# Shappi Khorsandi > Comedian, author and speaker --- ## Pages - [FAQs](https://shappi.co.uk/corporate-events/#faqs) - [Scatter Brain](https://shappi.co.uk/#scatter-brain) - [Clients](https://shappi.co.uk/corporate-events/#clients) - [Videos](https://shappi.co.uk/comedian/videos/) - [Comedian](https://shappi.co.uk/#comedian) - [Speaker](https://shappi.co.uk/#speaker) - [Testimonials](https://shappi.co.uk/#testimonials) - [Author](https://shappi.co.uk/#author) - [Live Dates](https://shappi.co.uk/comedian/live-dates/) - [Homepage](https://shappi.co.uk/) - [News](https://shappi.co.uk/news/) - [About](https://shappi.co.uk/about/) - [Comedian](https://shappi.co.uk/comedian/) - [Corporate Events](https://shappi.co.uk/corporate-events/) - [Award Hosting](https://shappi.co.uk/corporate-events/#award-hosting) - [Keynote Topics](https://shappi.co.uk/corporate-events/#keynote-topics) - [Speaking](https://shappi.co.uk/corporate-events/#speaking) - [Books](https://shappi.co.uk/books/) - [Contact](https://shappi.co.uk/contact/) - [Press Pack](https://shappi.co.uk/press-pack/) - [Privacy Policy](https://shappi.co.uk/privacy-policy/) --- ## Posts - [Can we put this pic on my website to look like I was getting a damehood 👑?](https://shappi.co.uk/2025/03/i-met-the-king/) - [New Show - Shapchat!](https://shappi.co.uk/2023/07/new-show-shapchat/) - [Scatter Brain Out Now!](https://shappi.co.uk/2023/06/scatter-brain-out-soon/) - [Why you're never too old to fall in love... with Valentine's](https://shappi.co.uk/2022/03/why-youre-never-too-old-to-fall-in-love-with-valentines/) - [Kissing Emma is OUT NOW!](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/11/kissing-emma-is-out-now/) - [It Was The 90s!](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/11/new-show/) - [Richard Herring’s RHLSTP 353](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/11/richard-herrings-rhlstp-353/) - [I was in awe of Sean Lock – this is a colossal loss to the world of comedy](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/08/i-was-in-awe-of-sean-lock-this-is-a-colossal-loss-to-the-world-of-comedy/) - [Off Menu Ep 114](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/08/off-menu-ep-114/) - [I’ve just got back from the Edinburgh Fringe – it was quiet, strange, and totally life-affirming](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/08/ive-just-got-back-from-the-edinburgh-fringe-it-was-quiet-strange-and-totally-life-affirming/) - [Fortunately… with Fi & Jane](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/08/fortunately-with-fi-jane/) - [The problem with calling someone a ‘Karen’](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/07/the-problem-with-calling-someone-a-karen/) - [What The Fuck Is Going On… With Mark Steel](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/07/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-mark-steel/) - [Our teenagers grow up with us tapping on little rectangles – why should we expect them to behave differently?](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/07/our-teenagers-grow-up-with-us-tapping-on-little-rectangles-why-should-we-expect-them-to-behave-differently/) - [England’s dreaming – yet Tory MP Lee Anderson is still cross about players taking the knee](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/07/englands-dreaming-yet-tory-mp-lee-anderson-is-still-cross-about-players-taking-the-knee/) - [Football shows how much our national identity has changed](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/07/football-shows-how-much-our-national-identity-has-changed/) - [Matt Hancock snogging in the office, when singletons like me have been dutifully celibate? Outrageous](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/06/matt-hancock-snogging-in-the-office-when-singletons-like-me-have-been-dutifully-celibate-outrageous/) - [Why we don’t do Father’s Day in my family](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/06/why-we-dont-do-fathers-day-in-my-family/) - [Why I have decided to change my name from ‘Shappi’ back to ‘Shaparak’](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/06/why-i-have-decided-to-change-my-name-from-shappi-back-to-shaparak/) - [Forget small talk, I want to tell you about the menopause and why I feel like a slug lost in fog](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/06/forget-small-talk-i-want-to-tell-you-about-the-menopause-and-why-i-feel-like-a-slug-lost-in-fog-the-independent/) - [Spit Or Swallow](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/06/spit-or-swallow/) - [My Best Teacher](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/05/my-best-teacher/) - [The Paul Chowdhry PudCast](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/05/the-paul-chowdhry-pudcast/) - [My Seven Wonders with Clive Anderson](https://shappi.co.uk/2021/03/my-seven-wonders-with-clive-anderson/) - [Answer Me This!](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/11/answer-me-this/) - [Out To Lunch with Jay Rayner](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/07/out-to-lunch-with-jay-rayner/) - [My Mate Bought A Toaster](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/07/my-mate-bought-a-toaster/) - [Films To Be Buried With – Brett Goldstein](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/04/films-to-be-buried-with-brett-goldstein/) - [Making The Money Work](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/03/making-the-money-work/) - [Inside The Comedian](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/02/inside-the-comedian/) - [AMusical](https://shappi.co.uk/2020/01/amusical/) - [Skittish Warrior… Extended into 2020!!!](https://shappi.co.uk/2019/11/skittish-warrior-extended-into-2020/) - [Shappi Khorsandi Gets Organised](https://shappi.co.uk/2019/10/shappi-khorsandi-gets-organised/) - [Skittish Warrior In Edinburgh…](https://shappi.co.uk/2019/07/skittish-warrior-in-edinburgh/) - [UnFiltered with James O’Brien](https://shappi.co.uk/2019/04/unfiltered-with-james-obrien/) - [Great Lives: Emma, Lady Hamilton](https://shappi.co.uk/2019/04/great-lives-emma-lady-hamilton/) - [Skittish Warrior…Confessions of a Club Comic](https://shappi.co.uk/2018/10/skittish-warriorconfessions-of-a-club-comic/) - [Misfit & Misfit tour returns to London!](https://shappi.co.uk/2018/05/misfit-misfit-tour-returns-to-london/) - [Shappi Joins I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!](https://shappi.co.uk/2017/11/shappi-joins-im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here/) - [Mistress & Misfit – 2018 Tour](https://shappi.co.uk/2017/10/mistress-misfit-2018-tour/) - [Nina Is Not OK Out in Paperback.](https://shappi.co.uk/2017/02/nina-is-not-ok-out-in-paperback/) - [Oh My Country! (From Morris Dancing to Morrissey)](https://shappi.co.uk/2016/08/oh-my-country-from-morris-dancing-to-morrissey/) - [Nina Is Not OK – OUT NOW](https://shappi.co.uk/2016/07/nina-is-not-ok-out-now/) - [Do The Right Thing – July 2016](https://shappi.co.uk/2016/07/do-the-right-thing-july-2016/) - [Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast 26](https://shappi.co.uk/2013/10/richard-herrings-leicester-square-theatre-podcast-26/) - [Do The Right Thing – Edinburgh 2011](https://shappi.co.uk/2011/09/do-the-right-thing-edinburgh-2011/) - [Richard Herring’s Edinburgh Fringe Podcast 13](https://shappi.co.uk/2011/08/richard-herrings-edinburgh-fringe-podcast-13/) - [So Wrong It’s Right – S2 Ep3](https://shappi.co.uk/2011/03/so-wrong-its-right-s2-ep3/) - [Shappi Talk – Growing Up In The UK](https://shappi.co.uk/2009/07/shappi-talk-growing-up-in-the-uk/) - [Shappi Talk – Religion](https://shappi.co.uk/2009/07/shappi-talk-religion/) - [Shappi Talk – Unconventional Parents](https://shappi.co.uk/2009/07/shappi-talk-unconventional-parents/) - [Shappi Talk – Racism](https://shappi.co.uk/2009/07/shappi-talk-racism/) - [My Teenage Diary Series 1 Ep 3](https://shappi.co.uk/2009/04/my-teenage-diary-series-1-ep-3/) --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages Practical Details How long are Shappi’s presentations? Can they be customised to our time slot? Shappi’s keynotes typically range from 45 to 60 minutes, though she regularly adapts sessions to fit conference agendas, from 20-minute talks to half- or full-day workshops. Every session is tailored to align with the event format and audience needs. What’s Shappi’s speaking