Firstly, congratulations on winning Best Entertainment Personality in our What’s On Readers’ Awards. How does it feel to have won such an accolade?!
Thank you very much. It’s for Citizen Khan, and I think Mr Khan would be absolutely delighted. He’d think it’s only right that he should win the award - it’s just one award away from getting an MBE, I think, so he’s delighted.
What have you found most challenging about transferring the world of Citizen Khan from the TV studio to the stage?
I think in a way it’s always challenging, whatever we’re doing, whether we’re writing the sitcom or doing the live show. In a way, though, it feels like an organic progression because the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience, so we’re already sort of a live show. Some of the best bits, I find, are in between the scenes, when we have to move sets and cameras around. So in character as Mr Khan, I sort of interact and play around with the audience a lot, so we’re actually taking bits like that and creating a live show in which Khan will speak to the audience, get involved, get to the cheap seats. If you’re coming to the Genting Arena and you’re in the cheap seats in the top block, he will come and get you. It’ll be great fun. He’ll also do stuff like that somewhere like Warwick Arts Centre - which is a lovely, intimate venue - and that’ll be great as well. So it’s always a challenge doing stuff like this because you just never know with comedy - you write it and you hope. You’ve just got to put the effort in, I think. We’ve done a few little try-outs. We did something the other day at mac - Midlands Arts Centre - in front of just 80 people. We’re going to try and do a couple more of those before we do the first date. Just put the work in, that’s the challenge - make sure you concentrate and work hard at it.
What motivated you to create a live show - a relatively unusual move for a television comedy?
In a way, yes it is. In years gone by, you’d never do it, but recently, with things like Mrs Brown’s Boys going live, I think there’s the possibility that it can happen. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do.
Why do you think Citizen Khan has proved to be so popular?
I think it’s a universal story. Of course, we’ve got a strong USP - that it’s a Pakistani Muslim family - so it kind of stands out in that sense. I think the success is because it connects and relates to lots of people. Despite the fact the family’s Pakistani, you know your White British public can watch it and go ‘I connect with that, he’s a little bit like my dad’ or ‘I was a little bit like Alia - the daughter - when I was growing up’. That’s actually quite a lovely feeling, the fact that we can connect with this family even though they’re Pakistani Muslims. The show sells well abroad now - we’re doing well in places like Russia, Bulgaria, India and South Africa - and I think that’s the reason why. I think people just connect with the family. And it’s quite warm, you know. I think the format is designed to feel warm and give you a nice feeling. I think when you watch this kind of comedy, you grow to love it and develop a real affection for it.
How do you respond to suggestions that the Citizen Khan shows are disrespectful in the way they depict Islam?
I think there certainly was that in Series One. We had a few complaints and people would say that perhaps it was mocking the faith, but I think a lot of those people have since realised that it’s not intending to do that. It’s just a comedy. If anything, it’s universalising and humanising a community, and essentially it’s just there to make us laugh. I think that’s more the case now. I don’t hear people complaining any more. Of course you can spend an afternoon on twitter and you’ll find somebody who wants to make negative comments - I think that’s par for the course and you’ve just got to accept it. Comedy is so subjective. I sit with my co-writers - who’re absolutely brilliant writers - and debate comedy, and they’ll like something that I don’t like and I’ll like something that they don’t like.
What were your motivations for deciding to follow a career in comedy?
Growing up, I was a big fan of comedy - it made me laugh! I remember when I was very young watching Not The 9 O’Clock News and loving Rowan Atkinson. I thought he was just brilliant. Me and my dad were massive fans of Fawlty Towers and Only Fools And Horses. Also watching sitcoms with my mum on a Friday night was great. We’d sit there with fish and chips on our plate, watching Cheers. I loved the show, whereas my mum just fancied Ted Danson! My family were like lots of other families - we had our fair share of problems. It wasn’t always plain sailing, but when a comedy was on, we’d all sit down and have a laugh together. Comedy can be so powerful in that way, and I just wanted to be a part of it.
What’s your perspective on the subject of comedy boundaries? Do you think there are/should be any no-go areas for comedians in terms of the subject matter they refer to in their material?
No, not at all. For me, you can make a joke about absolutely anything as long as the intention is right. I’ll give you an example. Between friends, we all say the worst things. We can be very politically incorrect, we can give each other the worst insults ever. We know that, because we’re friends and because we’ve got a relationship with one another, the intention is to make each other laugh, to have a bit of fun, not to make anybody feel bad or offend anyone. The same can happen in any joke, in any comedy - you just have to show your intention. With Mr Khan, for example, in the end I think he does wear his heart on his sleeve and he’s vulnerable, so we kind of excuse him for being slightly obnoxious and rude and offensive at times.
