British comic and writer Shazia Mirza

Shazia Mirza doesn't tend to stay in one place for very long. The award-winning stand-up comic, originally from Birmingham, England, has toured Britain, the United States, Canada, Pakistan, the United Arab Emerits, India, and all over Europe. Coming from a Muslim immigrant family in Britain, Shazia wasn't expected to end up in a career in comedy -- and in fact, she was a science teacher before she got behind the mic for the first time. However, over the last decade and a half, she's shown that comedy is definitely her true calling. Paul Little got the chance to speak to Shazia over the phone from her home in London just before she jetted off for some shows in India, one night back in the UK, and then her dates in Canada at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. They chatted about her unlikely start in comedy, her growth as a comedian and writer, her past experiences in Winnipeg, and the peculiarity of good comedy writing not always equating to the most laughter.