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Guz Khan

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For the American lyricist, see Gus Kahn.

Guz Khan
غلام دستگیر خان
Born
Ghulam Dustgir Khan[1]

(1986-01-24) 24 January 1986 (age 38)
Coventry, England
Other namesGuzzy Bear[2]
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • writer
  • actor
  • television director
  • television producer
Years active2014–present
AgentCurtis Brown [1]
Known forMan Like Mobeen
Children4
Websiteguzkhan.com

Ghulam Dustgir Khan (Urdu: غلام دستگیر خان; born 24 January 1986), popularly known as Guz Khan, is a British comedian and actor. His TV appearances include Man Like Mobeen, Taskmaster (series 12), Our Flag Means Death (series 1) and stand-up performances on Live at the Apollo.

Early life

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Khan was born on 24 January 1986 to a Pakistani Punjabi Muslim family of Khans, in Coventry, England. He has two sisters who are ten and eleven years older than him.[3] His father died when he was three.[4]

Khan grew up on a housing estate in Hillfields, Coventry,[5] and attended Stoke Park School. He graduated from Coventry University,[6] and went on to teach Humanities at Grace Academy.[7] In Sindhu Vee's 2020 BBC comedy podcast Things My Mother Never Told Me (... About Lockdown), Khan talks about being raised in a South Asian community and his relationship to his mother.[3]

Career

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Breakthrough

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Khan uploaded his first video to Facebook in 2014; in June of that year, he first performed on stage, opening for Aamer Rahman at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. His second time on stage was at a comedy evening at the Library of Birmingham BBC Asian Network organised for Comic Relief, with Citizen Khan.[2] Khan performed under the stage name "Guzzy Bear".[2]

In June 2015, whilst performing as his character Mobeen, a Muslim living in Small Heath,[2] Khan made a video called "Pakisaurus", expressing mock outrage at the lead character in the film Jurassic World[8][9] shouting the line "the Pachys are out of containment" (an abbreviation of Pachycephalosaurus),[8][10] observing it to be a homophone of Paki, a racial slur for people of South Asian descent.[11] During the video, Khan also discovers Pakisaurus is the name of a real dinosaur from Pakistan.[8] In six days, the video was watched over 340,000 times on YouTube, and it has also received over 700,000 views on Facebook.[11] Khan's hashtag on Twitter, #BoycottJurassicWorld gained attention,[12] [13][14] After the Birmingham Mail publicised the story, Khan was interviewed by radio stations in the United States and Indonesia.[2]

Stand-up comedy

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In December 2015, Khan performed at BBC Asian Network's Big Comedy Night in Birmingham, a special comedy night celebrating 50 years of Asian programmes on the BBC.[15][16]

He has also performed on the BBC2 stand-up show Live at the Apollo, in an episode aired on 31 December 2017, hosted by the comedian Henning Wehn.[17]

Critics have celebrated Khan for his distinctive on-stage style, described as "his fusion of British-urban-Islamic clothing and personal accessories."[18]

Television

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In June 2015, Khan made a short film Roadman Ramadan as part of the British Muslim Comedy series, five short films by Muslim comedians commissioned by the BBC to be released on BBC iPlayer.[19][20][21] Khan's sketch was a guide to Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting during daylight hours, which sees Khan's character Mobeen guide his newly converted friend Trev through his first Ramadan.

In July 2015, Khan gave up his job as a school teacher to pursue a career in comedy after his YouTube clips went viral.[2] In November, he featured in an episode of comedy web series Corner Shop Show. In 2016, he went on to play the rambunctious baggage handler Mo Khan in Borderline.[22]

In December 2017, Khan's four-part BBC comedy series Man Like Mobeen was released on BBC iPlayer.[7][23][24][25] Three more series of the show have been produced, which were released on BBC iPlayer in 2019, 2020 and 2023.[26][27]

In March 2019, Khan appeared as a guest on Hypothetical.

In 2020, he appeared in Four Weddings And a Funeral,[28][29] a miniseries created by Mindy Kaling that is a re-imagining of the original film.[30][31]

In September 2021, Khan appeared on the twelfth series of Taskmaster.

