EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS BEST NEWCOMER NOMINEE BILAL ZAFAR ANNOUNCES NATIONWIDE TOUR INCLUDING SOHO THEATRE DATES WITH ‘BISCUIT’, FOLLOWING SOLD OUT EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE RUN

witty and absorbing and slightly appalling and highly entertaining.  I look forward to whatever Zafar cooks up next
Dominic Maxwell, The Times

delivers some big laughs
Brian Logan, The Guardian

fascinating and hilarious in equal measure
Ian Jones, i-D

Following his sell out second run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer, Edinburgh Comedy Awards and Chortle Awards Best Newcomer nominee Bilal Zafar will head out on a nationwide tour with his latest show Biscuit.  Beginning on 2nd February, the twenty-two date tour will see Bilal perform at venues across the country, including a six night run at London’s Soho Theatre from 9th – 14th April.

Having made an impression on the world of comedy and secured a solid degree in media studies (not necessarily in that order), Biscuit sees Bilal taking the natural next step for a young, up and coming comedian, as he embarks on the quest to find a wife.   Diving into the world of Muslim romance in 21st century Britain, Bilal tries the various forms of dating – online, casual, speed, and many more – as he attempts to find love and keep his mum happy in spite of his precarious career choices.

Bilal performed his debut show Cakes to sold-out audiences throughout his run at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, before taking it on tour across the UK.  The show told the story of how Bilal’s Twitter handle, @zafarcakes, became a focal point for the misguided rage of the global far-right when it was mistaken for the account of a ‘Muslim-only bakery’.  Cakes also gained Bilal a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2017 Chortle Awards, while earlier in 2016 he had placed top of the bill at the New Act of the Year Awards (formerly the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Awards), and in 2015 was also the runner up at the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition.  Quickly making a name for himself in TV and radio, Bilal has had a pilot commissioned with BBC Radio 4, recently appeared in an episode of Channel 4’s critically acclaimed Catastrophe, and has featured on BBC Three, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Asian Network, and Sky News.

What the Press Has Said

Exceedingly good
Alice Jones, The i

endearing, relaxed, and naturally funny…hilarious
★★★★
Emily Phillips, Edinburgh Festivals

a startlingly strong first show: funny, original, and just bizarre enough for the Fringe
★★★★
Emma Lawson, TV Bomb

★★★★
Ben Venables, The Skinny

 

For the full list of tour dates see: http://www.bilalzafarcomedy.com/gigs/

For more information please contact: Nathan Dean at Avalon on 0207 598 7222 or [email protected]