You’re Birmingham-bred and still live there. How has the city changed during your lifetime, and have the changes been for the better or worse?
For the better. It’s a fantastically diverse city. I used to take an hour-long bus ride into school, and it was a classic experience because I’d see so much of Birmingham and realise just how diverse we were as a city. We’re even more diverse now. You walk through the city centre and it looks fantastic. Birmingham is a microcosm of what Britain is going to be in many years to come. You can come to Birmingham and adapt to that Brummie lifestyle, and I think that’s fantastic. I kind of started to fall out with Birmingham a few years ago. I felt like we were getting caught up in whether we wanted to be the second city, whether we should compete with Manchester, whether we should compete with London. I don’t care whether we’re the second, fifth or sixth city as long as we’re a city that we’re proud of. And that’s the thing we need to be more of. Whoever we are, whatever we are, we should be immensely proud, and I think we’ve finally started to accept that. We’ve stopped rubbishing ourselves, which I think we’re very good at in Birmingham.
There’s obviously plenty of mileage left in the Citizen Khan character, but what do you have planned for an encore - or won’t you mind if, a bit like Steve Coogan, you remain inextricably linked to one character for the rest of your career?
It’s a good question. Do I put him to sleep for a while and bring somebody else out? People do that, but I feel like we’re onto something with Citizen Khan. I love it, and we feel very lucky to have a fifth series coming up, so why not let it run and run? We’re thinking of possible film ideas at the moment, so there are no plans to put him to sleep just yet. Hopefully, if the audience love it and the BBC still commission it, we’ll see plenty more of Citizen Khan.
And finally, you have plans to tackle Hollywood, so what can we expect from Citizen Khan in future months?
It’s very, very early days. This film idea just exists in my head and in my lounge at the moment. I’m writing a story idea and I’m being very ambitious. I think it could be a movie for Citizen Khan fans, but it could also be very funny simply to have a movie with a Muslim character at the centre of it. It’s certainly something I’d like to do. We’ll take it one step at a time - studios and other producing directors agree with me, so time will tell, I guess.
Citizen Khan plays Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Mon 2 May and Genting Arena, Birmingham, Friday 6 May. Tickets HERE
Firstly, congratulations on winning Best Entertainment Personality in our What’s On Readers’ Awards. How does it feel to have won such an accolade?!
Thank you very much. It’s for Citizen Khan, and I think Mr Khan would be absolutely delighted. He’d think it’s only right that he should win the award - it’s just one award away from getting an MBE, I think, so he’s delighted.
What have you found most challenging about transferring the world of Citizen Khan from the TV studio to the stage?
I think in a way it’s always challenging, whatever we’re doing, whether we’re writing the sitcom or doing the live show. In a way, though, it feels like an organic progression because the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience, so we’re already sort of a live show. Some of the best bits, I find, are in between the scenes, when we have to move sets and cameras around. So in character as Mr Khan, I sort of interact and play around with the audience a lot, so we’re actually taking bits like that and creating a live show in which Khan will speak to the audience, get involved, get to the cheap seats. If you’re coming to the Genting Arena and you’re in the cheap seats in the top block, he will come and get you. It’ll be great fun. He’ll also do stuff like that somewhere like Warwick Arts Centre - which is a lovely, intimate venue - and that’ll be great as well. So it’s always a challenge doing stuff like this because you just never know with comedy - you write it and you hope. You’ve just got to put the effort in, I think. We’ve done a few little try-outs. We did something the other day at mac - Midlands Arts Centre - in front of just 80 people. We’re going to try and do a couple more of those before we do the first date. Just put the work in, that’s the challenge - make sure you concentrate and work hard at it.
What motivated you to create a live show - a relatively unusual move for a television comedy?
In a way, yes it is. In years gone by, you’d never do it, but recently, with things like Mrs Brown’s Boys going live, I think there’s the possibility that it can happen. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do.
Why do you think Citizen Khan has proved to be so popular?
I think it’s a universal story. Of course, we’ve got a strong USP - that it’s a Pakistani Muslim family - so it kind of stands out in that sense. I think the success is because it connects and relates to lots of people. Despite the fact the family’s Pakistani, you know your White British public can watch it and go ‘I connect with that, he’s a little bit like my dad’ or ‘I was a little bit like Alia - the daughter - when I was growing up’. That’s actually quite a lovely feeling, the fact that we can connect with this family even though they’re Pakistani Muslims. The show sells well abroad now - we’re doing well in places like Russia, Bulgaria, India and South Africa - and I think that’s the reason why. I think people just connect with the family. And it’s quite warm, you know. I think the format is designed to feel warm and give you a nice feeling. I think when you watch this kind of comedy, you grow to love it and develop a real affection for it.
