Nish Kumar to host Big Asian Stand-Up specials on BBC Two
- Nish Kumar is to host two stand-up comedy showcases on BBC Two called The Big Asian Stand-Up
- The specials will be broadcast in August as part of the BBC's forthcoming Big British Asian Summer season
- Acts taking part include Tez Ilyas, Emily Lloyd Saini, Ahir Shah
Nish Kumar is to host two stand-up comedy specials on BBC Two.
BBC Two Presents The Big Asian Stand-Up will be recorded to form part of the BBC's forthcoming Big British Asian Summer season.
Asian Network Comedy stand-up shows, recorded by the BBC Asian Network station, have run on BBC iPlayer and radio since 2014, however this will be the highest profile broadcast for the format to date.
Kumar, who also hosts BBC Two's satirical comedy format The Mash Report, will introduce Tez Ilyas, Emily Lloyd Saini, Ahir Shah and "many other exciting new comedy faces in what is sure to be an unforgettable night of stand-up comedy."
The BBC confirms: "The Big Asian Stand-Up will showcase a new wave of Asian comedic talent from the UK and beyond. Airing across two nights on BBC Two in August, the shows are part of the BBC's Big British Asian Summer, which celebrates the cultural and artistic contribution of Asian Britons.
"Filmed in front of a live audience at the iconic City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds, Nish will introduce a mix of hilarious stand-ups who also share an exciting and diverse voice, one that reflects the experience of the second or third generation of immigrants to the UK."
The show is due to be recorded tomorrow (Wednesday 11th July, Tickets) - with the time now moved to an afternoon start to avoid clashing with the World Cup football. BBC Studios will then edit the footage to become two half-hour shows to be broadcast on BBC Two in August.
Other programmes being screened as part of Big British Asian Summer include British Asian Film, introduced by Riz Ahmed and Meera Syal, on BBC Two; Supercar, Superfam, a fly-on-the-wall BBC Three show which focuses on a supercar workshop in Essex; My Asian Alter Ego - also on BBC Three - in which commentators have a 'frank and honest conversation about today's British Asian identity'; and Pump Up The Bhangra: The Sound Of Asian Britain, a BBC Four music documentary fronted by Bobby Friction.