fee range? Does Shappi have a fee structure? Shappi’s fees vary depending on the event format, location, level of customization, and preparation required. She offers transparent, tiered pricing based on keynotes, workshops, and advisory engagements. Please get in touch with event details for a tailored proposal. What’s included in Shappi’ fee? (travel, materials, pre-event calls, etc. ) Typically, Shappi’s fee includes: Pre-event consultation calls Customisation of content Presentation materials where applicable Travel and accommodation are usually arranged separately, depending on the engagement. Where is Shappi’s based, and does Shappi travel internationally? Shappi is based in London and works with clients globally. She regularly delivers talks across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. What You Will Get What’s Shappi’s speaking style? Shaparak delivers a unique mix of keynote speaking, sharp storytelling, and audience interaction. Drawing on her experience as a comedian, writer, and broadcaster, her sessions blend humour with honest insight, using real-life experiences and cultural observations to spark reflection, connection, and meaningful conversation. Thought-provoking yet highly engaging, her talks leave audiences entertained while offering perspectives that resonate long after the event. Does Shappi provide any materials or resources for attendees? Yes—depending... --- Join Shappi as she looks back on her life through the lens of ADHD and finally makes sense of the chaos. A kind, helpful and hilarious guide to neurodiversity told as only Shappi can tell it - required reading for all Jenny Eclair Order now! --- Corporate Events – Shappi Khorsandi About Comedian Live Dates Videos Podcasts / Audio Corporate Events Award Hosting Speaking Clients Keynote Topics FAQs Writing Books Writing News Contact Search... Shappi Khorsandi About Comedian Live Dates Videos Podcasts / Audio Corporate Events Writing Books Writing News Contact Search... Comedian Live DatesVideosPodcasts / Audio Writing BooksWriting Corporate Events Award Hosting It was a phenomenal evening and Shappi was outstanding. AttendeeWe would gladly have Shappi do another REC event in the future. Neil Barry, Chief Executive, Recruitment and Employment Confederation From The Royal Television Society Awards, to The National Parking Awards, The Financial Times Awards to The Wedding Awards, Shappi has hosted them all. As a hugely experienced awards host, she can work any room, tailoring a comedy routine to suit the occasion, set the right tone and pitch for the evening, manage even the most rambunctious crowd, then move seamlessly on to presenting. These nights are special, the highlight in the calendar of companies and industries who want the chance to recognise the hard work of their teams and let their hair down with their colleagues. It is of utmost importance for Shappi that an event she hosts is warm, fun and that everyone has a brilliant time, whether they win an award or not. It’s a privilege to be an instrumental part of such an evening. (She also has some gorgeous dresses which she only ever gets to wear when hosting awards night so please, think of the gowns!) Book Shappi Speaking... --- Videos – Shappi Khorsandi About Comedian Live Dates Videos Podcasts / Audio Corporate Events Award Hosting Speaking Clients Keynote Topics FAQs Writing Books Writing News Contact Search... Shappi Khorsandi About Comedian Live Dates Videos Podcasts / Audio Corporate Events Writing Books Writing News Contact Search... Comedian Live DatesVideosPodcasts / Audio Writing BooksWriting Videos Live In Soho Shappi in Montreux In Conversation with Stephen Fry Unfiltered with James O’Brien The Last Straw Comedy Central At The Comedy Store Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live 2014 Melbourne Comedy Festival 2014 Melbourne Comedy Festival 2012 Live At The Apollo 2012 Edinburgh Comedy Fest 2012 Edinburgh Comedy Fest 2011 Edinburgh Comedy Fest 2010 Live At The Apollo 2010 Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow 2009 Live At The Apollo 2008 Melbourne Gala 2007 Shappi’s Little Cracker Interview with BUILD Friday Night with Jonathan Ross S16 Ep21 Skydiving! Reveal Interview – I’m A Celebrity… 2017 The Cassassinator Press Pack Facebook Twitter Instagram Privacy Policy © Shaparak Khorsandi 2026 All rights reserved. Website Design by Tiger Finch --- Shappi’s career has taken her to all corners of the globe. She has appeared on countless TV & Radio shows, including: Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, MasterChef, Have I Got News For You, QI, Pointless Celebrities, Question Time and Just a Minute, as well as her own show, Shappi Talk. Info / Booking --- As a keynote speaker and awards host, Shappi can deftly handle the most serious subjects with a sprinkling of humour – a skill perfected in her early stand-up shows. Drawing on her past experiences as a female comic breaking into a male-dominated industry, Shappi is a popular speaker on topics surrounding diversity and inclusion and mental health. Her charmingly candid style combined with her sharp-as-a-tack delivery ensure that whether speaking virtually or in-person, she never fails to connect with an audience. Info / Booking --- '. . well what can we say – Shappi was incredible. Very humble, down to earth and hilarious. She connected really well with our viewers and we have received some wonderful feedback on the back of the event. Menopause Day 'fireside chat' and Q&A   Bourne LeisureIt was a phenomenal evening and Shappi was outstanding. Shappi pitched the material just right for an international crowd. International Bar AssociationShappi’s performance was universally acclaimed as our best dinner speaker for many years. International Bar AssociationShappi is superb, what a great event! SkyIt’s great how you have opened the definition of diversity to include so many different people and not just have it boxed in as race or colour. SkyShappi was so warmly engaging, witty, and touched on many delicate areas with humour and warmth. SkyNo question, just clapping and laughing hard - Shappi is on fire SkyShe has plenty to say, and says it with pointedness and potency The Guardian --- Shappi published her childhood memoirs, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, her best-selling literary debut, described by the Scotsman as “filled with laughter, wonder and compassion”. Emma Thompson said, “This very funny, acute book also made me cry. ” Shappi went on to publish her first novel, Nina Is Not Ok, which was described by the Telegraph as “moving, funny and shocking” and received tremendous acclaim from critics and readers alike. More details --- Having reassessed her life through the prism of an ADHD diagnosis in last year's funny and moving memoir, one of Britain's most beloved and most scatterbrained stand-ups lets you back into her mind (warning: it's cluttered in there). Among other things, this show will be a love-letter to letter-writing, a trip back through her early years as a comic and woman-about-town, and a whirlwind tour of a chaotic, hilarious brain. Book now “More passion, relevance and urgency than ever” Chortle “I laughed all the way through and left inspired” Funny Women --- New Tour 2024-26 --- Shappi Khorsandi is a comedian, author, speaker and advocate for human rights. Shappi established herself as one of the UK’s finest comedians with her sell-out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker. Despite the basis for the show being her experiences as a child refugee fleeing Iran and terrorists attempting to murder her father, Shappi’s sensitive yet witty exploration of these events created an instant comedy smash hit. It also lead to the publication of her childhood memoirs, “A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English“, her best-selling literary debut, described by the Scotsman as ‘filled with laughter, wonder and compassion’. Emma Thompson said “This very funny, acute book also made me cry”. Shappi went on to publish her first novel, Nina Is Not Ok, which was described by the Telegraph as ‘moving, funny and shocking’ and received tremendous acclaim from critics and readers alike. Shappi’s career has taken her to all corners of the globe. She has appeared on countless TV & Radio shows, including: Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, MasterChef, Have