Shaparak Khorsandi

Shaparak Khorsandi
A woman holding one hand in front of her and holding a microphone in the other hand
Khorsandi at Glastonbury Festival in 2015
Native nameشاپرک خرسندی
Born (1973-06-08) 8 June 1973 (age 51)
Tehran, Pahlavi Iran
MediumStand-up, television
NationalityBritish
SubjectsEveryday life, Iranian culture, British politics
Spouse
Christian Reilly
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2011)​
Children2
Parent(s)Hadi Khorsandi (father)
Notable works and roles
Websiteshappi.co.uk

Shaparak Khorsandi (Persian: شاپرک خرسندی, Persian pronunciation: [ʃɑːpæræk xorsændiː];[1] born 8 June 1973), who previously performed as Shappi Khorsandi, is an Iranian-born British comedian[2] and author. She is the daughter of the Iranian political satirist and poet Hadi Khorsandi. Her family left Iran for the United Kingdom following the 1979 revolution, and her Iranian heritage and reactions to it are frequently referenced in her stand-up comedy performances. Khorsandi rose to national prominence after her 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Asylum Speaker and her appearance at the Secret Policeman's Ball two years later. She has featured on numerous British television and radio programmes, including the BBC Radio 4 programme Shappi Talk (2009 and 2010), and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2017.

Khorsandi has authored several books. Her memoir A Beginner's Guide to Acting English was published in 2009. Her first novel, Nina is Not OK, was published in 2016, and her young adult fiction novel Kissing Emma, was published in 2021. The autobiographical Scatter Brain followed in 2023.

  1. ^ Shappi Khorsandi: Menopause Monologues (video). Boots UK. 2022. Event occurs at 0:08. Retrieved 10 August 2023 – via Youtube.
  2. ^ Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey