Guest speaker – Shaparak Khorsand

 Comedian, best-selling author, R4 regular, speaker and advocate for human rights

Shaparak established herself as one of the UK’s finest comedians with her sell-out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker. Despite the basis for the show being her experiences as a child refugee fleeing Iran and terrorists attempting to murder her father, Shaparak’s sensitive yet witty exploration of these events created an instant comedy smash hit. It also led to the publication of her childhood memoirs, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, her best-selling literary debut, described by the Scotsman as ‘filled with laughter, wonder and compassion’.  Shaparak went on to publish her first novel, Nina Is Not Ok, which was described by the Telegraph as ‘moving, funny and shocking’ and received tremendous acclaim from critics and readers alike. She is also the author of Scatter Brain published by Penguin in 2023 and described by Sara Pascoe as, “hilarious, unflinching, wise.”

Shaparak’s career has taken her to all corners of the globe. She has appeared on countless TV & Radio shows, including: Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, MasterChef, Have I Got News For You, QI, Pointless Celebrities, Question Time and Just a Minute, as well as her own show, Shaparak Talk. 

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