“I'm fascinated by the fact that I'm so British that I say 'sorry' when someone bumps into me,” smirks the 42 year old British-Iranian. “I've had that very British politeness instilled in me.” Although proud to be British, Djalili is intrigued by the evident duality of British society. Britons are arguably some of the most polite people on earth, yet, he claims, “at the same time, this country has the most dreadful football hooligans who get appallingly drunk and beat up foreigners. I've always been very interested in that dichotomy.”
Discussing immigration, hooliganism and terrorism, Djalili broaches contemporary sensitivities, often deemed inappropriate or taboo, and treats them with light-hearted triviality. He claims at one point in his set that Britain has a new motto: “Welcome to Poland.” It is this social mockery which explains why some critics have accused Djalili of offensive shock-tactics.
Djalili offstage is as tongue-in-cheek as he is onstage. As he outlines to me his new material, he says: “I'll be asking what terrorists really want and underlining the mistakes they have made. Crashing that car into Glasgow Airport, for instance, was a serious blunder. Trying to drive through revolving doors is never going to work is it? It's basic physics.”
His jokes regarding suicide bombers have, rather unsurprisingly, received the most negative criticism. When this is put to him, Djalili acknowledges it, but maintains that he seeks to entertain audiences, not cause upset. “My show deals with the big issues of today, and unfortunately, terrorism is one of them. By joking about it, we go some way towards removing the fear about it. I'm not saying, 'I'm a great healer, I helped all these people get back on the tube,' but I do think we need to talk about it. And in no way am I taking away from the tragedy of people who have suffered. I try to be very respectful and responsible in what I joke about.” He adds playfully, “I'm often unsuccessful.”
Despite a small proportion of negative responses, Djalili's sophisticated humour is widely appreciated and readily accepted by his audiences. He humbly claims to have “whittled [his] audience down to 14 to 16 year old Pakistani boys from Kingston upon Thames,” but the reality is much more impressive. His current tour has already sold out in numerous venues, following the success of his self-titled BBC 1 television show, which has just been comissioned for a second series. He has previously been awarded the Time Out and EMMA awards for Best Comedian, and starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg in a recent HBO television special.
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