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Munya Chawawa

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Munya Chawawa
Chawawa in 2020
Chawawa in 2020
BornMunyaradzi Oliver Chawawa
(1992-12-29) 29 December 1992 (age 31)
Derby, England
Occupation
Alma materUniversity of Sheffield
Genre

Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa (born 29 December 1992)[citation needed] is a British–Zimbabwean actor, comedy rapper and comedian.

Early life

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Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa[3] was born on 29 December 1992[4][5] in Derby, England,[6] and spent his childhood in Zimbabwe.[7][8] In his youth, his family returned from Zimbabwe to Framingham Pigot, a village close to Norwich in Norfolk.[1] He studied at Notre Dame High School in Norwich, where he was made head boy. He then went on to the University of Sheffield, earning a BSc degree in psychology in 2014.[7][9]

Career

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Chawawa is known for his development and portrayal of characters such as a posh drill rapper called "Unknown P"[10] and the chef "Jonny Oliver".[11] Chawawa has said that he "created Unknown P as a nod towards the appropriation and false ownership of black culture that often happens in western societies".[12] His comedic influences are John Oliver, Andy Zaltzman and Sacha Baron Cohen.[6]

His popularity grew during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with the main focus being his 2019 Fire in the Booth freestyle, for the parody news sketches he created.[13] In November 2020, Atlantic Records released his first single, "Piers Morgan", as well as a Daily Duppy on GRM Daily in December. His second single, "Pain au Chocolat" was released in August 2021. He has collaborated with the likes of comedians Mo Gilligan, Michael Dapaah and musicians Unknown T (from whom he derived Unknown P), S1mba, and KSI.[14][12] In June 2022 he was announced as a contestant for the 14th series of Taskmaster, beginning in October.[15]

On 17 March 2024, Chawawa appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Bake Off Stand Up To Cancer (Channel 4).[16]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2020 Murking From Home Various 11 episodes
Deep Issue Massage Himself 3 episodes
2021 Belly Must Go Himself Episode 6: Wes Nelson and Munya Chawawa
Samsung Galaxy Gauntlet Himself 5 episodes
The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan Himself (guest) 1 episode
Complaints Welcome Himself 6 episodes
Superfan vs Super Fan Himself 2 episodes; host
The MOBO Awards 2021 Himself Host
2021– Race Around Britain Himself 5 episodes
2022 The Sandman Choronzon 1 episode
Taskmaster Himself 10 episodes
Prince Andrew: The Musical Prince Charles
How to Survive a Dictator with Munya Chawawa Himself 2 episode
2023 The Jonathan Ross Show Himself Guest [17]
Would I Lie to You? Himself Guest
Have I Got News for You Himself Guest
2024 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Himself Guest
Have I Got News For You Himself Guest

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2023 Rye Lane Restaurant Crooner
2024 The Sidemen Story Himself Documentary; Cameo

References

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  1. ^ a b Joseph, Chanté (8 December 2020). "'It's been a battle to express my personality': Munya Chawawa, Instagram's finest satirist". The Guardian.
  2. ^ Novak, Kim (13 March 2021). "Munya Chawawa takes aim at Royals with diss track from 'Archie'". Metro. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  3. ^ Hallam, Katy (17 March 2024). "Who is Great Celebrity Bake Off's Munya Chawawa? From real name to long-term girlfriend - Birmingham Live". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  4. ^ Chawawa, Munyaradzi [@munyachawawa] (29 December 2016). "✨My birthday wish ✨ check my new showreel, give it some ❤️ & keep me in mind if a Munya-shaped gap comes up" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (14 October 2023). "Munya Chawawa looks back: 'Bullies shamed me for being proud of my culture – so I'd go home and write raps about the cold, hard streets of Norfolk'". Family. The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b Kwai, Isabella (9 April 2021). "For a U.K. Satirist and His Online Fans, Comedy Is Catharsis". New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Munya Chawawa: "I want to break the mould of being from a classically trained, elitist background"". The Face. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. ^ Lewis, Isobel (22 February 2021). "Munya Chawawa: 'Saying abracadabra was the equivalent of blurting out the C-word in my house'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Where are They Now? Munya Chawawa". Alumni. The University of Sheffield. 30 October 2020.
  10. ^ Lavin, Will (10 October 2020). "Watch Munya Chawawa's hilarious parody of Stormzy and Chip beef". NME.
  11. ^ Arboine, Niellah (18 August 2020). "Munya Chawawa Wants To Help You Laugh, Think & Most Of All, Get It Right". Bustle. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  12. ^ a b Skinner, Tom (26 November 2020). "Munya Chawawa's Unknown P shares debut single, 'Piers Morgan'". NME. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  13. ^ Iannucci, Armando (10 June 2020). "Viral comedian talks parodying news and being black in Norfolk". ITV News. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  14. ^ Novak, Kim (28 November 2020). "Piers Morgan responds to Munya Chawawa's hilarious single named after him". Metro. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Taskmaster reveals brand new Series 14 contestants". Channel 4 (Press release). Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  16. ^ "The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off 2024". The Great British Bake Off. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  17. ^ Williams, Kathryn (18 March 2023). "All the guests on ITV1's The Jonathan Ross Show tonight". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
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