I Got News For You, QI, Pointless Celebrities, Question Time and Just a Minute, as well as her own show, Shappi Talk. https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=iygCY_XggmU As a keynote speaker and awards host, Shappi can deftly handle the most serious subjects with a sprinkling of humour – a skill perfected in her early stand-up shows. Drawing on her past experiences as a female... --- Corporate Events – Shappi Khorsandi About Comedian Live Dates Videos Podcasts / Audio Corporate Events Award Hosting Speaking Clients Keynote Topics FAQs Writing Books Writing News Contact Search... Shappi Khorsandi About Comedian Live Dates Videos Podcasts / Audio Corporate Events Writing Books Writing News Contact Search... Comedian Live DatesVideosPodcasts / Audio Writing BooksWriting Corporate Events Award Hosting It was a phenomenal evening and Shappi was outstanding. AttendeeWe would gladly have Shappi do another REC event in the future. Neil Barry, Chief Executive, Recruitment and Employment Confederation From The Royal Television Society Awards, to The National Parking Awards, The Financial Times Awards to The Wedding Awards, Shappi has hosted them all. As a hugely experienced awards host, she can work any room, tailoring a comedy routine to suit the occasion, set the right tone and pitch for the evening, manage even the most rambunctious crowd, then move seamlessly on to presenting. These nights are special, the highlight in the calendar of companies and industries who want the chance to recognise the hard work of their teams and let their hair down with their colleagues. It is of utmost importance for Shappi that an event she hosts is warm, fun and that everyone has a brilliant time, whether they win an award or not. It’s a privilege to be an instrumental part of such an evening. (She also has some gorgeous dresses which she only ever gets to wear when hosting awards night so please, think of the gowns!) Book Shappi Speaking... --- From The Royal Television Society Awards, to The National Parking Awards, The Financial Times Awards to The Wedding Awards, Shappi has hosted them all. As a hugely experienced awards host, she can work any room, tailoring a comedy routine to suit the occasion, set the right tone and pitch for the evening, manage even the most rambunctious crowd, then move seamlessly on to presenting. These nights are special, the highlight in the calendar of companies and industries who want the chance to recognise the hard work of their teams and let their hair down with their colleagues. It is of utmost importance for Shappi that an event she hosts is warm, fun and that everyone has a brilliant time, whether they win an award or not. It’s a privilege to be an instrumental part of such an evening. (She also has some gorgeous dresses which she only ever gets to wear when hosting awards night so please, think of the gowns! ) Book Shappi --- The Hidden Driver: How Personal Healing Unlocks Professional Potential Trauma doesn’t stay at home, it travels to the workplace. Unhealed wounds build invisible armour that limits expression, creativity, and connection. When talented employees seem stuck, inconsistent, or invisible, it’s often not about skill, it’s about safety. In this keynote, Shappi looks at when workplaces create cultures that offer that safety, where leaders model vulnerability, where disagreement is safe and where being human is allowed, brilliance gets unlocked, and innovation, loyalty, connection come to the fore. The result: stronger collaboration, and a culture where people can truly show up as their whole selves; with confident ideas, excitement and commitment. It’s The Way You Tell It: What Does Our Humour Say About Us? https://youtu. be/e1MLMuUJZBk Shappi explains how, despite what some may think, comedy is not just about telling jokes. It is about taking a risk and displaying a confidence which can help you in every area of your life, and build trust with those around you. Humour is a powerful way to show other people the world as you see it and build rapport with those who, on paper, you may not seem to have anything in common. Of course, It can also massively misfire and do the opposite, so Shappi will outline the pitfalls and how to avoid them, too! . Inclusivity and Diversity ... . ‘Where are you from originally? ’ https://youtu. be/jt6KgKApWPU Shappi is a first generation woman of colour who quietly insisted on a career in standup... --- https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=poZMJZxkKeA Shappi's decades as a stand up comedian mean that as a speaker, she can tackle the most serious subjects with a lightness of touch and humour which serves to connect with her audience without ever diminishing a serious subject or point. Book Shappi Shappi is represented for speaking by Speaking Office, a speaker management company. If you would like to book her to speak, please contact Michael at michael@speakingoffice. com. Shappi pitched the material just right for an international crowd. International Bar AssociationShappi’s performance was universally acclaimed as our best dinner speaker for many years. International Bar AssociationShappi is superb, what a great event! SkyIt’s great how you have opened the definition of diversity to include so many different people and not just have it boxed in as race or colour. SkyShappi was so warmly engaging, witty, and touched on many delicate areas with humour and warmth. SkyNo question, just clapping and laughing hard - Shappi is on fire SkyShe has plenty to say, and says it with pointedness and potency The Guardian --- An intensely personal, highly educational and very funny exploration of ADHD. Adam KayA kind, helpful and hilarious guide to neurodiversity told as only Shappi can tell it - required reading for all Jenny Eclair Scatter Brain Amazon UK Waterstones Bookshop. org Amazon Audiobook Some brains, through no fault of their own, pack a bag, turn the lights off and run away to the seaside the moment they are meant to be doing homework, paying bills or not putting the cat in the fridge. These are ADHD brains. I have one and believe they are as common as being left-handed, flat footed or genuinely enjoying anchovies on a pizza. Undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder made my life a frustrating, maddening rollercoaster. I had very little focus except when I was hyper-focusing (and then it would always be on the wrong things), I made the same mistakes over and over again, regularly burning myself out until I was sobbing. When I finally was diagnosed in my 40s it felt like the lights had been turned on after a lifetime in the dark. Join Shappi as she looks back on her life through the lens of ADHD and finally makes sense of the chaos. From discovering the joys of shoplifting through to finally understanding her attraction to toxic men, Scatter Brain will have you laughing (and crying) as you find out what it's really like to live a life out of control. Whether you suspect you might have ADHD or you're here to... --- Speaking Shappi is represented for speaking by Speaking Office, a speaker management company. If you would like to book her to speak, please contact Michael at michael@speakingoffice. com. michael@speakingoffice. com +44 (0)7970 170 848 TV/ media Please contact Jacquie Drewe: dreweoffice@curtisbrown. co. uk +44 (0)20 7393 4460 Voiceovers Please contact Sue Terry: sue@sueterryvoices. com + 44 (0)20 7434 2040 General NameEmailMessage 80 plus 1 = leave this one twenty seven thousand --- Download Marketing Materials For Shaparak Headshot Biography Showreel --- Who we are Our website address is: http://shappi. co. uk. Cookies If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year. If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.   Embedded content from other websites Articles on this site may include embedded content (e. g. videos, images, articles, etc. ). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website. --- --- ## Posts I had the honour of attending an event for Water Aid, hosted by his majesty The King. As he approached me in the line, I couldn't work out whether I should curtesy or bow so in a panic I kind of did both at the same time and kind of tripped. If he noticed, he did not let it show! --- In the blink of an eye, Shaparak has clocked up 50 years on this planet, a quarter-century as a comedian. What would the 25-year-old Shaparak think of this incarnation? Two dogs: very good. Tory friends: what has she become! ? And why are there still so many things she doesn't know, or is just learning now: is it going to take another 50 years? A fast-paced, celebratory hour from this much-loved Fringe institution and the author of forthcoming memoir, Scatterbrain. 