Paul Chowdhry in the poster artwork for Englandia, on tour at York Barbican tomorrow
PAUL Chowdhry, Britain’s most successful British Indian stand-up comedian, brings his Englandia tour to York Barbican tomorrow night.
Now extended to 41 dates between March 3 and September 25, this tour is the London-born Punjabi Sikh humorist, actor and podcaster’s biggest ever itinerary in a career stretching back to 1998, with such highlights as hosting Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week and being the first British act to perform at the Caribbean Comedy Festival in Trinidad in 2003.
Englandia, his follow-up to his 20121-2023’s Family-Friendly Comedian tour, returns him to the road “after more than a quarter of a century and half my life on comedy stages”.
Why pick comedy for a living, Paul? “The term ‘certified mad’ would be politically incorrect, but I think people realise that being a comic and being confronted by a room full of strangers, there has to be a chemical reaction in the brain, an imbalance, to make you want to do it!” he says.
Now 50, his stand-up career has taken such experiences as performing to music audiences at festivals such as Glastonbury and Latitude and the “weird environment” of playing in nightclubs where the stage is a sofa or chair at 1am in the morning. “I’ve come through the trenches,” says Paul.
Englandia, a conflation of England and India, addresses his experiences as a British Asian. “In the show, I talk about the cultural clashes I’ve experienced between the two cultures, and what I’ve lived through,” says Paul.
“I’ve come through the trenches,” says Paul Chowdhry of his rise through the comedy world
“I’m British, born in London in 1974 [August 21 to be precise] after my family emigrated to England in the 1960s, when my dad came to Southampton on his own, with his brothers and sisters joining him later,” says Paul.
“He was in his early 30s at the time; a very different time. You look back to what people went through, with Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. It wasn’t unlike that in the Seventies too, growing up against a backdrop of racial tension, though times have changed.”
Englandia looks back to that history and at the impact of social media platforms today. “All that toxicity, all that right-wing outpouring, on what was formerly known as Twitter; if I was young, I’d be influenced by it.
“Language has changed a lot since the Seventies, but if you look at what is happening now, it reminds me of then.”
Paul contrasts the impact of comedians with politicians or social media influencers. “First and foremost I am a comic, so first and foremost what I say should be taken as a joke, but in parliament or a place of power, Nigel Farage and Andrew Tate are not comedians. That’s not a platform for comedy,” he says.
“Comedy is essentially linguistics, the use of language and twists and turns, but when Boris Johnson cracks a joke, it’s not a joke. Those people are politicians, not jokers. They are a person of influence, as I am, but I’m not making political points. I’m a comedian and I definitely shouldn’t be a politician – they say politics is showbusiness for narcissists!”
“Comedy is a more endangered artform now that you barely see on TV,” says Paul Chowdhry, standing up for stand-up comedy
Paul may be playing his biggest tour yet, but he notes: “Though I’m in a fortunate position of selling tickets, [stand-up] comedy is a more endangered artform now that you barely see on TV. Entertainment has changed and the way we consume media has changed, especially how we consume information online.”
Paul has appeared in the international TV series Devils and on Taskmaster; his social media videos have chalked up millions of views, and he hosts The Paul Chowdhry PudCast podcast, interviewing celebrities on life’s turning points, but live comedy still tops his bill.
“I can’t believe the number of people who come out to the shows. Comedy is a risk; audiences never know what to expect,” he says.
True, but Paul draws the crowds home and abroad. “I took the last tour to Canada and the USA. It costs you £10,000 for an AE visa,” he says. “That’s Alien of Extraordinary Ability.
“I’ve still got a little time left on my visa, so I can go back – if he [President Trump] doesn’t change the rules!”
Paul Chowdhry, Englandia, York Barbican, tomorrow (23/5/2025), 7.30pm. Tickets update: still available at yorkbarbican.co.uk.