Tez Ilyas

About
Tez Ilyas

“Ilyas has a slickness more reminiscent of US comics, and the gags to back it up, though his most prized asset could yet be his bold, subversive streak.”

— THE GUARDIAN ★★★★

Tez Ilyas’s political stand-up is candy floss with a razorblade inside: sweet and familiar at first, then shockingly, painfully sharp. It’s the kind of manoeuvre that takes serious talent to pull off.

— THE TELEGRAPH ★★★★

Radiantly entertaining.

— THE TIMES ★★★★

Tez Ilyas is one of the most distinctive, celebrated and influential voices in British comedy. Over more than a decade, he has established himself as a multi-award-winning stand-up, actor, writer, presenter and author, renowned for combining razor-sharp social commentary with warmth, honesty and brilliantly observed everyday humour.

Tez has sold out five nationwide stand-up tours, taking his acclaimed shows to audiences across the UK and around the world, from Canada and Germany to Dubai and Australia. His breakthrough came with his debut hour TEZ Talks, which sold out at Soho Theatre and led to his own BBC Radio 4 series. His follow-up show Made in Britain sold out every performance at the Edinburgh Fringe before embarking on a hugely successful nationwide tour. His third show, Teztify, continued his run of sell-out performances and cemented his reputation as one of the UK’s leading political and observational comedians.

On screen, Tez became a breakout star as one of the regular cast of the hugely popular BBC Three sitcom Man Like Mobeen. He has delivered memorable appearances on some of British television’s biggest comedy shows, including Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, The Last Leg, Live from the BBC, The Now Show and Kevin Hart’s Live from Montreal. He also created and starred in his own Channel 4 satirical comedy series, The Tez O’Clock Show, while his Channel 4 Comedy Blap Bounty became the most-watched show in the strand’s ten-year history.

Tez’s comedy is rooted in his experience as a British Muslim growing up in Blackburn, using humour to explore identity, race, religion, politics and modern British life. His work has consistently challenged assumptions while bringing audiences into his world with intelligence, charm and a disarming sense of humour. His celebrated TEDxManchester talk, Made in Britain, explored the intersection of British and Muslim identities and has attracted hundreds of thousands of views online.

He has also enjoyed considerable success as an author. His debut book, The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13 ¾, became a Sunday Times bestseller, combining hilarious and moving memoir with an honest account of growing up Muslim in 1990s Blackburn. The book explores family, friendship, first experiences, faith and the realities of growing up with racism in working-class Britain.

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