'More passion, relevance and urgency than ever' Chortle --- Some brains, through no fault of their own, pack a bag, turn the lights off and run away to the seaside the moment they are meant to be doing homework, paying bills or not putting the cat in the fridge. These are ADHD brains. I have one and believe they are as common as being left-handed, flat footed or genuinely enjoying anchovies on a pizza. Undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder made my life a frustrating, maddening rollercoaster. I had very little focus except when I was hyper-focusing (and then it would always be on the wrong things), I made the same mistakes over and over again, regularly burning myself out until I was sobbing. When I finally was diagnosed in my 40s it felt like the lights had been turned on after a lifetime in the dark. Join Shappi as she looks back on her life through the lens of ADHD and finally makes sense of the chaos. From discovering the joys of shoplifting through to finally understanding her attraction to toxic men, Scatter Brain will have you laughing (and crying) as you find out what it's really like to live a life out of control. Whether you suspect you might have ADHD or you're here to enjoy the ride, let Shappi take you on her hilarious journey of self-discovery where you just might learn something useful about yourself too! Available from Amazon UK, Waterstones, Bookshop. org, or listen to it as an Amazon Audiobook. --- Post-divorce, I’ve fallen for a man I’ve known years Valentine’s Day 1988. I am 15 years old, standing on the second floor of the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus waiting for my date. It has taken me six hours to get ready. In the event, he was a no-show. I waited for more than an hour. I was stood-up in the way that only the pre-mobile generations understand: hopelessly standing on a corner, wondering if you should give it another five minutes, and trying not to cry. After that, Valentine’s Day was dead to me. I have always been a disappointment to boyfriends on Valentine’s Day. On other days, too, I imagine, but particularly on February 14. What is romantic about a restaurant full of couples looking like the holding pen of Noah’s Ark? Or watching your partner awkwardly pay a street hawker a tenner for a rose not long for this world? These rituals feel like the antithesis of romance for me. Among the couples in the restaurant, there will be the very new ones, unsure if they’ll get to the ‘meet the parents’ stage; the ones who have been together for an age and are troughing in silence, getting this formality over quickly because they have a babysitter on a meter. There are the couples for whom the pressure of a magical day has got too much and they’ve clearly had a row as they sit, tensely chewing the inside of their cheeks, wondering whether the waiter/waitress is single.... --- From widely acclaimed comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi comes a modern fable about the rise and fall of a beautiful, but vulnerable, young woman in a world obsessed with fame and fortune. Emma and her mother are down on their luck. After getting kicked out of their home by their landlord, they’re taking turns sleeping on the sofa in her aunt’s tiny flat – and desperately trying to come up with an escape plan. Emma is struggling with her family, struggling at college where the girls are bitchy towards her and the boys only seem to want one thing, and struggling with never having enough money for anything, ever. Just as she’s contemplating quitting sixth form to get a real job, she meets two men in her local park who convince her that she has a shot at modelling. But their motives are far from innocent, and Emma is soon pulled into the dark world hidden at the heart of London society’s richest and most famous. Kissing Emma is inspired by the real life and untold story of Emma Hamilton, Lord Nelson’s mistress. But Shappi Khorsandi’s modern Emma is going to get the justice her namesake never did – and stick two fingers up at the men who dare to take advantage of young women while she’s doing it. You can get it in paperback, audiobook, and kindle edition. --- Ah, the 90s! The decade that Shaparak was in her twenties and ‘ladette’ culture ruled the school. The decade when there was nothing to be done but party, and Shaparak found herself flying about London with hope in her heart, a tenner in her pocket and spare knickers in her handbag. She matched the boys pint-for-pint and frequently woke up in parts of London she’d never heard of. With hindsight though, the way people behaved back then looks like the ultimate in self harm. In those days, ‘mindfulness’ was making sure you had enough money for the night bus and ‘self care’ was putting your flat shoes in a handbag. This is a show about how we 90s kids are looking to young people to learn how to take care of ourselves. --- #353 It Was The 90s! – Richard has been tossing logs and that’s literally it for this week, so he talks to his audience for the first time in ages. His guest is author and comedian Shaparak “Shappi” Khorsandi. They discuss why she has chosen to use her birth name, the responsibilities of being a dog owner, the life of Emma Hamilton, I’m a Celebrity, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe of 2021, the moon on a stick, why Shaparak’s comedy is better now that she has been diagnosed with ADHD and what happens if you don’t know you are writing a book for 12 year olds. Buy Richard’s “Would You Rather? ” Book here https://www. gofasterstripe. com/cgi-bin/w. cgi? showfull=47646 Buy Shappi’s book here https://www. amazon. co. uk/Kissing-Emma/dp/B098CDL6YC --- Like everyone else in the comedy community, I have been floored by the death of Sean Lock. It feels surreal even to write those words down. I wasn’t a friend of his, just a massive fan who was utterly delighted, excited and in awe on the few occasions I got to work with him. I sat next to him on a panel show once, I was a bundle of nerves and told him so. He was very nice to me and gave me space and teased me afterwards for mumbling a funny answer to him instead of saying it out loud. “I mean did you know you were on telly? Did they tell you? ” Having a laugh with him afterwards was the most fun part of that job. He was on a whole other level of funny. We were with the same agency for many years and they adored him, not just as one of their acts, but as a person to hang out with. I was on the same bill as him for a few benefit shows. At the O2, in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, our agent said: “He’s got nothing planned! He doesn’t know what he’s gonna do! ” We all scrambled to the side of the stage to watch. Out came Sean Lock to 20,000 people and divided them into two teams. What he did then was nothing short of magic. It was completely improvised game where the two halves competed with chants lead... --- Superb stand-up comedian Shaparak Khorsandi joins the comedy rock stars of their generation Ed Gamble and James Acaster this week. See Shaparak Khorsandi on tour with ‘It Was the 90s! ’. Buy tickets at shappi. co. uk Shaparak’s book ‘Kissing Emma’ is out on 2 Sep. Pre-order it here. Follow Shaparak on Twitter and Instagram @shappikhorsandi Recorded and edited by Ben Williams for Plosive. Artwork by Paul Gilbey (photography and design) and Amy Browne (illustrations). Follow Off Menu on Twitter and Instagram: @offmenuofficial. And go to our website www. offmenupodcast. co. uk for a list of restaurants recommended on the show. Watch Ed and James’s YouTube series ‘Just Puddings’. Watch here. --- After spending a week at the Edinburgh Festival, I returned home yesterday feeling – as I always do when I tumble back out of that gorgeous, gothic city – watched over by an ancient volcano, as though I have left Narnia. I’ve lost count of how many times I have been up there to do a run of shows, but it’s been pretty much every year since 1998. Of course