Nish Kumar
Nish Kumar, best known for hosting BBC’s Mash Report and also for his appearances on various well-known comedy panel shows, comes to The Grand Opera House York as part of his most recent 44-date tour.
Kumar comments that he was attracted to comedy as a child of a way of making scary things less threatening, and he certainly makes full use of this considering that his tour is called It’s in Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves and focuses heavily on the state of British politics – namely, whisper it… Brexit. Rather than seeming predictable or overdone, Kumar masters the difficult task of conveying the weight and importance of this moment in political history without alienating those who can’t name all the Secretaries of State for Exiting the EU and whilst also, crucially for a comedy show, making us laugh.
Kumar’s set also includes anecdotes from his tour, jokes about the time of dial-up internet, and loads of self-aware, self-deprecating humour. He appears hugely likeable (despite an angry persona), highly opinionated and also knowledgeable; his take on toxic masculinity is one of the best commentaries you could find on the subject, in comedy or otherwise. He’s aware of his own privileges but has also been the victim of prejudice, which makes him a well-placed observer and caller-outer. Just be aware that if you voted Leave, the person Kumar will be calling out is you. You have been warned!
It’s in Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves continues until 31st March with venues including Tyne Theatre, Newcastle and Huddersfield Town Hall.
Find more about Nish and follow the show on tour here.