Ahir Shah (born 28 December 1990) is a British comedian. He was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award[2] at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, 2018 and won the award in 2023,[3] and was a finalist in the 2008 So You Think You're Funny? competition for new acts.[4] He has been called "one of his generation's most eloquent comic voices".[5]
Shah was born and raised in London.[6] His parents, Vikram and Ulka, are originally from India.[7] Shah's mother is a state primary school teacher.[8] His grandmother, who had been living with the family in the UK, was deported to India when Shah was five years old.[9]
When he was 15, Shah started doing comedy at open mic nights. His father had encouraged him to try different extracurricular activities, and stand-up comedy "struck a passion".[8] He performed all through his school and university years, taking his debut show Astrology to Edinburgh in 2011.[13]
In 2019 he toured the UK with his show Dots.[14] His previous shows are Astrology (2011), Anatomy (2013),[15]Texture (2014),[16]Distant (2015),[17]Machines (2016),[18]Control (2017),[19] and Duffer (2018).[9][20]
In December 2019, it was announced that Shah would be joining fellow comedian Suzi Ruffell on her new radio panel show entitled Explicable MeonBBC Radio 2.[23][24] In 2021, Shah had an HBO special called Dots.[25]
In 2023, Shah won the Best Comedy Show Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his show Ends. [26]
In 2024, he appeared as a cohost of The Bugle podcast.[27]
Shah has suffered from depression, and has discussed coming off medication for it during his stand up routine.[28] He has spoken about his reluctance to be a "nodding dog" (an unthinking advocate) for white guilt in relation to European colonialism.[29]
During the November 2015 Paris attacks, Shah was performing at Le Paname Art Café in the Rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, only a few doors down from the Café Bonne Biere that was one of the attack sites.[8] The experience formed part of Shah's 2016 show Machines.[18]
