Mawaan Rizwan

Mawaan Rizwan
Mawaan Rizwan at the 2026 British Academy Television Awards
Born (1992-08-18) 18 August 1992
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • director
  • screenwriter
Years active2008–present
RelativesNabhaan Rizwan (brother)
Websitemawaan.co.uk

Mawaan Rizwan (born 18 August 1992) is a Pakistani-born British actor and comedian who began his career as a YouTuber.[1] He created and starred in the BBC Three comedy Juice (2023). He won a British Academy Television Award for his performance, in addition to receiving writing nominations.

Early life

Rizwan was born in Lahore, Pakistan; his mother, Shahnaz, was one of nine siblings and had starred in a number of black and white Pakistani films. As his mother desired a better life for Mawaan and his sister, they emigrated to London in 1994. Six years later, at the age of eight, Rizwan and his family were threatened with deportation, but were granted indefinite leave to remain after legal battles and protests for the family's immigration rights.[2][3]

Career

Rizwan started making YouTube videos at the age of 16. The attention he received for these resulted in him gaining roles on various television and streaming programming.[2] In 2013 he began starring in the BAFTA award nominated series DNN: Definitely Not Newsround, a spoof news comedy series for children.[4][5] In 2015 he starred in Disney XD UK series Mega Awesome Super Hacks alongside Oli White and Jimmy Hill.[6]

In 2015, Rizwan travelled to Pakistan, his country of birth, to film the documentary How Gay Is Pakistan? which explores the issues faced by other LGBTQ Muslims living under Islamic law that deems homosexuality illegal.[7] The documentary was televised internationally, including on ABC2 in Australia, CBC in Canada and in various markets via Amazon Prime Video.[8][9][10]

Rizwan's career in stand-up comedy began in 2010 when he performed his first gig at a basement venue in Leicester Square. He trained at the prestigious École Philippe Gaulier, physicality and silliness being key components of his comedic craft.[11] He performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with his 2018 and 2019 performances gaining positive reviews from critics. In 2018, Rizwan participated in a charity benefit event called Choose Laughs? at the Playhouse Theatre to support the NGO Help Refugees.[12][13][14]

In April 2019, Rizwan released his first two singles – "I've Got a New Walk" and "Mango" – with a third single, "Never Been Skiing", released in September.[15]

In 2020, Rizwan starred in the Sky One comedy series Two Weeks to Live.[16] Forbes named Rizwan one of their '30 under 30' movers for their 2020 list, after recognition for being a writer on Netflix series Sex Education as well as his role in BBC Three drama Murdered by My Father and opening for Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness on tour.[17] In September 2020 he appeared in Jonathan Ross's Comedy Club as co-host. Also in 2020, he appeared in the 10th series of Taskmaster, finishing 3rd.[18]

In 2021, Rizwan was appointed as Young Person's Comedy Laureate by the BBC as well as head judge of BBC New Comedy Award.[19] In 2022, he appeared on Channel 4's 40th Anniversary special of Saturday Live (retitled as Friday Night Live), performing his song "Are You Checking Me Out Or Are You Just A Racist?"[20][21] The song was later released as a single across music streaming platforms, with an official music video released in December the same year, featuring Nabhaan Rizwan, his "more famous brother" referred to in the lyrics.[22]

In September 2023, Juice was released – a BBC Three surreal comedy series which Rizwan starred in, wrote, and co-produced. The series is based upon Rizwan's 2018 Edinburgh Fringe show of the same name.[23][24] Rizwan's mother and brother also appeared in Juice as the family of Rizwan's character, Jamma.[25] On its release The Guardian commented that "His [Mawaan's] childlike way of exploring life's complexities has won him legions of fans".[11] A second series was released in 2025.[26][27]

In March 2024, Rizwan appeared on Comic Relief on BBC Two, performing a country version of "Are You Checking Me Out Or Are You Just A Racist?".[28]

In April and May 2026, Rizwan made his debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company playing The Barker / Giri in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht in a new version by Stephen Sharkey, alongside Mark Gatiss in the title role and directed by Seán Linnen at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.[29]

Personal life

Rizwan is gay, having come out to his traditional Muslim parents at the age of 24.[30] In 2012, he appeared alongside his mother, Shahnaz, in a YouTube video which resulted in his mother gaining the attention of Bollywood and eventually landing a role in the Indian television series Yeh Hai Mohabbatein (This Is Love).[3]

