Britain’s Got Talent ‘Golden Buzzer’ winner is heading back to Edinburgh

The crowd chanted for the Golden Buzzer and Amanda Holden obliged when Daliso Chaponda wowed Britain's Got Talent viewers in 2017, now the Malawian funnyman is set to return to the Capital where he will keep the laughter coming at The Stand, this October.
Daliso ChapondaDaliso Chaponda
Daliso Chaponda

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Chaponda, who ​has ​now ​performed all over the world,​ says, "​I can​'​t wait to have an ​actual​ audience in front of me and ​to ​make ​actual ​people​ ​laugh. ​Actual​ people. You​'​ll cry with laughter; I​'​ll cry with joy. It could get mess​y."

His new show, ​Apocalypse Not Now​, was inspired by the comedian's experience of lock down, which he says "felt quite a lot like an apocalypse​" as it robbed him of ​​a full season at the Fringe​ as well as a national tour​. Having ​spent the first two lock​ ​downs ​on his own, ​"trying not to go crazy,​"​ ​he ​also ​found ​​the ​inspir​ation​​ ​to write​ his latest show​, which focuses on​ ​change​,​ not just in the world but in himself.

Daliso Chaponda on Britain's Got Talent: The ChampionsDaliso Chaponda on Britain's Got Talent: The Champions
Daliso Chaponda on Britain's Got Talent: The Champions
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He says, "​I’m ecstatic to be back after a year of not performing, being back in front of live audiences has been absolutely amazing, the tour has its genesis from the panic at the beginning of last year when we didn’t know what ​C​ovid was going to be, and how we flirted with the end of the world but the apocalypse didn’t come and we are still going.​"​

Fame and success came later in life to Chaponda. Now 41, it was only four years ago that he was discovered by the masses when his audition for the ITV talent search saw him go straight through to the final, in which he came third.

In Apocalypse Not Now, t​he comedian, who once considered himself ​"Mr Independent​,"​ explores ​how his attitudes about being alone have changed - during ​lock down he​ invited ​a friend who was​ ​in an abusive relationship to move in with him. ​​​The compromise that came with such a move made him reali​s​e freedom isn’t everything​, he reveals.

During the show, he also recalls how, over a three year period in Malawi, he went from golden boy to someone​ ​the locals threw stones at​ after being​ ​condemned by proxy​ when​ his ​father​ was wrongly accused of a crime​ of​ ​which he​ ​was later acquitted​.

However, it was that life-changing appearance on Britain’s Got Talent that saw Chaponda win the hearts of viewers with his hilarious observations on life. By then, though, he was already no stranger to Edinburgh – he first appeared here in 2008 when he made the Best of the Fest line-up.

​With his last show​,​ Blah Blah Blacklist​,​ critic​ally​ acclaim​ed at the 2018 Fringe, he says he can't wait to be back in front of the mic.

"I really missed performing at the Fringe so coming back to Edinburgh is really exciting, the ​F​ringe is like no other comedy festival, perfect strangers randomly hug you, ​people debate whether a show was good in late night bars with the intensity of MPs discussing Brexit, the street art performers are incredible​ and​ in 2018 somebody made a balloon art representation of one of my jokes​. I​t’s a melting pot of talent and I can’t wait to come back to such a beautiful city​."​

Daliso Chaponda, October 13, The Stand, York Place, www.thestand.co.uk

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