How do you respond to suggestions that the Citizen Khan shows are disrespectful in the way they depict Islam?
I think there certainly was that in Series One. We had a few complaints and people would say that perhaps it was mocking the faith, but I think a lot of those people have since realised that it’s not intending to do that. It’s just a comedy. If anything, it’s universalising and humanising a community, and essentially it’s just there to make us laugh. I think that’s more the case now. I don’t hear people complaining any more. Of course you can spend an afternoon on twitter and you’ll find somebody who wants to make negative comments - I think that’s par for the course and you’ve just got to accept it. Comedy is so subjective. I sit with my co-writers - who’re absolutely brilliant writers - and debate comedy, and they’ll like something that I don’t like and I’ll like something that they don’t like.
What were your motivations for deciding to follow a career in comedy?
Growing up, I was a big fan of comedy - it made me laugh! I remember when I was very young watching Not The 9 O’Clock News and loving Rowan Atkinson. I thought he was just brilliant. Me and my dad were massive fans of Fawlty Towers and Only Fools And Horses. Also watching sitcoms with my mum on a Friday night was great. We’d sit there with fish and chips on our plate, watching Cheers. I loved the show, whereas my mum just fancied Ted Danson! My family were like lots of other families - we had our fair share of problems. It wasn’t always plain sailing, but when a comedy was on, we’d all sit down and have a laugh together. Comedy can be so powerful in that way, and I just wanted to be a part of it.
What’s your perspective on the subject of comedy boundaries? Do you think there are/should be any no-go areas for comedians in terms of the subject matter they refer to in their material?
No, not at all. For me, you can make a joke about absolutely anything as long as the intention is right. I’ll give you an example. Between friends, we all say the worst things. We can be very politically incorrect, we can give each other the worst insults ever. We know that, because we’re friends and because we’ve got a relationship with one another, the intention is to make each other laugh, to have a bit of fun, not to make anybody feel bad or offend anyone. The same can happen in any joke, in any comedy - you just have to show your intention. With Mr Khan, for example, in the end I think he does wear his heart on his sleeve and he’s vulnerable, so we kind of excuse him for being slightly obnoxious and rude and offensive at times.
You’re Birmingham-bred and still live there. How has the city changed during your lifetime, and have the changes been for the better or worse?
For the better. It’s a fantastically diverse city. I used to take an hour-long bus ride into school, and it was a classic experience because I’d see so much of Birmingham and realise just how diverse we were as a city. We’re even more diverse now. You walk through the city centre and it looks fantastic. Birmingham is a microcosm of what Britain is going to be in many years to come. You can come to Birmingham and adapt to that Brummie lifestyle, and I think that’s fantastic. I kind of started to fall out with Birmingham a few years ago. I felt like we were getting caught up in whether we wanted to be the second city, whether we should compete with Manchester, whether we should compete with London. I don’t care whether we’re the second, fifth or sixth city as long as we’re a city that we’re proud of. And that’s the thing we need to be more of. Whoever we are, whatever we are, we should be immensely proud, and I think we’ve finally started to accept that. We’ve stopped rubbishing ourselves, which I think we’re very good at in Birmingham.
There’s obviously plenty of mileage left in the Citizen Khan character, but what do you have planned for an encore - or won’t you mind if, a bit like Steve Coogan, you remain inextricably linked to one character for the rest of your career?
It’s a good question. Do I put him to sleep for a while and bring somebody else out? People do that, but I feel like we’re onto something with Citizen Khan. I love it, and we feel very lucky to have a fifth series coming up, so why not let it run and run? We’re thinking of possible film ideas at the moment, so there are no plans to put him to sleep just yet. Hopefully, if the audience love it and the BBC still commission it, we’ll see plenty more of Citizen Khan.
And finally, you have plans to tackle Hollywood, so what can we expect from Citizen Khan in future months?
It’s very, very early days. This film idea just exists in my head and in my lounge at the moment. I’m writing a story idea and I’m being very ambitious. I think it could be a movie for Citizen Khan fans, but it could also be very funny simply to have a movie with a Muslim character at the centre of it. It’s certainly something I’d like to do. We’ll take it one step at a time - studios and other producing directors agree with me, so time will tell, I guess.
Citizen Khan plays Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Mon 2 May and Genting Arena, Birmingham, Friday 6 May. Tickets HERE