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

Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa (born 29 December 1992) is a British-Zimbabwean actor, comedy rapper and comedian.

Early life

Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa[3] was born on 29 December 1992[4][3] in Derby, England,[5] and spent his childhood in Zimbabwe.[6][7] 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.[6][8]

Career

Chawawa is known for his development and portrayal of characters such as a posh drill rapper called "Unknown P"[9] and the chef "Jonny Oliver".[10] 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".[11] His comedic influences are John Oliver, Andy Zaltzman and Sacha Baron Cohen.[5]

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.[12] 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.[13][11] In June 2022 he was announced as a contestant for the 14th series of Taskmaster, beginning in October.[14]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2020Murking From HomeVarious11 episodes
Deep Issue MassageHimself3 episodes
2021Belly Must GoHimselfEpisode 6: Wes Nelson and Munya Chawawa
Samsung Galaxy GauntletHimself5 episodes
The Lateish Show with Mo GilliganHimself (guest)1 episode
Complaints WelcomeHimself6 episodes
Superfan vs Super FanHimself2 episodes; host
The MOBO Awards 2021HimselfHost
2021–Race Around BritainHimself5 episodes
2022The SandmanChoronzon1 episode
TaskmasterHimself10 episodes
Prince Andrew: The MusicalPrince Charles
How to Survive a Dictator with Munya ChawawaHimself1 episode
2023 The Jonathan Ross Show Himself Guest [15]
Would I Lie to You? Himself Guest
Have I Got News for YouHimselfGuest

References

  1. 1 2 "'It's been a battle to express my personality': Munya Chawawa, Instagram's finest satirist". The Guardian. 8 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Munya Chawawa takes aim at Royals with diss track from 'Archie'". Metro. 13 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Munyaradzi Oliver CHAWAWA personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Retrieved 6 October 2022 – via Companies House.
  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. 1 2 Kwai, Isabella (9 April 2021). "For a U.K. Satirist and His Online Fans, Comedy Is Catharsis". New York Times.
  6. 1 2 "Munya Chawawa: "I want to break the mould of being from a classically…". The Face. 26 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Munya Chawawa: 'Saying abracadabra was the equivalent of blurting out the C-word in my house'". The Independent. 22 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Where are They Now? Munya Chawawa | Alumni | The University of Sheffield". www.sheffield.ac.uk. 30 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Watch Munya Chawawa's hilarious parody of Stormzy and Chip beef". NME. 10 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Munya Chawawa Wants To Help You Laugh, Think & Most Of All, Get It Right". Bustle. 18 August 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Munya Chawawa's Unknown P shares debut single, 'Piers Morgan'". NME. 26 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Viral comedian talks parodying news and being black in Norfolk". ITV News. 10 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "Piers Morgan responds to Munya Chawawa's hilarious single named after him". Metro. 28 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "Taskmaster reveals brand new Series 14 contestants | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Williams, Kathryn (18 March 2023). "All the guests on ITV1's The Jonathan Ross Show tonight". WalesOnline. Retrieved 1 April 2023.


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