefensible" deploring the FA not choosing to host the FA Cup in Qatar won by popular applause.

Quizzes

After an appearance on The Weakest Link (where he was voted off 4th), Sinha has managed appearances on University Challenge: The Professionals (lost), Are You an Egghead? (lost in first round), Mastermind (4th) and Brain of Britain (3rd). Sinha is currently ranked 24th in the National Quiz Rankings (as of 19 January 2013),[13] and 28th in the World Quizzing Championships (as of June 2013)[14]

Sinha also plays in the Quiz League of London for the Gray Monks.[15]

The Chase

Main article: The Chase

In 2011, Sinha joined the ITV quiz series The Chase as the fourth "Chaser". His first episode was broadcast in the fourth series on 8 September 2011. He shares the role of Chaser with Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace and Anne Hegerty. He also appears in celebrity editions of the show.

References

  1. ^ a b Pendreigh, Brian (11 August 2011). "Interview: Paul Sinha, comedian". Edinburgh Festivals: Festival Previews.
  2. ^ "Paul Sinha's London". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  3. ^ "Paul Sinha Bio Pics". Paul Sinha.com. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Edinburgh Comedy Awards – past winners". comedyawards.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  5. ^ "BBC Radio Scotland Programmes – The Comedy Café, 15/07/2011". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Paul Sinha Interview". asianchic.co.uk/. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Midweek 28 Feb 2007". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  8. ^ "Woman's Hour 26 May 2008". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Comedian's Joke Advice for Brown". bbc.co.uk. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  10. ^ "Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  11. ^ "The Sinha Test". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  12. ^ The Sinha Game
  13. ^ "British Quizzing Association – Home of British Quiz!". British Quizzing Association. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  14. ^ World Quizzing Championships 2013 – Results
  15. ^ "QLL – team". Quiz League of London. Retrieved 13 March 2011.

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