In December 2021, Khan appeared as Bonzo in Beauty and the Beast: A Pantomime for Comic Relief, originally broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday 21 December.[32]

In February 2022, Khan narrated the Peaky Blinders Ultimate Recap on BBC One.[33]

In March 2022, Khan appeared in the HBO Max comedy pirate series Our Flag Means Death, where he played Ivan, a member of Blackbeard's crew. Khan was the only main actor dropped ahead of the second season of the show.[34] Responding to the decision, he tweeted: "This is the industry sometimes. They might be choosing a different direction creatively, maybe it's financial decision, maybe they weren't feeling your boy."

In March 2024, Khan appeared in the Netflix show The Gentlemen, where he played Chucky "The Cobra" Kubra, an experienced money launderer.

Commercial endorsements

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In June 2019, Khan appeared in an advert for Walkers crisps alongside the Spice Girls, playing Dev, the group's biggest fan.[35]

In February 2020, Uber Eats launched a UK-wide brand campaign starring Khan as a charismatic courier spreading positivity.[36]

Film

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In February 2017, Khan appeared as Rocky in the romantic comedy film Finding Fatimah.[37]

In 2019, Khan appeared alongside Idris Elba in the Netflix comedy show Turn Up Charlie,[28] which premiered on 15 March 2019.[38]

In April 2022, Khan appeared in the main cast of the film The Bubble, playing actor Howie Frangopolous.

Political views

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Khan supported Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 UK General Election, encouraging people to vote Labour.[39][40] He is a supporter of the Palestinian cause.[41][42]

Personal life

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Khan is a Muslim.[2] He lives with his wife and five children in the West Midlands.[2] Khan is a supporter of Manchester United F.C.[43]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2017 Finding Fatimah Rocky
2018 Walk Like a Panther Terry Khan
2021 Army of Thieves Rolph
2022 The Bubble Howard "Howie" Frangopolous
2024 How to Date Billy Walsh Mr Atkins
That Christmas Dasher (voice)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Doctors Guzzy Bear 1 Episode
Dropperz Big Gib 1 Episode
2016–2017 Borderline Mo Khan 10 Episodes
Zapped Skylark 7 Episodes
2017 Loaded Tech Head 1 Episode
2017–present Man Like Mobeen Mobeen Also creator
2018 Bounty Waseem TV movie
2019 Four Weddings and a Funeral Basheer 7 Episodes
2019 Turn Up Charlie Del 6 Episodes
Curfew Cheese 8 Episodes
2021 Taskmaster Himself 10 Episodes
2022 Our Flag Means Death Ivan 10 episodes
2023 Digman! Zane Troy (voice) 8 episodes
Wonders of the World I Can't See Himself Episode 3[44]
Outsiders Himself Series 3
My Super-Rich Holiday Himself With Eddie Kadi[45]
2024 The Gentlemen Chucky 1 Episode

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022 Peabody Awards Entertainment Our Flag Means Death Nominated [46]

