Tez Ilyas on growing up in Blackburn ahead of sold-out home town tour

The ‘Vicked Tour’ will be filled with Tez’s trademark silly, smart and subversive humour to celebrate all that we still have. Expect mega laughs, happy groans and cheeky provocations, as Tez guarantees a ‘Vicked’ time.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Tez said: “It’s a massive laugh. We just want people to come out and have a good time.

“There are some moments in the show which you might think about and that might sit with your afterwards but really I just want people to have a good time.”

Tez Ilyas is coming to Blackburn on tour

Tez, star of BBC Three sitcom Man Like Mobeen and host of the Tez O’Clock Show on Channel 4, will be talking about all things from Covid to social media, with a sprinkling of light-hearted topics in between.

“The show is basically about how I have morphed into a grumpy old uncle before my time,” he said.

“I’m talking about Covid, I’m talking about my nieces and nephews and how much of a pain in the a** they are and then I am talking a bit about social media and how that is taking up a bit of our lives too.

“It’s a really fun show with something for everyone.”

The 38-year-old said he will be using his comedy to tackle more ‘serious’ topics, such as Covid.

“Comedy is a really useful tool to talk about serious things in a useful way and present them in a different way,” he explained.

“I think I have a real skill in doing that and might be a reason why people like watching me.

“Covid was something we all went through together. We were all watching Joe Wicks in the first week and then we thought ‘I’m just gonna get fat’."

While he is undoubtedly looking forward to visiting all of the remaining towns and cities on his tour, he will always have a soft spot for his home town gig.

He said: “I can’t wait – Blackburn is always my favourite show on the tour. There’s a lot of references I can make about my home town.

“Also, Blackburn has such an amazing sense of humour – it’s very ‘un-PC’. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing to more white people or more Asian people the crowd is always really funny.”

After touring and living in other parts of the country, Tez moved back to Blackburn five years ago, eager to return to his roots … and some of the town’s fantastic food places.

He said: “Pound for pound, we have some of the best food places in the country.

“People travel to come to Blackburn to eat and I think they should – Blackburn is amazing.

“We’ve got Kebabish, Heavenly Desserts, Waheed’s Buffet Harry’s restaurant…

“We’ve also got such beautiful parks and I love just going for a walk. It’s a lot leafier than people think – I love the place I think it’s great.”

Tez also divulged into his life growing up in Blackburn, which he explains more in his book ‘ The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13 ¾’, and how his youth influenced his comedy.

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He said: “Growing up in Blackburn, with two communities side-by-side was great. I was influenced culturally by both communities.

“I was at both Witton Park High School with my white mates and going to my mosque and playing in the local area with all of the Asian/Muslim communities.

“My book is basically a massive nostalgic trip all told through my eyes growing up as a teenage kid and I think people will really enjoy… locals who have read it say they really enjoyed it.”

Tez at Witton Park High School

As well as his home town, Tez also wants to express some gratitude to his supportive fans – or as he calls them, the ‘Tezbians’.

He explained: “I’m always thankful for my fans – I roast them quite a lot but it’s all coming from love.

“They’re amazing and they have been so supportive throughout lockdown and now I’m out on tour they’re coming to watch me.”

Tez is always interacting with his fans on social media and many would say his Facebook page is more of a community.  

One fan, Jamie Coates from Lincoln, even approached Tez on social media to ask for some advice about fasting on Ramadan as a non-muslim.

Tez explained: “He had been curious about Ramadan for a while and he just messaged me asking if it would be offensive if I, as a non-Muslim, tried to do Ramadan.

Tez Ilyas (Image: NQ)

“A lot of my followers, who are Muslim and observing Ramadan, tried to give him a lot of advice. I tried to chip in with advice too.

“He tried it out and he fasted for the whole of Ramadan and he kept us updated about how it was going on and how he was feeling about it.”

“At the end of it he did the whole of it with us. As a gesture, I offered him two three tickets to a show in Lincoln and we got a lovely picture afterwards.”

Tickets to Tez’s Blackburn show are sold out – but some are still available at his Manchester and Cumbria gigs.

Find your ticket online by visiting his official website: https://tezilyas.com/