Mawaan's brother, Nabhaan, also followed the family into a career in acting with his debut in BBC drama series Informer.[31]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes
2013 DNN: Definitely Not Newsround Jahmene Mann CBBC 13 episodes
Project: Library Jason YouTube 4 episodes
2014–2016The Dog Ate My HomeworkHimselfCBBC2 episodes
2015Mega Awesome Super HacksHimselfDisney XD UK(6 episodes)
How Gay Is Pakistan?HimselfBBC ThreeDocumentary
2016The BreakActorNetflixTying the Knot (1 episode)
Murdered by My FatherImiBBC ThreeTV movie[32]
Getting High For GodHimselfBBC Three2-Part Documentary
2017LoadedDuncanChannel 4(1 episode)
five by fiveAlexBBC Threemini-series (2 episodes)
VeraJamilITVNatural Selection (1 episode)
2018Next of KinOmar ShiraniITVmini-series (6 episodes)
The Big Asian Stand-UpHimselfBBC Two(1 episode)
2019Live at the ApolloHimselfBBC One(1 episode)
Harry Hill's ClubniteHimselfChannel 4(1 episode)
The One ShowHimselfBBC One(1 episode)
2020 Taskmaster Himself Channel 4 Series 10
Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club Himself ITV (5 episodes)
Two Weeks to Live NickySky One(6 episodes)
2021 BBC New Comedy Award Himself BBC Three Head judge of the competition[19]
2022 The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer Himself Channel 4 Series 5; episode 5
The Big Fat Quiz of Everything Himself Channel 4 2022 special
Friday Night Live Himself Channel 4 Channel 4's 40th anniversary special of Saturday Live
2023 Doctor Who Mr Castavillian BBC One Mini-episode: "Destination: Skaro"
2023–2025 Juice Jamal "Jamma" Jamshidi BBC Three (12 episodes)
2024 Comic Relief Himself BBC Two
2027 Hercule TBA BBC One Upcoming six-part series[33]

Film

Year Title Role Notes / Refs
2013Ashens and the Quest for the GameChildIqbal/Old Woman
2014The Nightman of NevermoreJP
2016The Darkest DawnRicky
2017CarnageFreddy Jayashankar[34]
2018BenjaminDhani
2025Tinsel TownNigelTelevision film; broadcast on Sky Cinema[35]
Blackout Reuben Short film by Chris Urch; premiered at the 2025 Iris Film Festival[36]

Screenwriting credits

Year Title Network Notes
2011 Jimmy Will Play Short film[37]
2014SwashbuckleCBeebies(3 episodes)
2016Spot BotsCBeebies(7 episodes)
2017–19Apple Tree HouseCBeebies(4 episodes)
2020–21Sex EducationNetflix(2 episodes)
2023–presentJuiceBBC Three(12 episodes)

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Notes
2024 ECHO (Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen) Performer Royal Court Theatre Performed on 24 July as a member of the rolling cast[38]
The Rocky Horror Show The Narrator Dominion Theatre Performed on 6-20 September[39]
2025 Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright Guest star Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent One night only - 15 November evening
2026The Resistible Rise of Arturo UiThe Barker / GiriSwan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Royal Shakespeare Company debut

Discography

Singles

  • Released in 2019:
    • "I've Got a New Walk"
    • "Mango"
    • "Never Been Skiing"
  • Released in 2022:
    • Are you Checking Me out or Are you Just a Racist?
  • Released in 2024:
    • Are you Checking Me out or Are you Just a Racist? (Country Version) - Live from the Palladium

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2011 Best of Boroughs Film Awards Audience Award Jimmy Will Play Won [37]
2024 Attitude Awards Comedy Body of work Won [40]
British Academy Television Awards Best Male Comedy Performance JuiceWon [41]
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Writer: Comedy Nominated [42]
Best Emerging Talent: Fiction Nominated
2026 British Academy Television Awards Best Male Comedy Performance Nominated [43]