References

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  1. ^ Rodger, James (8 October 2018). "Man Like Mobeen star Guz Khan 'saves boy's life' after mugging". CoventryLive. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Laws, Roz (13 July 2015). "Comedian Guzzy Bear gives up teaching job after Jurassic World stunt went viral". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 – Comedy of the Week, Things My Mother Never Told Me (... About Lockdown)". BBC. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Guz Khan: The real deal role model". Royal Television Society. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. ^ Lobb, Adrian (2 January 2020). "Guz Khan: 'We wanted to dispel myths around foodbanks'". The Big Issue. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. ^ Lacey, Hester (25 January 2019). "Q&A with comedian and writer Guz Khan". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b Rodger, James (7 December 2015). "Coventry teacher turned comedian Guz Khan gets TV pilot and soap cameo". Coventry Telegraph. Coventry. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Cannon, Matt (18 June 2015). "Jurassic World blasted by Small Heath comedy character after dinosaur abbreviation slip". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  9. ^ Lebeau, Jordan (18 June 2015). "British comic accuses 'Jurassic World' of racism, wins at word bingo". Boston Globe. Boston. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  10. ^ Lindsay, Duncan (20 June 2015). "Comedian leads Jurassic World boycott over 'racist' dinosaur name". Metro. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b James, Richard (19 June 2015). "This Comedian Is Calling For People To Boycott 'Jurassic World' Over Its Dinosaur "Racism". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  12. ^ Farooq, Aisha (22 June 2015). "#Pakisaurus trends for Jurassic World boycott". Desi Blitz. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  13. ^ Ragan, Nitya (17 June 2015). "Jurassic World Boycott Plans in Motion As Comedian Discovers Accidental Racism". HuffPost. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  14. ^ Haysom, Sam (18 June 2015). "British comedian accuses 'Jurassic World' of prehistoric racism in hilarious rant". Mashable. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Special comedy night to feature Tez Ilyas, Guz Khan, Shaista Aziz and Aditi Mittal". Asian Image. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  16. ^ "Guz Khan". BBC Asian Network. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  17. ^ "BBC Two – Live at the Apollo, Series 13, episode 4".
  18. ^ Symons, Alex (14 February 2024). "Transcultural Comedy in Man Like Mobeen (2017-2023): How the BBC is Merging "Us"/"Them."". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 51 (4): 196. doi:10.1080/01956051.2023.2277258. ISSN 0195-6051.
  19. ^ Jones, Alice (25 June 2015). "Ramadan films and HaLOL: the rise of British Muslim Comedy". The Independent. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  20. ^ Badat, Hafeeza (19 June 2015). "British Muslim Comedy Takes Over BBC iPlayer". Asian Image. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Guz Khan: Roadman Ramadan". BBC iPlayer. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  22. ^ "Borderline – C5 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
  23. ^ "Man Like Mobeen". BBC. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  24. ^ "BBC – Man Like Mobeen coming to BBC Three for brand new series – Media Centre".
  25. ^ "BBC iPlayer – Man Like Mobeen".
  26. ^ "British Comedy Guide:Man Like Mobeen series and episodes list". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  27. ^ "BBC Three's Man Like Mobeen returns for a third series – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Guz Khan: 'Man Like Mobeen' creator, rising comedy star, working class hero". The Big Issue. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  29. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2 November 2018). "'Four Weddings And A Funeral': Andie MacDowell To Appear On Hulu Series, Nathalie Emmanuel To Star In Recasting". Deadline. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  30. ^ "Guz Khan joins Four Weddings : News 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  31. ^ "Guz Khan talks Man Like Mobeen and educating through comedy". Evening Standard. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  32. ^ "BBC Two - A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas, Beauty and the Beast". BBC. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  33. ^ "BBC One - Peaky Blinders, Peaky Blinders Ultimate Recap". 23 February 2022.
  34. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (6 June 2022). "'Our Flag Means Death' Season 2: Guz Khan Not Returning". Collider. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  35. ^ Staff Reporter (2 June 2019). "GUZ-A-GUZ-AH! Comedian Guz Khan joins the Spice Girls in hilarious new Walkers crisps ad". I Am Birmingham. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  36. ^ "'Bring It': Uber Eats and Guz Khan serve up some motivation in first ads from Mother". The Drum. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  37. ^ "Finding Fatimah official website". Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  38. ^ Mitchell, Robert (3 January 2019). "First Look: Idris Elba in Netflix Comedy 'Turn Up Charlie'". Variety. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  39. ^ Khan, Guz [@GuzKhanOfficial] (12 December 2019). "For the MANY not the FEW. Labour. @UKLabour @jeremycorbyn https://t.co/JzQjh6Id9f" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  40. ^ Khan, Guz [@GuzKhanOfficial] (21 November 2019). "This is a ONCE in a generation chance to dispel the Tories who serve the FEW, and empower those who will serve the MANY... Vote @UKLabour and change the game ✊🏾 https://t.co/ZgXQL1iySQ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ Staff Reporter (10 May 2019). "Soweto Kinch, Salma Yaqoob, Maz Saleem and Lowkey pledge support for pro-Palestine rally". I Am Birmingham. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  42. ^ Khan, Guz [@GuzKhanOfficial] (5 August 2022). "I might have got the axe from Our Flag Means Death, but I'll always be flying the flag for you my G 🇵🇸🤲🏾💚 https://t.co/M7BGkaK8A5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "FA Cup third-round predictions - Lawro v comedian Guz Khan". BBC Sport. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  44. ^ "Wonders of the World I Can't See". channel4.com/programmes. 11 July 2023.
  45. ^ "My Super-Rich Holiday". channel4.com/programmes. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  46. ^ Voyles, Blake (20 September 2023). "83rd Peabody Award Nominees". Retrieved 20 September 2023.
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