Nish Kumar

'Polite boy' Nish Kumar shares his desire to own a Batmobile and star on The News Quiz.

Who are you and what can we expect from your performance?

In five years time, I’d like to own a Batmobile.
Nish Kumar

I’m Nish Kumar and I’m a stand up comedian and a polite boy.

You’ve been plucked from the Edinburgh Fringe and dropped onto Radio 4. Is there anything you’ve had to do to make your performance work for the airwaves?

I’ve had a take some of the swears out but aside from that, not really. There weren’t even that many swears – because I am a polite boy.

Would you like to be involved with radio in the future?

I’d love to be involved with shows like The News Quiz and The Now Show because they’re such a big part of the landscape of British comedy. So many wonderful shows and performers have got their start on Radio 4, so it would be great to be a part of that grand tradition.

Speaking of the Fringe, can you tell us any stories from this year’s festival?

I had a lovely time at this year’s festival. It was my seventh year there and my expectations were not high, but it ended up being really fun. The following story is a microcosm of my experience at this year’s festival...

I was about to finish a performance and was expressing my hope that everyone had enjoyed themselves when two audience members began to wave their tickets at me. I asked them why they were doing this. They explained that they had bought tickets for a different show and had been directed to mine accidently. They apparently felt “too awkward to leave but ended up really enjoying ourselves”. That best sums up my fringe – an inadvertent success.

Did you see any other acts at the festival that you think we should investigate?

Peacock and Gamble, Eddie Pepitone, Ben Target and David Trent.

Edinburgh aside, is there anything else we might recognise you from?

I’m also in a double act called the Gentlemen of Leisure with Tom Neenan. We recently did a site specific comedy show at the British Museum which went well, much to the delight of the museum and the surprise of us.

Finally, let’s have the all-important ‘careers talk’… Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years time, I’d like to own a Batmobile. I don’t think that’s too much to ask if I’m doing stand up shows in theatres.