Last September, British-Egyptian comedian and satirist Omar Badawy found himself caught in the middle of a Unite the Kingdom far-right march through central London.
Being trapped in a 150,000-strong throng of protestors as a first-generation migrant might sound like a nightmare you would want to forget, but for Omar, it became the jump-off point for his debut stand-up comedy show, Guided Detour.
"To be honest, I was much more scared than I probably came across in the show," Omar tells The New Arab about that unfortunate experience ahead of his show's Edinburgh Festival Fringe run of his debut show.
"There was one very specific thing that was keeping me strangely safe throughout the whole experience. I don't really want to give it away here because it's quite a prominent part of the show. Ultimately, the show isn't really about the march — it's a much more personal story that just happens to be wrapped up in that event," Omar continues.
"Hopefully, people will come away having laughed, but also feeling that the story, in some way, belonged to them too."
Born in Egypt but raised in Wales and Cambridge (the latter location being the source of the word 'posh' in his Instagram moniker), Omar began performing stand-up comedy in 2019, with his own and his family’s experiences of racism and Islamophobia after migrating to the UK often forming an integral part of his sets.
Accolades for the newcomer soon came in thick and fast.
A year after starting stand-up, Omar won the So You Think You’re Funny? award, one of the most prestigious of its kind for British comedy newcomers, at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Given that his country of origin is a powerhouse of comedy in the SWANA region, does Omar consider his Egyptian heritage a head start in his career as a purveyor of humour?
"The average Egyptian is incredibly funny," Omar concurs. "Whenever I watch street interviews from Egypt, I'm always struck by people's comedic timing. There's also a real willingness to laugh at themselves."
He continues, "I don't think self-deprecation is always as prevalent elsewhere in the Middle East, where there's often a stronger sense of pride — and pride and humour can sometimes clash. If you're willing to let go of your pride a little, I think there's a lot more comedy to be found."
However, Omar believes humour is generally much more universal than people realise. "Every country seems to believe it has a unique sense of humour, but whenever I ask someone to show me something they find funny from their own country — especially if it's in Arabic, a language I understand — I can usually translate the joke into English, and it still works," he says.
"Stand-up, in its essence, is a very universal art form. Most stand-up is about family, relationships, children, embarrassing moments and everyday situations. Those experiences are pretty universal, wherever you're from."
From Instagram sketches to Saturday Night Live UK
Omar gained wide recognition online when he began making videos mocking headlines in the establishment British press that have fanned the flames of Islamophobia, racism and other forms of prejudice that have made the UK increasingly fertile ground for far-right marches, just like the one Omar was caught up in last year.
Those videos have gone viral repeatedly, racking up millions of likes on Instagram and TikTok.
"The videos are essentially about media literacy, showing how the exact same story can be framed in completely different ways depending on the headline," Omar says.
"I've had university lecturers tell me they have shown the videos in seminars, and teachers say they've used them in schools. That's always really nice to hear, although that was never really the intention. I don't start with the goal of teaching people something. I start with an observation and ask, 'What's the funniest/silliest way to show this?' If it also gets people thinking or resonates beyond the joke, then that's a lovely bonus."
This year, Omar's incisive humour made British television screens after he joined the writing team for the first series of Saturday Night Live UK, the British spin-off of the landmark American television sketch comedy and variety show.
"Honestly, it was a dream come true," Omar says of the experience. "Saturday Night Live is such an iconic show, and getting the opportunity to be part of launching the UK version was incredibly exciting. The writing room was fantastic. The writers were brilliant, the cast was brilliant — you inevitably inspire each other because of the sheer volume of comedy you're producing," Omar shares.
"Being surrounded by people operating at that level really pushes you to raise your own game. The hosts were all fantastic to work with as well. One highlight was writing Riz Ahmed's opening monologue. He's naturally very funny, so it was great."
Why no story is too niche for the stage
Though British comedy still has a long way to go in terms of representation — particularly behind the scenes — Omar is one of several comics with origins in the SWANA region at this year's Fringe.
In a word of advice to aspiring SWANA-origin comics, he says mainstream British audiences are often much more receptive to unfamiliar stories than one might think.
"My biggest piece of advice would be to give mainstream audiences more credit… I think stand-up audiences are generally much more generous and empathetic than people sometimes give them credit for," Omar says.
"If there's a story you're worried is too niche or too culturally specific, I'd encourage you not to abandon it. Trust that if you tell it well and it’s funny, audiences will meet you halfway," he adds.
"That's one of the things I love most about stand-up: it gives people the chance to experience someone else's perspective for a few minutes, and realise they have more in common than they thought."
[Cover photo credit: Matt Stronge]
Shahla Omar is a freelance journalist based in London
Follow her on Instagram: @shahlatan