Simon Cowell said Daliso Chaponda was the “the best comedian” Britain’s Got Talent has ever seen after his third-placed finish in the Britain's Got Talent 2017 final and during his epic run to the final Amanda Holden was also said he was "...bloody hilarious. Self-deprecating, funny, relevant'.
Daliso was born in 1979. He is very proud of this achievement. He has three older brothers and he often boasts to young women that he is the shame of his family.
Daliso’s earliest aspiration was to become a reverend but alas, he enjoys sinning too much. Stand-up comedy is the closest he has come to his initial dream of the pulpit.
Daliso began his comedy career in Canada with the acclaimed one man show ‘Feed This Black Man’. Subsequent appearances across Canada followed (highlights include The Just For Laughs Festival 2005 & CBC Television’s ‘Crossing The Main’).
In 2004 Daliso Chaponda headlined the ‘Don’t Let Them Deport Me’ Comedy Show as a plea to officials to have his Canadian visa extended. The show was sold out, well reviewed, and frenzied letters were written to bureaucrats. He was forced to leave anyway after one final show, 2005’s “They’re Deporting Him Anyway.” Next, he worked as a comedy writer and performer in South Africa. Recently he moved to the UK.
In addition to Stand-Up Comedy, Daliso has also published fiction in numerous magazines and anthologies. In 2002 he was a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writer’s of the Future Contest and in 2006 he was short listed for the Carl Brandon Society Award.
Quotes
“A stand up comedian with raw Eddie Murphy confidence, cheek and super-polished style.”
Nerve, Liverpool
“It takes a special kind of act to work on both sides of the Atlantic (as well as across Africa), but it seems an easy transition as he compels the crowd with his racial and socially insightful comedy. Every sentence he ends results in helpless laughter from the audience.”
News & Star, Carlisle
“Demonstrated Malawi-style storytelling, British cynicism, and distinctly Canadian self-victimization bit in fine form."
Robert Scalia - The Thursday Report, Montreal
“(A) brilliant, thoughtful comic.”
The Gazette Live, Teesside
"Had the audience won over instantly"
Natalie Boxall, BBC Tees
"A wonderfully animated comic. Full of extravagant gestures and impassioned speeches. He inspires whoops and cheers from his watchers. Highly recommended"
Kelly Crowley, De Bees Music Bar Reviews
"With his frank delivery, accent and cartoonish voice, he has a unique and endearing stage presence."
Chris Bonaparte, Community Contact, Montreal
"He took control of the audience from the off with his own brand of humour (...) had a wide range of material, and was not long in rocking the capacity audience with laughter."
One4Review, Edinburgh
Awards
Finalist, Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year
2006, Best Newcomer Nominee, Just For Laughs
2006, Carl Brandon Society Award Shortlist
2005, P&E Award Runner Up
2004, Writers of the Future Finalist
TV and Radio
Britain's Got Talent 2017 - ITV1
The Now Show - BBC R4
The Comedy Basement - ITV2
Britain vs The World - BBC R4
Trans Canada Comedy Trail - CBC Television’s
Deported Feature - CTV Television
Kung Fone Radio - Johannesburg
The World Stands Up - Paramount
UK Black Comedy Night - BBC
