Weekend with Prince Abdi: ‘Going for a kebab after a gig was my night out’
The standup on why he hates cooking, being woken up early by the kids and his favourite comedy venues
Prince Abdi is a British-Somali standup comedian and actor. He has performed standup comedy at venues across the UK, including Alexandra Palace, the Broadway Theatre, The Glee Club and Trafalgar Square. He has also appeared in BBC Three’s Laughter Shock and ITV’s Show Me The Funny.
This summer he was part of the Muslim Comedy Takeover tour with Abdullah Afzal, Tez Ilyas and Farhan Solo, for the charity Human Appeal.
Born in London, he now lives in Surrey with his wife and children.
What do you like best about touring?
The biryani. The food is amazing on the Muslim Comedy Takeover. But really, I just want to make everyone laugh, have a good time, and get their £10 worth.
Favourite places to eat out?
Lahori Karahi in Tooting. It’s a Pakistani cafe. The food is amazing. It’s always busy — you know the place is good when it’s busy. I also like The Village in Hammersmith.
What does a typical Friday night look like for you?
I’m usually gigging. So I’m either driving or taking a train to London.
What’s your favourite venue?
The Top Secret Comedy Club in Covent Garden. They’ve purposely built it for comedy, and they don’t charge a lot for people to get in, so the audience are really relaxed. There are so many talented comedians. Blank Peng is going to be a star, in my opinion, and a comedian named Diesel.
What do you do after a gig?
I used to go to Edgware Road for a kebab, that was my night out. But now I try to eat before 8 or 9pm latest, because otherwise I can’t sleep. As soon as I get off stage, I like to go home.
What’s a typical Saturday morning for you?
I’ve got kids who are up at five, ready for the world, all excited. That’s why I don’t stay out late. Who wakes up for the day singing? It’s too much. I want kids to wake up and go, “Ugh, I want to go back to sleep.” But they are like, “Hello! Hello!”.
And the rest of the day?
I usually make them breakfast. Then if it’s sunny we go to a splash park, or if it’s cold in the winter we will go to soft play. Sometimes if they are really good we might go watch a Disney film in the cinema.
Any film recommendations?
The last movie I saw was The Equalizer 3. I would watch any Denzel Washington movie, he’s the best.
Do you like to eat in or out?
I cook at home, I don’t really like too much takeaway. I’m trying to save money because of the cost of living and I like to give my kids fresh food.
Do you enjoy cooking?
I actually hate cooking. Me and Gordon Ramsay would have proper problems if I was ever on his show. But my kids like my cooking more than their mum’s, so they make me do it.
What don’t you like about it?
Everything. I hate cutting onions, I cry so much. It’s the worst when two children are looking at their dad doing it. It’s never pleasant to see a man cry — especially in his own kitchen.
What do you do on Sunday?
Sunday I go to church. Just kidding. It’s kind of a lazy day, but when you’ve got kids you can’t really have a lazy day. Sometimes we’ll go to children’s theatre. If you keep children at home, my God, they are animals.
What are you most excited about for the rest of the year?
I’m doing The O2 arena on 10 December as a guest alongside my friend, Mo Gilligan. It’s 20,000 people, so this will be the biggest indoor venue that I’ve done.
