Top comedian at the Little Theatre

There cannot be many stand ups who use Isis as a basis for a show, writes Paul Clarke.

But Muslim comedian Shazia Mirza has never been afraid to take on tough topics.

Next month she returns to Hebden Bridge’s Little Theatre with her latest show “The Kardashians Made Me Do It” (Friday, March 10, 7.30pm £14) which will be delivered in her trademark uncompromising, deadpan style.

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“The show is about four things – political correctness, people being offended, Isis and Jihadi brides,” says Mirza who has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 comedians.

“All of them are linked as it’s all about people being offended, and not being able to say what you want.

“And I give examples of how people have been offended or I’ve been offended by other people.

“The title of this show is based on the three girls from Bethnal Green who went to join Isis last year, and there are loads more that we haven’t heard about, but because those three were so young we heard about them.”

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When questioned their distraught families were at a loss to explain their daughters’ actions.

Says Mirza: “After they left their parents were called in to the Home Affairs Select Committee by the MP Keith Vaz and he asked them why have their daughters gone to Syria?

“One of the sisters said I can’t understand why she has gone as she used to watch the Kardashians.

“They couldn’t understand why they had done what they had done as they were just normal girls.

People thought that was a joke, but that was the truth.

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“Everything in my show is based on fact and things people said and did.

“A lot of it is ridiculous and it shows that the three girls going to join Isis was nothing to do with religion and politics as they went because they just fancied these blokes.”

Mirza is also keen to tackle what political correctness means in a world that has unleashed some extreme views that she thinks might have been best left in the dark.

“It’s about political correctness, how it is important that we have it, but it also stops us from saying what we really think and there is now a backlash against it where people are going the other way.” she adds.

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The show has received critical acclaim - “As brave a piece of comedy as you’ll see” (Mail on Sunday) and “The Kardashians Made Me Do It is brave and urgent” (Daily Telegraph) - during its nationwide tour.

lTickets at £14 from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/mtm-productions