Comedian, writer and satirist Daliso Chaponda is bringing his brand-new show Topical Storm to Chorley Theatre as part of a nationwide tour.
Daliso has been writing jokes about the news for over a decade – on Have I Got News For You, Radio 4’s News Quiz, and Australia’s Good News Week. He’s also been the news himself, making headlines after his run on Britain’s Got Talent 2017, reaching the final and amassing over 12 million YouTube views of his audition.
Recently, Daliso has found the headlines so absurd, chaotic and overwhelming that they’ve started to mock themselves. In Topical Storm, he asks – where do we go from here?
In his sharp, funny take on the state of modern journalism, Daliso asks whether the reporting of events has become part of the chaos rather than the solution. The show looks at journalists, bloggers, fake news and the way we’re all consuming information now. From algorithms that reinforce what we already think, to the blurring lines between entertainment, ideology and truth, it’s ultimately about how we navigate a world where everyone claims to know what’s really going on.
Daliso explores all this with the sharp one-liners, playful curiosity and thought-provoking punchlines that have made him one of Britain’s most beloved stand-up comedians. At once hilarious and timely, Topical Storm is comedy’s attempt to find clarity in the avalanche of 24-hour rolling headlines.
Expect jokes about the latest absurdities, a journey through the history of journalism, and a finale that asks what role comedy – and we as citizens – can play in the storm.
Read more: What’s Your Story Chorley returns with a month-long celebration of creativity
Since he shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent, Daliso has had his own Radio 4 series, Citizen of Nowhere, appeared on QI, The Royal Variety Performance and The Now Show, and toured across the UK and around the world. Most recently, he won an episode of Celebrity Mastermind and appeared in the BBC Two documentary series Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps.
Daliso’s shows are never just about laughs: in Malawi, he once dared to joke about the arrest of two men for homosexuality, sparking dialogue where silence had reigned. For him, comedy isn’t about changing minds – but it is about starting conversations we’re too afraid to have.
Daliso Chaponda will be performing at Chorley Theatre on Friday 6 March. For more information, visit the Chorley Theatre website.
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