“I caught a lot of fish and managed not to eat any of the men”

Sharp, brilliant, and refusing to pull a single punch, British-Asian comic Shazia Mirza returns to Bristol this month (The Lantern, May 13) with her new show With Love from St Tropez.

Shazia’s previous show The Kardashians Made Me Do It was inspired by three girls who left Bethnal Green to join ISIS – and an unrelated radio piece Shazia contributed to the BBC which subsequently received a record number of complaints. Dealing with lies, truth, nudity and The Periodic Table, its follow-up delivers “as brave a piece of comedy as you’ll see” (The Mail on Sunday).

Here’s Shazia to tell us more.

Tell us about With Love from St Tropez. What themes are you tackling this time?
It’s funny, filthy and unique. It’s about the craziness of the world, but there is something for everyone in it. Sex, beaches, Brexit, men, women and butt plugs. Trump, Brexit, increase in racism. I will also be talking about my time on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, as it’s over now and I’m alive to tell the tale.
You’ll hear things here that you’ll never hear anywhere else. It sounds frightening but don’t worry, it’s quite a laugh.

“Dry as they come, sharp socio-political sass on Brexit, burkinkis & butt plugs”.  How accurate a summary of (or taster for) the show is that?
There is definitely Brexit and butt plugs, based on my (accidental) experience of these things on a beach recently.

Another review called it  “As brave a piece of comedy as you’ll see”. What do you think they mean by that?
I don’t pay any attention to what people write about my shows. It is their perception and it’s often wrong, misinformed, or prejudiced  in some way, based on their lack of perspective about what I’m talking about. They often cannot relate to me, or what I’m saying, simply because they have never known anyone like me in their life and therefore don’t understand my point of view. I’ve had this in all the time I’ve done stand-up.

Pics: Amelia Troubridge Photography

Tell us about Celebrity Island. How well did you survive the experience? Did it change you?
I survived. I did my best, I caught a lot of fish and managed not to eat any of the men. I think I did really well. Yes, it changes you, a near-death experience like that makes you want to live even more, appreciate your life and think about all the things you value and the people you need to get rid of when you get out. I loved all the people I was with, and I am so glad I did it. Bear Grylls said, “If you can do this, you can do anything,” and that’s true.

How do you think the UK comedy landscape has changed for a) female comics and b) non-white comics since you started out?
There are lots of wonderful women doing stand-up now – way more than when I first started – and it is great to hear so many women’s voices being heard. Non-white comics, however, are still not respected, valued and judged in the same way as white comics. The people running this industry are predominantly male and white and until that changes, non-white comic voices will continue to be suppressed and undervalued. But I shouldn’t complain – Nelson Mandela had it a lot worse.

Shazia Mirza is at The Lantern, Colston Hall on Sunday, May 13. For more info, visit www.colstonhall.org/shows/shazia-mirza

Read more: Preview: Bristol Comedy Garden 2018