the festival this year is nowhere near the size it usually is. I did not have to gently elbow my way through a throng of pigeon-stepping tourists on the 12-minute walk from my accommodation to my venue; and I did not have fistfuls of flyers advertising other shows thrust enthusiastically into my hands. Many a time I have been handed a flyer for my own show, and have cheerfully assured the young marketeer that I will most definitely be attending. My run at the festival this year was a work in progress in the truest sense of the phrase. I started writing it on the train up to Waverley station, and was on stage with notes in my hand and hope in my heart. Of course, in a work-in-progress show you will have ideas already, and will pepper it with older material so that your audience gets value for money. The more experienced a comic you are, the better able you are to make sure that people have as good a time as they would have had if they’d come... --- Fortunately... with Fi and Jane In a special edition of Fortunately, comedian Shappi Khorsandi joins Fi and Jane for their 200th episode, with a live and socially distanced audience at London’s Royal Festival Hall. With the help of a high tech interactive Q&A, Garvey and Glover quiz the audience and face a few probing questions themselves. They are later joined by Shappi, who tells them about her upcoming book Kissing Emma, Rambo crushes and likens the ladies to Muppets. --- The other day, my eight-year-old daughter asked me, “What’s a Karen? ” There are many questions my daughter has asked me that I’ve had to quietly look up, so it doesn’t look like mummy paid no attention whatsoever at school. Like “why can we sometimes see both the sun and the moon on our walk to school? ” or “why fish can’t blink? ” “Why don’t I have a daddy? ” was one no search engine could quite pull off. Happily, I was prepared, and so far have been able to answer and discuss without ever wailing, “Because Mummy mistook good looks for good values and integrity! ” The “Karen” question took me aback. How do you explain the Karen meme to an eight-year-old? “Well darling, that name is being used as a pejorative for a white woman complaining about something petty or unreasonable and trying to use her white privilege to get her own way. What’s that, darling? White privilege? Oh, it’s an academic term, which made its way into common parlance. Its meaning is very often misunderstood and unhelpful in ordinary chit-chat, so the Karen meme is used to much more quickly and efficiently denigrate a white woman of a certain age (Mummy’s age) because that was the generation where the name Karen was very popular. In short, it’s a sexist, ageist term and if you don’t use it in that way it’ll be much nicer for Auntie Karen when she visits next week. ” Any white woman... --- IT’S FREEDOM DAY! ! To celebrate this momentous occasion that we will honour as a nation for years to come, Mark is joined by Shappi Khorsandi and Elliot Steel (but not Boris Johnson, he’s having to self-isolate. ) HAPPY FREEDOM DAY! ! --- Being a younger teenager is a notoriously tricky state of affairs. Your body changes, your skin can erupt into another planet with an ecosystem of its own, and perfectly ordinary things, like your mother smoothing down your hair in public can cause the most acute embarrassment known to man. I have noticed my 13 old son also has to contend with adults he barely knows hooting “is he Kevin the Teenager is he? Ha ha! Just like Kevin the teenager! ” when they meet him, all because when asked how old he is, he has replied “13”. I used to go mad at the amount of time my son spent in his room playing computer games, but he is much more likely to survive his childhood playing Hearts of Iron IV than climbing on dangerous garage roofs as we did My quiet, reserved child knows who Kevin and Perry are because I am his mother and have educated him well. He smiles politely, but awkwardly, knowing that he is nothing like Kevin but has to grin and bear adults who have no idea how to connect with teens, as they’re teased with a sketch made decades before they were born. It’s hilarious. No wonder teenagers want to hide away from us. To young teenagers, most adults are idiots. I mean we really are. Fancy caring about creases in T-shirts or empty bags of crisps left to fester in a bedroom where light is not allowed in “because light’s cringe”. I... --- There’s no point me even trying to talk about anything other than the football. No longer am I someone who cluelessly gazes at the screen, waiting for the cue from the proper fans to get excited before I join in with the whoops, the way tiny children laugh when adults do, not understanding the humour but by God, wanting to be a part of the fun. No, I have been rapidly learning the ins and outs of the game, hugely helped by my son, a defender in his Sunday league team. He barely made an effort to stifle his laughter as he answered my amateurish questions early on in the tournament: “No mum, they don’t use the same ball every time it goes out. This is a multimillion-pound business and they can afford a new one each time. Harry Kane doesn’t shuffle up to the crowd and ask if he can have his ball back. ” Well, who knew? The growling, grumpy and joyless can sit in the dark while we enjoy the party The match on Sunday is huge and my excitement levels are almost as high as when it came to near the due date of my children. The first final in a major tournament in 55 years is an occasion I would not miss for the world and I know my children will relay to their children: “Your gran ran out into the street in her dressing gown cheering when we beat Denmark... she thought all the... --- I’m still on a high after England’s win against Germany. I had to drive to a show straight away after the match and had my own little private party in the car listening to the continued excitement on BBC Radio 5 Live. I drove around the Chiswick roundabout and stopped at the lights, ready to take the A406. I sat, beaming, enjoying the extensive honks of the other cars beeping in jubilation. It took a van driver to wind down his window and shout at me to make me realise I had been sat at a green light and the honks were “What are you DOING? ” honks. I no longer feel self-conscious jumping for joy when England scores. Now I can support our national team without anyone saying ‘but you’re not from here’ My spirits undampened, I switched to Radio 4 to calm me down, gentling humming Baddiel and Skinner’s “Three Lions” to myself. I am not a massive football fan. It’s fair to say as long as there’s someone next to me to explain “that was offside”, I don’t feel a need to examine and understand the rule for myself. My son plays football, he’s a defender. His coach told me recently that he is going to get some “people” to come and watch him as he reckons my boy has the ability to play at academy level. I nodded politely and said “that’s so lovely”. I am proud of my boy, of course, but I might as... --- Boris Johnson is off the hook for a moment. His moral compass when it comes to sex and relationships seems to be set firmly in the Georgian era. For now, he can play with his toy buses and watch as Carrie changes the nappies and breathe a sigh of relief that this time, it’s his health secretary, Matt “What am I meant to be doing again? ” Hancock who is in the firing line. Hancock being pictured snogging in the office (while telling the rest of us to stick to rules which strictly prohibit kissing your colleague behind your wife’s back) has taken the heat off Johnson, albeit temporarily. The health secretary being pictured doing something he shouldn’t – while telling the rest of us to stick to the rules – has taken the heat off Johnson for a moment It looks like Hancock is as dreadful at his private life as he is at dealing with a health crisis. Fancy doing it in the office when you are the health secretary – and you know that tabloid newspapers exist! Years ago, I was rummaging around in a boyfriend’s sock drawer to borrow thick socks, as I always did, to wear with my Doc Martens. There I found a letter, from a woman, dated two days before, who was clearly having an affair with him. Why leave it in the sock drawer when you know your girlfriend can read it – and is a sock thief? And why smooch someone... --- We don’t do Father’s Day in my family. I adore