Unlikely Partners: Comedy & Pain

Manchester-based, Malawi-born comedian Daliso Chaponda will be talking about the counterintuitive notion that where painful things have occurred or are occurring you often find that comedy is not far behind. As an example, during his star turn on Britain’s Got Talent, Daliso made light of his home country’s poverty when he informed the audience he was from Malawi and said, “If any of you don’t know where that is, it’s where Madonna adopted all the babies from… I do miss my little brother.” So what’s going here. Why do painful realities and comedy so often partner up?

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Daliso Chaponda has been a stand-up comedian since 2001 beginning his career in Canada. He moved to the UK in 2006 where he opened for other comedians such as John Bishop. In 2008, his comedy earned him a spot in the Edinburgh Fringe “Best of the Fest” list. Daliso shot to primetime fame in 2017 when his audition for Britain’s Got Talent received a golden buzzer from judge Amanda Holden with his BGT performances going viral on social platforms and receiving 200m views.

Daliso has since continued to appear regularly in broadcast media including The Royal Variety Performance 2020 (ITV), Britain’s Got Talent Champions 2019 (ITV), QI (BBC2), The Apprentice: You’re Fired (BBC2), Good Evening Britain (ITV), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), and The Now Show (BBC Radio 4).

Daliso is also the writer, creator, and host of his Rose d’Or nominated BBC Radio 4 show Citizen of Nowhere that has aired for two series. Born in Zambia to Malawian parents, he now resides in Manchester.

 

Photo credit: Steve Ullathrone