Paul Sinha
| Paul Sinha | |
|---|---|
| Born |
28 May 1970 Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK |
| Medium | general practitioner, comedian |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | Official Website |
|
Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Runner-up (1999) | |
Paul Sinha (born 28 May 1970) is an English comedian, doctor, broadcaster and quiz player of Indian descent. He is best known for being a "Chaser" in the ITV game show The Chase, which he joined in 2011.
Education
The son of a nurse and a doctor, Sinha was educated at Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School.[1] While at medical school, he developed a taste for stage in St George's annual revue and refined his comedy as co-editor of the medical school newsletter, popularly known as the Slag Mag.[2] Sinha is a qualified general practitioner.[3]
Stand-up comedy
Sinha began performing stand-up while working as a junior doctor in hospitals in London and King's Lynn. His early material drew on his sexuality (Sinha is openly gay[1]) and ethnicity with a high pun concentration. In 1999, he was runner-up in the final of the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year.
After several years of combining touring with his nascent medical career, Sinha's breakthrough came with his second solo Edinburgh show, Saint or Sinha?, which earned him an if.comeddie nomination in 2006.[4]
In 2013 he appeared in the Comedy Central UK show The Alternative Comedy Experience.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows
- 2004 Aspects of Love, Actually
- 2006 Saint or Sinha? (if.comeddie award nomination)
- 2007 King of the World
- 2009 39 Years of Solitude
- 2010 Extreme Anti-White Vitriol
- 2011 Looking at the Stars[5]
Radio
Sinha has performed several times on BBC Radio 4, on shows including The News Quiz, The Now Show, Loose Ends, 28 Acts in 28 Minutes, Shappi Talk, and Just a Minute. His keen interest in football and cricket has led to appearances on Radio 5 Live, most notably Fighting Talk.
He has appeared as a guest on Midweek, Woman's Hour, Broadcasting House and as a political pundit on PM.[6][7][8]
On 12 March 2011, Sinha presented his own Radio 4 documentary Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture in which he explored the world of competitive quizzing. His second documentary, The Sinha Test aired on 14 July 2011 examining patriotism and sporting allegiance.[9][10]
On 24 July 2012, he presented a programme called "The Sinha Games" on BBC Radio Four, about the Olympic Games coming to London for the third time. In this programme, he made comments about the Olympics coming to the East End of London. He also mentioned how he had done his medical training in London.[11]
Quizzes
After an appearance on The Weakest Link (where he was voted off 4th), Sinha has managed appearances on University Challenge: The Professionals (lost), Are You an Egghead? (lost in first round), Mastermind (4th) and Brain of Britain (3rd). Sinha is currently ranked 24th in the National Quiz Rankings (as of 19 January 2013),[12] and 28th in the World Quizzing Championships (as of June 2013)[13]
Sinha also plays in the Quiz League of London for the Gray Monks.[14]
The Chase
In 2011, Sinha joined the ITV quiz series The Chase as the fourth "Chaser". His first episode was broadcast in the fourth series on 8 September 2011. Sinha shares the role of "Chaser" with Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace and Anne Hegerty.
He also appears in Celebrity editions of the show.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pendreigh, Brian (11 August 2011). "Interview: Paul Sinha, comedian". Edinburgh Festivals: Festival Previews.
- ↑ "Paul Sinha's London". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ↑ "Paul Sinha Bio Pics". Paul Sinha.com. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
- ↑ "Edinburgh Comedy Awards – past winners". comedyawards.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ↑ "BBC Radio Scotland Programmes – The Comedy Café, 15/07/2011". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ "Midweek 28 Feb 2007". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ↑ "Woman's Hour 26 May 2008". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ↑ "Comedian's Joke Advice for Brown". bbc.co.uk. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ↑ "Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ "The Sinha Test". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ The Sinha Game
- ↑ "British Quizzing Association – Home of British Quiz!". British Quizzing Association. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ World Quizzing Championships 2013 – Results
- ↑ "QLL – team". Quiz League of London. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
External links
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