my dad. You would too if you met him. He is the warmest and funniest man, and the word “generous” seems too puny to describe someone whose door is permanently open to waifs and strays and, like The Godfather on the day of his daughter’s wedding, can never refuse a request to help. But, he doesn’t like Father’s Day and we have come to respect that. He tells us he doesn’t like this day “set by capitalism”. My father is a proper socialist. When he was invited to Australia to read his poems at a university, I, his champagne socialist daughter, tried to upgrade his ticket to “premium economy”, but he wouldn’t have it. “It’ll give you more leg room dad,” I told him. “And the cabin crew will be nicer to you! ” It’s adults, not children, who have, on occasion, been mind-bogglingly insensitive around Father’s Day “Why are my legs more deserving than others? ” he said. “And why must we pay to be treated well? ” I have bought many gifts for my dad in the past based on his interests. Fancy chess sets, fancy fountain pens, fancy single malt with his name engraved on it in Farsi, but still, arriving unexpectedly at his door with the kids in tow, demanding lunch means more to him than anything fancy or leg room. But I don’t think it’s just an anti-capitalist heart which makes him cringe at Father’s... --- There is no doubt that our name, that formation of sounds we use to introduce ourselves to the world, is important. It’s literally who we are. It can be cumbersome to have a name that others don’t pronounce easily. Pity those called Featherstonehaugh. It’s pronounced “Fanshaw”. “I’m afraid we don’t have a booking under that name” is something I imagine they hear a lot. The name St John is pronounced “Sin-jun”. I only know that because I’ve seen Four Weddings and a Funeral. I’m only now scratching the surface of how often in my life I have internalised bigotry and tried to bend in a direction which would make my foreignness more comfortable for other people – changing my name was a part of that But people called Featherstonehaugh, St John and Cholmondeley (pronounced “Chumley”) rarely say, “Christ, booking a hotel is a bloody faff, let’s just change it to ‘Patel’. No one can mispronounce that unless they are an actual banana. ” But those of us with perfectly lovely names, which happen to be from a language which is different to the one in the country we live in, frequently change our glorious names or adapt the pronunciation to make things easier for others, whereas the Fetherstonehaughs swan about shaking their heads at why people can’t understand something as simple as spelling a name completely differently to how it is pronounced. Shaparak is the name my parents gave me. It is pronounced “Shah-pah-rak”. My parents like unusual names and... --- It’s incredible how women feel this major life change should be dealt with in utter privacy. It’s my birthday next week and I want to spend it on my own, wrapped in a duvet all day, only leaving my bed to have a bubble bath and a cry. I am not feeling it this year. I imagine it’s something to do with the fact that I’m perimenopausal. My hormones are dramatically reminding me that I’m getting older, so I don’t feel like marking the occasion with cake (at my age, just writing the word “cake” immediately expanded my backside by half an inch). In the park the other day, a fellow dog walker, just an acquaintance, enquired how I was. It was nothing more than a polite, “How’ve you been? ”. I was meant to reply, “Fine thanks! You OK? Great! ” and then move on. But 10 minutes later I was still going on about how “my period is coming every two weeks now! Honestly, I feel like a blobby slug in a fog”. This poor woman, much younger than me, nodded politely before she eventually made her escape. I never learned the art of small talk, but then talking about the menopause should be small talk. It’s incredible how women feel this major life change should be dealt with in utter privacy from which we finally emerge, experts in cross stitch and quilting. I never had a clue about what it was going to be like until I... --- Once again, the SOS bar is OPEN and today’s guest is the perfect drinking companion, it’s comedian Shappi Khorsandi, who started off with all good intentions, but soon let Lou and Sally-Anne degenerate things. Shappi shares some epic stories of drunken endeavors and also recounts a tale that highlights the disparity between how men and women are viewed when engaging in drunken activity. --- In this episode of the My Best Teacher podcast, we chat with comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi about her time at school, which started in the UK after she and her family had to flee Iran after the revolution in 1979. She talks about: Her amazing primary school – and the teachers that made it so special. Being the narrator in schools plays – and not always enjoying it. Why writing a play boosted her social stock at secondary school. The difficulty of picking your own children’s names. And why getting an A for her English A level remains one of her proudest moments. --- Hold onto your hats, it episode 6 of the PudCast coming at you strong. This episodes guest is the one and only Shappi Khorsandi, a true trail blazer. Since coming to the UK as a child Shappi has carved her own path, faced and knocked down barriers, and contended with being a friend to Paul for over 20 years. Hear how she came to England as a refugee due to a fatwa against her Dad, how she’s raising her own children differently to her childhood, and why only for Paul, she’d ditch a friend’s kid. Want to hear Paul in conversation with someone particular? Head to @paulchowdhry on socials and as the PudCast is still a baby in PudCast terms then recommend the PudCast to everyone you meet in place of “hello, how are you? ” --- Welcome back to My Seven Wonders with Clive Anderson! Each episode, Clive welcomes a famous guest and dives into the depths of their character with one simple question: if you could choose your own seven wonders of the world, what would they be? This week, comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi sits down with Clive to share seven of her own personal wonders. Daughter of Iranian political satirist and poet Hadi Khorsandi, Shappi describes how she left Iran at an early age with her family to come to the UK. From her early school days of adopting a “posh” English accent, to her award-winning stand up career, Shappi reflects on finding the balance between her Iranian and British identities. She also chats with Clive about a multitude of topics from British Naval history to the origins of slapstick. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks! --- Content warning: animal cruelty. In Answer Me This episode 391, we hear about eviscerated rabbits, I’m A Celebrity food-kills, and a zoo in a deadly stunt. But there’s some mysterious dog magic to compensate. We also consider: the history of video phones the baby in Labyrinth fiction you didn’t realise was science fiction ‘free’ apples pastry wedding banns dog shit and going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Today’s Bonus Bit of Crap on the App – available for Apple and Android – is further intel from August and Joel about banana-containing foods of Sweden. Prepare the stomach-runway for the Flying Jacob! --- On being bisexual, her vow not to argue in the jungle, and how to cook the perfect Iranian rice; Jay’s ordering in for this week’s In for Lunch with comedian Shappi Khorsandi. Being painfully shy as a child and living through death threats against her father – nothing is off the menu! Shappi and Jay enjoy food from Ormer in Mayfair: https://www. flemings-mayfair. co. uk/fine-dining-london/ormer-mayfair-restaurant A Somethin’ Else / Jay Rayner production. --- A Divine Comedian with a side line in parenting, dog ownership and disappointing Billy Bragg. This is Shappi at her best – funny, warm, honest and when it comes to the current state of uk comedy – completely vital. Enjoy and give us a follow on all the bits: @toasterpod xx --- LOOK OUT! It’s only Films To Be Buried With! Join your host Brett Goldstein as he talks life, death, love and the universe with the brilliant novelist and comedian SHAPPI KHORSANDI! Brett has hit his lockdown swing a good three or four weeks into this whole mindbending situation, and following his past