Hils Barker

The Mackenzie Taylor I knew, by comedian Hils Barker

Hils Barker remembers friend and fellow comic Mackenzie Taylor. Struggling with mental illness, Taylor took his own life on 18 November.

Hils Barker, The Observer, 12th December 2010

Talented comedian Shappi Khorsandi has been about quite a bit recently - whether appearing on Have I Got News for You or giving interviews about her satirist father's longtime exile from Iran and her upbringing in the UK from the age of six (a rich source for her stand-up material). So I was a bit bemused by the first of her four shows - this one's about racism. Initially sounding like a traditional stand-up with an audience, her routine is then punctuated by an interview with Meera Syal, a short set by Felix Dexter and a comedy song from Hils Barker. There are some funny observations from Shappi about the "rainbow of thuggery" in today's multicultural gangs and what being of mixed race really means. Perhaps she should do more of the talking and less of the interviewing/introducing.

Jeremy Aspinall, Radio Times, 9th July 2009