Today we speak to a comedian Daliso Chaponda who is heading out on tour from May with the show Feed This Black Man Again. Since becoming a finalist on Britains Got Talent in 2017 (and let’s not forget that golden buzzer moment from Amanda Holden) Daliso’s career has blossomed and keeps getting bigger. I sat down with the comedian to find out about the up and coming tour.

Hello Daliso lovely to meet you! How have you been? 

Busy busy busy, but busy is good. Writing a lot, performing a lot, and doing weird unique projects like mentoring artists for Forecast a German group/ developing a display for the world museum.  All sorts!

What made you decide to go into comedy?

I had no choice!  It’s what I love and what I’m good at. I wanted to write deep serious tomes, but it quickly became clear, comedy is what I’m good at.

We have to talk about your time on Britain’s Got Talent – what was the feeling that you felt when Amanda Holden pressed the Gold Buzzer on you?

It was pure Cinderella (yes I compared myself to a Disney princess/why not).  Its been 7 years but I still remember it vividly. Shock, delight and adrenaline. That moment changed my life. So much has happened since. My radio show, 3 comedy specials, the Royal Variety, lots!  But that Holden Buzzer was the first step.

What have been your career highlights so far?

I’ll tell you the shows that meant a lot to me.  Performing in Malawi for the first time.  Being on QI for the first time (a show I used to watch).  Recording an episode of my radio show where I also interviewed my father about his past as a refugee.

You are going on tour! What can you tell us about it?

I did my first show 22 years ago.  I’m 44. So this is half my life as a comedian.  So this show is just a celebration of a life in comedy. Lots of jokes about Aging,memory and trying to adapt to the new world.  Ai, grief, asylum seekers.  Lots of subjects and a wide basket of jokes but they are all linked.

How do you warm up for a show?

I sip hot beverages backstage and natter with my opening act. No superstitions.  Comedy is what I’m most comfortable doing so it’s what I need the least prep for.

How do you wind down afterwards?

Probably unhealthy to eat late but I rarely eat pre show so youthful bars have been replaced by Aging comedian in a restaurant 

What is your favourite thing about going on tour?

Hoardes of strangers laughing!! It’s such a rush

What is the most challenging?

The travel.  I live on trains and in hotels!  But the shows are worth it

You are a fiction writer as well! What inspires you to write and where do you get your story ideas from?

Strange questions are the beginning of stories. What if you woke up and you were turning into stone? What if you realised your wife never loved you? What if aliens arrived, and they were Evangelists. Ah, I just brainstormed that and now I want to write them!

Finally – why should people come to see you live?

I’ll make you laugh til tears stream down your face.