two week triumphs with the whole zoom recording revelation, he’s going in AGAIN with the great Shappi! A lovely and wide ranging, deep conversation which hits on some surprisingly touching and heartfelt moments. Everything from lockdown thoughts and how working from home has offered her some much needed time with the fam, how her being home so much has turned the cat and dog into trained killers and providers but also messed with the rodent ecosystem somewhat, the existential maladies of having children and some truthful moments, being raised atheist, her genius kids who deliver insight beyond their years, her love of the masculine side of cinema (including Scarface and Rambo of course), and her books and plans and all that good stuff! Go and enjoy, it’s fantastic! • Just a quick note – as Brett mentions in the intro, I had a bit of a rough time getting this one into listenable shape due to some crazy connection and tech issues, but I did what I could! It’s not perfect, but after a few minutes your ears thankfully adjust and you’ll be fine. I’m very mindful of sound quality and want you to have a good experience... --- On this episode of Making the Money Work podcast, comedian Shappi Khorsandi joins Andi Peters and Simon Lambert to discuss how she built a career in comedy, her unusual life as the daughter of an exiled Iranian poet – and how she once hired Alan Carr to work in a charity call centre. This is the final episode of five in the Making the Money Work series, in partnership with FSCS, that has appeared in the This is Money podcast feed every fortnight since the start of the year. We hope you have enjoyed them. Your usual This is Money podcast will continue to be published every Friday How do you make comedy pay the bills? That’s not a problem for the handful of star names with giant arena tours, but what about the majority of comedians who’ve dedicated a life’s work to standing up and making people laugh without raking in millions? Shappi tells of her route to becoming a comedian and how she realised a job in an office wasn’t for her early on, swapping that for being a cleaner and nude life model for art students – because she could do those jobs while daydreaming. Later on, she says having stripped off to sit for artists meant she was less worried about getting up on stage and doing stand-up in front of a crowd. The comedian, who has appeared on popular TV shows including Have I Got News for You, QI, Live at the Apollo and Mock... --- Shappi Khorsandi joins David to announce her forthcoming retirement from comedy, and look back at her career from leaving Iran because of a poem, to appearing on I’m A Celebrity. Support this show http://supporter. acast. com/insidethecomedian. --- This week’s guest, meanwhile, is the wonderful Shappi Khorsandi, who tells Dave Cribb, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Jayde Adams about her favourite musicals. And, also about pigeons, and why she once named on after a musicals star. PLUS, Shappi’s favourite ever musical has never even been mentioned on this podcast before, that’s how much of a curveball it is. --- After the success of the 2019 tour, and her Edinburgh & London runs – Shappi has extended her tour into 2020, so now there’s more chances for you to catch Skittish Warrior... All the dates are now up on the gigs page, and here’s all the info for it again... Comedian, author, cultural icon and – most recently – idiot who agreed to be tortured on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! ‘, Shappi Khorsandi is a woman of many parts. But live comedy is where she’s in her element, and now she sets out on tour to 38 more welcoming destinations around the UK this spring with her newest show Skittish Warrior... Confessions of a Club Comic. This show takes you on a warts and all journey of the 90s comedy scene to breaking through on telly then letting it all slip away. A brand new hour of sharp-tongued gags, cultural observation and whatever else is in her easily distracted mind this time around. As heard on Radio 4, read in two warmly-received books, and seen sleeping in a hammock. “She has plenty to say, and says it with pointedness and potency” – Guardian “Has the crowd in the palm of her hand” – The List “Makes live comedy thrilling” – Evening Standard --- Shappi Khorsandi’s life is disorganised. A single mother of two and a stand-up comedian and writer, Shappi is busy. She doesn’t know what money is coming into or out of her account, her love of charity shopping is getting out of control, her prized family photographs are shoved in a box in the back of the wardrobe and the clutter is overwhelming. She’s tried the famous Marie Kondo method of tidying up, but it hasn’t helped a bit. She hates being disorganised. She wants to do something about it! Should Shappi just learn to embrace the chaos? Or can professional help put her life in order? Produced by Amy Wheel for BBC Cymru Wales --- Shappi is bringing SKITTISH WARRIOR... Confessions Of A Club Comic to the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe – FOR ONE WEEK ONLY (4th – 10th August) – at The Stand, York Place. All dates – and ticket links are below... She’s also going to be taking part in the ‘In Conversation With... ’ strand at The New Town Theatre on the 10th August at midday – you can get tickets for that here. Sunday 4th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS Monday 5th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS Tuesday 6th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS Wednesday 7th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS Thursday 8th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS Friday 9th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS Saturday 10th August – Skittish Warrior – The Stand, EDINBURGH FRINGE – 1. 40pm – TICKETS --- Comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi has been desperate to tell the story of Emma, Lady Hamilton as she’s quite simply one of her greatest fans. Everyone knows Emma Hamilton as simply the seducer of Admiral Horatio Nelson but according to Shappi she was more than that; history has simply palmed her off as a prostitute, a mistress, without looking at the deeper story of what she suffered and endured. In this programme Shappi, with help from Professor Kate Williams, author of ‘England’s Mistress’, makes the case for how this woman born into poverty clawed her way up through London’s sordid underworld and became fantastically famous posing for artist George Romney. She also became an ambassador’s wife and mixed in diplomatic circles and became the confidante of both Marie Antoinette and the Queen of Naples. Will presenter Matthew Parris be convinced and accept Emma, Lady Hamilton as a great life. Producer, Perminder Khatkar --- I’m going back on tour with a new show! Comedian, author, cultural icon and – most recently – idiot who agreed to be tortured on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! ‘, Shappi Khorsandi is a woman of many parts. But live comedy is where she’s in her element, and now she sets out on tour to 38 more welcoming destinations around the UK this spring with her newest show Skittish Warrior... Confessions of a Club Comic. This show takes you on a warts and all journey of the 90s comedy scene to breaking through on telly then letting it all slip away. A brand new hour of sharp-tongued gags, cultural observation and whatever else is in her easily distracted mind this time around. As heard on Radio 4, read in two warmly-received books, and seen sleeping in a hammock. “She has plenty to say, and says it with pointedness and potency” – Guardian “Has the crowd in the palm of her hand” – The List “Makes live comedy thrilling” – Evening Standard Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 24th October 2018. --- Hello! Let me tell you about my residency at London’s Soho Theatre in May. You can see the dates and get tickets here: Wednesday May 16th – MISTRESS AND MISFIT – LONDON – Soho Theatre – 02074780100 – TICKETS Thursday May 17th – MISTRESS AND MISFIT – LONDON – Soho Theatre – 02074780100 – TICKETS Friday May 18th – MISTRESS AND MISFIT – LONDON – Soho Theatre – 02074780100 – TICKETS Saturday May 19th – MISTRESS AND MISFIT – LONDON – Soho Theatre – 02074780100 – TICKETS I’m also performing at loads of other places outside London that you can find on my gigs