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Abdullah Afzal

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Abdullah Afzaluddin
Native nameعبداللہ افضل
Born (1989-02-08) 8 February 1989 (age 35)
Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England
MediumTelevision, film, radio, stand-up
NationalityBritish
Years active2006–present
GenresObservational humour
Subject(s)Islamic humour
Notable works and rolesCitizen Khan

Abdullah Afzal (Punjabi: عبداللہ افضل; born 8 February 1989) is a British actor and stand-up comedian.

Early life

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Afzal was born on 8 February 1989 to a Pakistani family in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England. His family originates from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. He has three older brothers, two older sisters and a younger half-brother.[1] He attended Abraham Moss High School in North Manchester.

Afzal trained for three years to be a hafiz.[2][3]

Career

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In 2007, Afzal had his first acting role as a young student in a short film called Raamis (originally called Extraordinary Rendition).[4][5] Between 2008 and 2011, he starred as Asif in two seasons of BBC Three sitcom Lunch Monkeys.[1] Since 2012, he has portrayed the character of Amjad Malik in BBC One's Citizen Khan.[5]

In February 2014, Afzal presented the Christmas comedy specials on BBC Asian Network.[5] In July 2015, he performed stand-up at the Eid Special Comedy Night at The Comedy Store in London.[6][7]

In July 2014, Afzal played two roles in BBC Radio 4's By a Young Officer: Churchill on the North West Frontier.[8]

In 2017, he appeared as Jahid in the romantic comedy film Finding Fatimah.[9]

In 2021, Afzal wrote, starred, and directed Cinder’aliyah, Britain’s first Muslim pantomime.[10][11] The pantomime is due to tour again in 2022.[12]

Personal life

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He works at Manchester Airport and Eden Boys' Leadership academy Manchester to supplement his acting career ,[2][3] and lives in Manchester with his wife Uzma, who he married in 2015.[13]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Raamis Raamis Short film
2017 Finding Fatimah Jahid Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2008–2011 Lunch Monkeys Asif Khan 13 episodes
2012–2016 Citizen Khan Amjad Malik 27 episodes
2017 Celebrity MasterChef Himself eliminated

Radio

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Year Title Role Station
2012 By a Young Officer: Churchill on the North West Frontier Railway Clerk / Sikh Soldier BBC Radio 4

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Lunch Monkeys: Abdullah Afzal". BBC. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b Ali, Umbreen (2 October 2013). "Citizen Khan: 'People call me Amjad in the street'". Lancashire Telegraph. Lancashire. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b Ali, Umbreen (2 October 2013). "Citizen Khan: 'People call me Amjad in the street'". Asian News. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Lunch Monkeys: Abdullah Afzal plays Asif Khan". BBC. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "BBC – Asian Network's Big Comedy Night – Performances – Abdullah Afzal". BBC Asian Network. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  6. ^ "HaLOL: can the UK have a laugh about Islam?". New Statesman. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  7. ^ Rahim, Sameer (21 July 2011). "HaLOL Comedy Night, Comedy Store, review: 'challenging'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  8. ^ "By a Young Officer: Churchill on the North West Frontier". BBC Radio 4. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Finding Fatimah official website". Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  10. ^ "World's only Muslim Panto opens this Christmas". ITV News. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  11. ^ Poole, Raff (24 January 2022). ""Cinder'aliyah": Britain's first Muslim pantomime from Abdullah Afzal". Hayat Life. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  12. ^ "The Great Muslim Panto is BACK!". pennyappeal.org. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  13. ^ Heward, Emily (11 December 2014). "Citizen Khan star Abdullah Afzal spills the beans on the long-awaited wedding episode". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
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