References

  1. ↑ UTA. "United Talent Agency". unitedtalent.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Rizwan, Mawaan (2 June 2018). "Opinion | How I Accidentally Made My Mom a Bollywood Star". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 Moorhead, Joanna (4 August 2018). "I asked my mum to be in my YouTube videos. Now she's a Bollywood star". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. ↑ BBC. "BBC - DNN - Media Centre". BBC. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. ↑ BAFTA. "2014 Children's Comedy | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Fitzgerald, Clare. "Oli White, Jimmy Hill & Mawaan Rizwan Host Disney XD Show – TenEighty — Internet culture in focus". TenEighty Magazine. TENEIGHTY DIGITAL LTD. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Wyatt, Daisy (20 October 2015). "How Gay is Pakistan? BBC3 - TV review". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Hill, Leigh Andrew (30 March 2016). "Mawaan Rizwan asks 'How Gay is Pakistan?' on ABC2". OUTInPerth - LGBTIQ News and Culture. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ↑ CBC. "How Gay is Pakistan?". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Prime Video. "How Gay is Pakistan?". Amazon. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  11. 1 2 Segalov, Michael (13 August 2023). "'It's cheap therapy, innit!': comedian Mawaan Rizwan on family, adulthood and his brilliant new TV series". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Hawkins, Si (6 December 2018). "Mawaan Rizwan - First Gig, Worst Gig". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Maxwell, Dominic. "Edinburgh comedy review: Mawaan Rizwan at Pleasance Dome". The Times. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Dessau, Bruce (22 August 2018). "Mawaan Rizwan spins a very funny yarn at the Fringe". Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "MAWAAN". Spotify. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Mawaan Rizwan and Sian Clifford join Two Weeks To Live : News 2019 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  17. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Mawaan Rizwan named one of the '30 under 30' to watch : News 2020 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  18. ↑ Craig, David (29 July 2020). "Taskmaster series 10 line-up confirmed with This Country's Daisy May Cooper and comedian Johnny Vegas". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  19. 1 2 "BBC New Comedy Awards set to take place all across the UK as locations and prizes are revealed". www.bbc.co.uk. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Hogan, Michael (22 October 2022). "Friday Night Live, review: at last - unfiltered, opinionated comedy is back on our TV screens". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Channel 4 (9 November 2022). Mawaan: 'Are You Checking Me Out Or Are You Just A Racist?' | Friday Night Live. Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ MAWAAN (12 December 2022). MAWAAN - Are You Checking Me Out or Are You Just a Racist (Official Video). Retrieved 18 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  23. ↑ Guide, British Comedy (17 September 2023). "Mawaan Rizwan and key cast interview - Juice". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  24. ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "Mawaan Rizwan: Juice". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  25. ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "Juice - BBC3 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "Filming gets underway on the second series of award winning BBC comedy Juice with Mawaan Rizwan". BBC. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  27. ↑ "Juice cast tease "sexier, funnier, madder and even more brilliant" series two". BBC. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  28. ↑ Hogan, Michael (15 March 2024). "Comic Relief 2024, review: Lenny Henry hangs up his red nose and deserves every tribute". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 December 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  29. ↑ "Latest Press Releases | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  30. ↑ Networks, Hornet (27 November 2017). "The Doc 'How Gay is Pakistan?' Is Now on Netflix, and It's Required Viewing for LGBTQ Millennials". Hornet. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  31. ↑ Radio Times Staff. "Who is Nabhaan Rizwan? Everything you need to know about the rising star of BBC thriller Informer". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  32. ↑ "BBC Three - Murdered by My Father". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 August 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  33. ↑ "BBC confirms stars for new Poirot series Hercule including Game of Thrones and Cold Feet favourites". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  34. ↑ "Simon Amstell: Carnage". BBC. 2017. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  35. ↑ Cremona, Patrick (5 December 2025). "Tinsel Town cast: Who stars with Kiefer Sutherland in Sky Christmas movie?". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  36. ↑ Sugg, Aaron (20 October 2025). "Chris Urch's Blackout starring Mawaan Rizwan is crowned Best British Short at Iris Prize". Attitude. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  37. 1 2 Curtis, Joe (23 September 2011). "REDBRIDGE: Film-maker honoured at award ceremony". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  38. ↑ Lukowski, Andrzej (8 July 2024). "Jodie Whittaker and Benedict Wong will star in the Royal Court's new play 'ECHO' later this month". Time Out London. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  39. ↑ Russo, Gillian (8 August 2024). "Mawaan Rizwan joins 'The Rocky Horror Show' West End cast". London Theatre. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  40. ↑ Kheraj, Alim (9 October 2024). "Mawaan Rizwan accepts Comedy Award at the Attitude Awards: 'This is a really special moment'". Attitude. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  41. ↑ "Mawaan Rizwan wins Male Performance in Comedy Award for Juice | BAFTA TV Awards 2024 - BBC". 12 May 2024 – via YouTube.
  42. ↑ Yossman, K.J. (29 April 2024). "'Black Mirror,' 'Silo' and 'The Last of Us' Among Winners at BAFTA TV Craft Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 January 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  43. ↑ Hepburn, David (24 March 2026). "BAFTA Television Awards 2026 Nominees in Full: Here are all the shortlists as Adolescense leads the way with 11 nods". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
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