page here. --- Good luck to Shappi Khorsandi who has been announced as one of this year’s celebrity campmates for the upcoming seventeenth series of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Leaving regular life behind, Shappi joins nine other celebrities to take on the Australian jungle and all of its nasty surprises over the next thre weeks. The first episode of the new series airs on Sunday 19th November at 9:00pm on ITV. For regular updates on please follow Shappi here on Twitter, or on Instagram here. Shappi has recently announced her brand new tour Mistress and Misfit in spring 2018. --- Shappi is taking her 2017 Edinburgh show on tour in the new year. Currently dates are booked between January & June, and you can see if she’s coming near you by checking the venue list on the gigs page, here. Shappi presents England’s unsung heroine. For too many years she has been known as just Nelson’s mistress, a bit of a harlot (you get one job in a brothel and bang goes your reputation). Women’s lib wasn’t a thing in Georgian times: Emma moved mountains to haul herself from scullery maid to Lady Hamilton. Yes, she occasionally danced naked on tables to get ahead in life, but who hasn’t? As a fellow naked dancer on tables, Shappi is inspired by Emma, although she never wants hair big enough to house mice in. --- Shappi’s novel, ‘Nina Is Not OK’ is now out in paperback, you can get hold of a copy here. “Shappi Khorsandi is both funny and shocking, yet above all writes with warmth, giving Nina an intelligent voice. This girl could be you, or your daughter, or your friend, and I defy anyone not to love the endearing, messed-up Nina as she finds her way out of an alcohol-fuelled hell of her own making. ” (Daily Mail) “dark and funny... brilliant” (Simon Mayo) “It’s absolutely bloody magnificent” (Marian Keyes) “Breathtakingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny... perfectly captures the anxieties of youth” (Red Magazine) “Khorsandi pulls no punches in her first novel... Equal parts straight-talking, funny and worrying, this is a coming-of-age tale rebooted for the era of social media and slut-shaming. ” (Glamour Magazine) --- Shappi’s new show debuts at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. She is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of her arrival in Britain. She’s reclaiming patriotism, sending a love letter to her adopted land. Please don’t come if you’re a skinhead (though naturally bald folk are welcome). ‘She has plenty to say, and says it with pointedness and potency‘ – The Guardian Star of Live At The Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Have I Got News for You and Q. I, she is back with a brand new show for 2016. She has whip-crack jokes and is effortlessly funny as she handles every subject with a razor sharp wit, softened only by her deliciously mischievous delivery and endless charm. --- Nina does not have a drinking problem. She likes a drink, sure. But what seventeen-year-old doesn’t? Nina’s mum isn’t so sure. But she’s busy with her new husband and five year old Katie. And Nina’s almost an adult after all. And if Nina sometimes wakes up with little memory of what happened the night before , then her friends are all too happy to fill in the blanks. Nina’s drunken exploits are the stuff of college legend. But then one dark Sunday morning, even her friends can’t help piece together Saturday night. All Nina feels is a deep sense of shame, that something very bad has happened to her... A dark, funny – sometimes shocking – coming of age novel from one of the UK’s leading comedians. Nina Is Not OK will appeal to fans of Caitlin Moran and Lena Dunham. ‘Absolutely brilliant... incredibly loud and true... a pure marvel‘ – Jenny Colgan ‘Unexpectedly moving, emotional and funny‘ – Richard E Grant ‘Absolutely bloody magnificent‘ – Marian Keyes ‘funny, sharp and heartbreakingly honest‘ – Louise O’Neill You can buy Nina Is Not OK here. --- Shappi Khorsandi and Richard Osman join us for the first episode of Series 6. In it the teams try to survive a wolf encounter, pick their way through the minefield of social kissing and deal with problems including looking after evil teenagers, fear of driving, not being boyfriend material and butlering (in the form of very proper expert guest Malcolm the Butler). --- Charlie Brooker hosts the new comedy panel show that revels in glorious failure. He is joined by comedians Lee Mack, Shappi Khorsandi and David Schneider in a comedy contest to give the wrongest answer to each of Charlie’s challenges. Amongst the questions Charlie throws at his guests in this episode is ‘what’s the worst thing you’ve done in the pursuit of romance’. The panel’s pitches – Lee Mack’s first kiss whilst playing ‘spin the bottle’, Shappi’s ill-fated attempts to impress a boy by showing how fast she can walk, and David’s unfortunate heroics at the local swimming pool – are all subjected to Charlie’s unique comic interrogation. Added to this are the panel’s hilariously terrible ideas for a new museum and their nominations for the worst irritants of modern life... The host of So Wrong It’s Right, Charlie Brooker, also presents BBC4’s award-winning series Newswipe and You Have Been Watching on Channel 4 – plus writing for The Guardian. He won Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards 2009 and Columnist of the Year at the 2009 British Press Awards for his column. Produced by Aled Evans A Zeppotron Production for BBC Radio 4. --- Shappi is joined with black comedian Ava Vidal who’ll be looking back at her unusual childhood. Shappi also chats with another ‘related’ guest- and this week she talks to author Ben Okri who reveals some amazing story from his childhood with a very alternative father and some childhood challenges. There’ll also be a chance for Shappi to chat with the audience and there’ll be a song from Hils Barker. Producer: Paul Russell An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4. --- Comedy series in which Shappi Khorsandi examines what it is like growing up in multi-cultural families. Joining Shappi is Bengali comic Paul Sinha sharing his experiences of religion in his family. Shappi will also be joined by another ‘related’ guest- and she chats to ex Mayor of London Ken Livingstone. There’ll also be a chance for Shappi to chat with the audience and a song from Hils Barker. Producer: Paul Russell An Open Mike Production for BBC Radio 4. --- Comedy series in which Shappi Khorsandi examines what it is like growing up in multi-cultural families. Joining Shappi will be comedian John Gordillo who shares his memories of growing up in a Spanish family with a very forceful father. Shappi also chats with another ‘related’ guest- and also to Lenny Henry ‘on location’ to talk about his family. There’ll also be a chance for Shappi to chat with the audience and there’ll be a song from Hils Barker. Producer: Paul Russell An Open Mike Production for BBC Radio 4. --- Iranian comedian Shappi Khorsandi was brought to this country as a child and grew up in a very unusual and un British family. Her father was one of Iran’s top satirists and the family were forced to leave their home country as her father was termed a political dissident. As she grew up, it became apparent that the Khorsandi household was a little different from some of the families that Shappi had been friends with. Shappi Talk takes this alternative background for Shappi to host a four part comedy series where she takes four elements of this upbringing to hilariously reveal what it was like growing up in a non-British family. Joining Shappi will be comedian Felix Dexter who was born in St Kitts and moved to the UK as a child and each week Shappi also chats to another guest ‘on location’ and this time she’s joined by Meera Syal. There’ll also be a song from comedian Hils Barker. Producer: Paul Russell An Open Mike Production for BBC Radio 4. --- Host Rufus Hound is joined each week by a special guest from the world of comedy to read out selected passages from their diaries. In this episode, Rufus is joined by Iranian comedienne Shappi Khorsandi who reveals herself to be a lonely and awkward teenager, desperate to be part of a group. Listen out for Shappi’s embarrassed readings of her hilarious teenage poetry. Producer: Victoria Payne A talkbackTHAMES production for BBC Radio 4. --- ---