Aatif Nawaz is an award-winning British-Pakistani actor, writer, television presenter, cricket commentator and stand-up comedian. He is best known for creating, writing and starring in BBC Three’s acclaimed sketch comedy show ‘Muzlamic’. As of 2020, Aatif has also been a regular commentator on BBC’s iconic Test Match Special programme and BBC Sport’s cricket coverage.
In 2014, Aatif performed his debut solo 60 minute comedy show 'Talk Roti To Me' in front of 4 sell out crowds at the iconic Leicester Square Theatre in London.
This was followed up by Aatif's critically acclaimed 'Muslims Do It 5 Times A Day' comedy show which played to 11 sell-out audiences in London's West End. The show was also Aatif's debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015 and was attended by over 1800 people. Popular with critics and audiences, the show then toured the UK as well as a sold out show at the 2016 Leicester Comedy Festival.
In 2016, Aatif debuted 'AATIFicial Intelligence', a brand new comedy show reflecting on his experiences of appearing on Channel 4, writing for the Guardian and other dalliances with mainstream media. The show's performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and it's subsequent UK tour earned unanimously strong reviews from critics and audiences. He ended the year with a UK Comedy Tour in aid of the charity Human Appeal that raised over 2 million pounds from it's 25 shows in 20 cities, a tour Aatif would continue to perform on in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In 2017, Aatif made his BBC Radio 4 presenting debut with 'Clockface', a programme focused on the history of time. He also debuted a brand new comedy show called 'The Last Laugh' at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
In 2018 began hosting a weekly podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live called 'The Doosra'. He also became a regular contributor to BBC’s iconic Test Match Special programme. Aatif has made several appearances on the popular Sunday Morning Live programme on BBC One. He toured Malta three times to perform for Maltese Funny Business, including 4 hour long shows at the Valletta Campus Theatre. In August, he debuted his brand new stand-up comedy show 'Instant GrAATIFication' at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show was Aatif’s most acclaimed yet, receiving accolades and strong reviews from The Guardian, Evening Standard and Daily Mirror to name a few. The show toured the UK in January 2019 including a special extended performance at London’s 450-seater Leicester Square Theatre. Aatif has also performed on 7 national UK Tours supporting the charity Human Appeal.
An accomplished actor, Aatif’s recent credits include ‘Muzlamic’ (BBC Three) ‘Bounty’ (Channel 4), ‘The Tez O’Clock Show’ (Channel 4), as well as national ad campaigns for Easyjet, Vauxhall and Stanley Tools. Aatif has also appeared in the Urdu-language series Lehrein and the film Majboor. He also wrote, directed and starred in the Urdu television series 'Bahir Waalay'.
Since 2014, Aatif has been a regular presenter for the popular lifestyle programme 'Living The Life' on the Islam Channel. He has made recurring appearances on BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio 5 Live as well as being a panellist on BBC Two's Newsnight programme. He featured on Channel 4's 'What British Muslims Really Think' documentary and began contributing columns to The Guardian.
In 2012, Aatif won an Honourable Mention Laural at the Los Angeles Movie Awards for his documentary Postcards from Lahore. The film also holds the distinction of being the only Pakistani film to be screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
His work on The Aatif Nawaz Show and 'Living The Life' earned him two nominations for MOMO (Music of Muslim Orientation) Awards for Best Television Presenter and Best TV Show. His work on ‘Muzlamic’ also earned an Asian Media Award nomination in 2019. He earned a further Asian Media Award nomination for his Sports Journalism work for BBC Sport.