Live webchat with comedian Shappi Khorsandi on Red Nose Day (Friday 18 March, 1.30-2.30pm)

[RachelMumsnet]

To fire us up for Red Nose Day we've got award winning comedian Shappi Khorsandi joining us on Friday between 1.30 and 2.30 pm. A single mum, Shappi will be spending Friday afternoon at a nursery 'rave' with other parents from her son's nursery to raise money for Comic Relief and as well as answering your questions, she's keen to hear about your plans for raising cash on Red Nose Day.

The daughter of an exiled writer and comic from Iran, Shappi's upbringing has been in no way conventional. On arriving in London from Tehran, her family were still not safe. As assassins chased after them, they went into hiding and tried to leave a normal life - seeing friends, going to school whilst checking under the car for bombs. Shappi set out to tell her story on the comedy circuit in the late '90s and has since toured across Britain and the US with her live shows. She's a regular on TV and Radio, including appearances on Have I Got News For You, Live at the Apollo, Quote, Unquote and Just a Minute and presented her own Show 'Shappi Talk' for Radio 4. Her memoir, A Beginner's Guide To Acting English was published in 2009.

Send a question to Shappi or join in the Red Nose Day chat and you'll be entered into a draw to win one of five sets of two tickets to a venue of your choice Shappi's forthcoming UK tour, An Evening With Shappi Khorsandi.

Remember that there's a serious purpose to all this, folks which is to raise money for Comic Relief to help people across the UK and Africa. Have a look at the website, and if you feel inspired to fundraise by doing something funny for money, you can set yourself up with a Red Nose Day Giving Page. If you want to get your children involved, there's a special RND kids website and a Kids Fundraising Kit.

Thanks Shappi, I will tell daughter what you advised ;) She will be delighted x

@fridascruffs

Hi Shappi, I just wanted to tell you I always smile when you come on the radio, before you've even cracked a joke.
My question- do you like being a single mother? We're all supposed to want the mum dad 2.4 kids scenario but I find I quite like doing what i want when I want without any other adults to put a damper on it (though the kids have a good go sometimes!) Do you?

Well...to be honest, it's all still new for me (just over a year) and I find it all very heartbreaking. I got a cat to cheer me up when my son is at his dad's. The cat wasn't needy enough so then I got a dog (who is wrestling the cat as I speak!) Even though his dad is amazing and I have tons of support, the buck stops with me and that can be very lonely until you get used to it. So...no, I don't prefer it although there are obviously reasons why it happened and I'm proud of how we're all making the best of it. (I got very serious there didn't?)

I teach in a school where there are a lot of children who are refugees or asylum seekers and some of their stories are heartbreaking.
From your school days, what was the best thing that any of your teachers did for you to make life easier for you when your status changed, or did you not realise that your status had changed (I've not seen that so much in your book)?

@BecauseImWorthIt

What kind of humour makes you laugh, Shappi? And - not really two questions , but kind of humour do you not find funny?

(If you'd like to name names, that would be an added bonus )

I love comics who have something to say, who really draw you into the world as they say it. Rich Hall is one of my all time favourite as is Stewart Lee. And I like just total silliness like Emo Philips and Milton Jones. The ones I don't like...well, apart from the obvious (Jim Davidson)...I've never found toilet/sex humour to be up my street unless it's done brilliantly like the wonderful Mike Wilmot!

@PixieOnaLeaf

Hello, Shappi :)

I think that it's wonderful that there are so many brilliant female comedians around at the moment :)

I was reading about you and found that you have a son named 'Cassius', which I think is a really lovely name. I just wondered, had he been a girl, what you would have named him?

Thankyou!

If he was a girl he would have been Setareh (star in Persian)

Hi Shappi!

I always enjoy seeing you on TV and love your work. It seems to me that there are (slooowly) growing numbers of female comics around these days which is great but it is still definitely a male-dominated area.

Do you think that's because it's simply something that men are more likely to want to do, or is there some other pressure that seems to dissuade women from wanting to do comedy as a career?

This might be too serious a question for Red Nose Day, or you might not want to answer, but what do you/your family think about what's happening in the Middle east and North Africa at the moment? (ignore this question if you prefer).

@dotnet

Hello Shappi - just a message to say how nice of you it was to put up a message of support to the students on Facebook on the day of their last demonstration.

Any ideas for helping strengthen the opposition to tuition fees? Funny people are quite influential, so you's a powerful woman.

Thanks again Shappi, you're one of the good 'uns.

Comics entertained the students in their sit-ins...wish I was powerful enough to make the government do my bidding! If I was I'd scrap tuition fees and make salsa dancing compulsory.

@NotShortImFunSized

Hello Shappi, welcome to the mad house

Just wanted to know if you always wanted to be a comedian or if it kind of just happened?? If not, what did you want to be instead?

I think you're hilarious so you picked the right job

I ALWAYS wanted to be a comic. Took me years to pluck up the courage. After uni I did voluntary youth and community theatre work, issue based drama etc. I think that would have been the area I would have stayed in. I don't believe in enforced national service, but I do believe in enforced community theatre! The confidence and self esteem it gives to young people who have been left by the wayside is incredible. I went to visit Kids Company with Comic Relief. Youth work is very close to my heart. As a society we must look after our young, sadly too many are vilified and neglected.

Okay everyone! It's been fun chatting, thank you for your thoughtful questions and lovely comments, especially about my book (A beginners Guide to Acting English since you ask ;0) I'm a avid user of mumsnet and so this has been a treat. I shall be home tonight watching Comic Relief hope you will be too. Perhaps I'll see you on my tour or even chat anonymously with you here sometime!

Loads of love and HAPPY RED NOSE DAY! xxxxxxx

Thanks Shappi from all of us at MNHQ :) And thanks to everyone who has taken part.

I wondered if you were a MNetter, but didn't like to ask! Now we shall all be trying to work out who you are ...

Sorry I missed the chat.

Have a .

I'm following you on Twitter now, as well. (Not in a stalkery way, obviously)

One last thing - if you want to see Shappi perform, she starts a two week run at London Soho theatre on the 29th April www.sohotheatre.com and her twitter (for those who were asking) is @ShappiKhorsandi

Thank you Shappi.

Indeed, thanks Shappi!

As you ignored my question I shall forever wonder if you simply didn't get round to it or you were deliberately snubbing me because I had accidentally pissed you off on another MN thread

Thanks Shappi

Sorry I missed the chat was having my hair cut

"As a society we must look after our young, sadly too many are vilified and neglected."

It's a very situation

Funnily enough was having this exact conversation with somebody I met today, she wants to be some kind of youth worker.

Anyway thanks again

Lol @ Snorbs!

Thanks to everyone for joining in the chat. We'll be announcing the winners of the tickets to see Shappi on tour next week - watch this space.

Congratulations to Hassled, Thedailywail, Custardo, Mirrorball and Becauseimworthit who have each won 2 tickets to see Shappi on tour at a venue of your choice. We will be in touch but you can see full details of Shappi's tour here - An Evening With Shappi Khorsandi

Wow! Thank you so much!

Thank you!

cheers! i'm going to dorking!

Thank you very much!

Just resurrecting this to say that DS1 and his girlfriend went to the London show on Thursday on my behalf and really enjoyed it - they'd thoroughly recommend her. So thanks again :).