Paul Sinha

Last updated

Paul Sinha
Paul Sinha holding the Fighting Talk Champion of Champions Trophy (cropped).jpg
Sinha in 2015 holding the Fighting Talk Champion of Champions Trophy
Born
Supriya Kumar Sinha

(1970-05-28) 28 May 1970 (age 54)
Luton, Bedfordshire, England
Other names
  • The Sinnerman/Sinhaman
  • Sarcasm in a Suit
  • The Smiling Assassin
Education St George's, University of London
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • television presenter
  • television personality
  • disc jockey
Years active1996–present
Spouse
Oliver Levy
​
(m. 2019)​
Awards Rose d'Or winner (2016)
Website www.paulsinha.com

Supriya Kumar "Paul" Sinha (born 28 May 1970) is a British professional quizzer, comedian, doctor and broadcaster. He has written and performed extensively on BBC Radio 4, and is one of the six Chasers on the ITV game show The Chase .

Contents

Early life

Supriya Kumar Sinha was born on 28 May 1970 to Bengali Hindu [1] parents. He was educated at Dulwich College and St George's Hospital Medical School. [2] Sinha is a former general practitioner, [3] qualifying in the 1990s. [4] While at medical school he developed a taste for the 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. [5]

Career

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 and ethnicity, with heavy use of puns. [2] In 1999, he came third 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. [6] [7]

Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows

  • 2004, Aspects of Love, Actually
  • 2006, Saint or Sinha? (if.comeddie award nomination) [8]
  • 2007, King of the World
  • 2009, 39 Years of Solitude [9]
  • 2010, Extreme Anti-White Vitriol
  • 2011, Looking at the Stars [10]
  • 2015, Postcards from the Z List [11] [12]
  • 2017, Shout Out to my Ex
  • 2018, The Two Ages of Man
  • 2022, One Sinha Lifetime
  • 2023, Pauly Bengali

Radio

Sinha has performed many 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 interest in football (he is a Liverpool F.C. fan) [13] and cricket has led to appearances on BBC Radio 5 Live, [8] most notably on Fighting Talk , where he has won the Champion of Champions finale twice. He has also appeared on Talksport. [8]

He has appeared as a guest on Midweek , Woman's Hour , Broadcasting House and as a political pundit on PM . [14] [15] [16]

In March 2011, Sinha presented his own BBC Radio 4 programme, 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 and examined patriotism and sporting allegiance. [17] [18] In July 2012, he wrote and presented a programme called The Sinha Games on BBC Radio 4 about the Olympic Games and his experience as a Londoner. [19]

In December 2014, Sinha wrote and performed his first series on BBC Radio 4, Paul Sinha's History Revision. [20] A second series followed in May 2016, winning the Rose d'Or for Radio Comedy. [21] [22] The follow-up, Paul Sinha's General Knowledge, has completed its third series. [23] In 2022, Paul Sinha wrote and starred in Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz.

Sinha is a regular panellist on Round Britain Quiz , representing the South of England with Marcus Berkmann. [24]

Quizzing

After an appearance on The Weakest Link (where he was voted off fourth), Sinha made appearances on University Challenge: The Professionals (lost), Are You an Egghead? (lost in first round), Mastermind (fourth) and Brain of Britain (third). Sinha was ranked seventh in the National Quiz Rankings (as of 30 May 2017), [25] and placed 11th in the 2018 World Quizzing Championships. [26]

Sinha also plays in the Quiz League of London for the Gray Monks and in the Online Quiz League for Quiz Machine Kills Fascists. [27]

The Chase

In 2011, Sinha joined the ITV quiz series The Chase as the fourth "Chaser", [12] with the nicknames "The Sinnerman", "The Smiling Assassin" and "Sarcasm in a Suit". [28] His first episode was broadcast in the fourth series on 8 September 2011. He also appears in celebrity and family editions of the show.

He has said he is more famous overseas (particularly in New Zealand) than in Britain, where The Chase is screened at 5 pm before people are home from work. [29]

Television

In 2019, he appeared on Series 8 of Taskmaster , finishing in last place with 136 points.

In January 2021, Sinha began hosting his own quiz show for ITV, called Paul Sinha's TV Showdown, featuring celebrities who go head to head together in a bid to answer as many questions as they can on TV knowledge. The show commenced on 9 January 2021, [30] and concluded on 13 February 2021. A second series was commissioned and premiered 19 February 2022, releasing weekly until 2 April 2022.

Personal life

Sinha was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in May 2019. [31]

Sinha married Oliver Levy on 14 December 2019. [32]

On 20 June 2024, Sinha's autobiography One Sinha Lifetime was released and published by Penguin Books. [33] His friend and fellow chaser Darragh Ennis posted an Instagram video advertising his friend's new book. [34]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angus Deayton</span> English television presenter, actor, writer, and comedian (born 1956)

Gordon Angus Deayton is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Ross</span> English broadcaster, film critic, actor, and comedian (born 1960)

Jonathan Stephen Ross is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2 from 1999 to 2010, and served as film critic and presenter of the Film programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Culshaw</span> English comedian, actor (born 1968)

Jonathan Peter Culshaw is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy Dead Ringers since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Vegas</span> English actor, ceramicist and comedian (born 1970)

Michael Joseph Pennington, better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English actor, comedian, director and writer. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Armstrong</span> English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter and singer

Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong is an English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter and singer. He is the host of the BBC One game show Pointless, and is a weekday morning-show presenter on Classic FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Walsh</span> English actor, singer and television presenter (born 1960)

Bradley Walsh is an English actor, television presenter, comedian, singer, and former professional footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Mack</span> English comedian, actor (born 1968)

Lee Gordon McKillop, known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Williamson</span> English actor, singer, media personality and occasional presenter

Shaun Williamson is an English actor best known as Barry Evans in EastEnders and as a satirical version of himself in the BBC/HBO sitcom Extras, 'Barry off EastEnders'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Labbett</span> English television personality

Mark Andrew Labbett, also known by his professional nickname "The Beast", is an English professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2009 he has been one of the "chasers" on the ITV game show The Chase. He previously appeared between 2013 and 2015 on GSN's American version as their sole chaser; between 2016 and 2020 as one of six chasers on the Australian version; and as one of four chasers in the second season of ABC's American revival and from late February 2022 rejoined the Australian version of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Jupp</span> English actor and comedian (born 1979)

Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp is an English actor, singer, and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series Balamory. He also played John Duggan in The Thick of It, Nigel in the sitcom Rev and appeared on many comedy panel shows. Between 2015 and 2019, Jupp was the host of The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4, replacing Sandi Toksvig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregg Wallace</span> English broadcaster, entrepreneur and writer (born 1964)

Gregg Allan Wallace is an English broadcaster, entrepreneur and writer. He is known for co-presenting MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC One and BBC Two. He has written regularly for Good Food, Now and Olive magazines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Manford</span> English comedian (born 1981)

Jason John Manford is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adil Ray</span> British actor, comedian and presenter

Adil Ray is a British actor, comedian and radio/television presenter. Ray stars in the BBC One comedy Citizen Khan, which he created and co-writes, as well as presenting on various BBC radio stations. He is also a presenter on ITV's Good Morning Britain, and has played the role of Sadiq Nawaz in the Channel 4 drama series Ackley Bridge. In 2021 he presented the revival of the British game show Lingo.

Thomas Paul Allen is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter. In 2005, he won the So You Think You're Funny contest at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael McIntyre</span> English comedian

Michael Hazen James McIntyre is an English comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. As of 2023, he presents his own Saturday night series, Michael McIntyre's Big Show, and the game show, The Wheel, on BBC One. He also hosted the American version of The Wheel on NBC.

<i>The Chase</i> (British game show) British television quiz show

The Chase is a British television quiz show broadcast on the ITV network, hosted by Bradley Walsh. Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Wallace</span> British television personality & barrister

Shaun Anthony Linford Wallace is an English barrister, lecturer and television personality. He is one of the six "chasers" on the ITV quiz show The Chase. Wallace is a part-time lecturer and visits schools, colleges and other institutions to educate students on aspects of law. In 2004, he won Mastermind and was ranked 286th in the World Quizzing Championships in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Hegerty</span> English television personality and quizzing champion

Anne Solway Hegerty is an English professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2010, she has been a "chaser" on the ITV game show The Chase as "The Governess", and was a contestant on the 2018 series of the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Dommett</span> British actor and comedian

Joel Patrick Dommett is an English comedian, television presenter and actor. After beginning his career as an actor, and appearing in various television shows including Casualty and Skins, he embarked on stand-up comedy and television presenting and became known for his television roles in Live in Chelsea (2011–2012) and Impractical Jokers UK (2012–2014).

Darragh Ennis is an Irish entomologist, neuroscientist, professional quizzer, and television personality. He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and one of the "chasers" on the ITV game show The Chase. He is nicknamed "The Menace".

References

  1. ↑ Sinha, Paul. "Paul Sinha's Unilad routine". YouTube. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 Pendreigh, Brian (11 August 2011). "Interview: Paul Sinha, comedian". Edinburgh Festivals: Festival Previews. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Pollack, David (2 October 2008). "Profile - Paul Sinha". The List.
  4. ↑ "Paul Sinha". doncaster-chamber.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Paul Sinha's London". BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  6. ↑ Logan, Brian (13 August 2007). "A man walks into a doctor's office ..." The Guardian . Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Edinburgh Comedy Awards – past winners". comedyawards.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 Pollock, David (2 October 2008). "Profile - Paul Sinha". list.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Paul Sinha". 11 August 2009.
  10. ↑ "BBC Radio Scotland Programmes – The Comedy Café, 15/07/2011". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "Outstanding Tickets". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  12. 1 2 Semple, Ross (12 August 2015). "Interview: Chaser Paul Sinha on being a gay comic sports fan and selfies with Joey Essex". pinknews.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Paul Sinha Interview". asianchic.co.uk. 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "Midweek 28 Feb 2007". BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  15. ↑ "Woman's Hour 26 May 2008". BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  16. ↑ "Comedian's Joke Advice for Brown". BBC. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  17. ↑ "Paul Sinha's Quiz Culture". BBC. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  18. ↑ "The Sinha Test". BBC. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  19. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - The Sinha Games". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Paul Sinha's History Revision, Series 1". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Rose d'Or Radio Comedy". Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  22. ↑ "Rose d'Or Comedy Winners". British Comedy Guide. 13 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Paul Sinha's General Knowledge - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  24. ↑ "Round Britain Quiz". BBC. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  25. ↑ "Current Order of Merit standings, and 'All Time' Rankings". British Quiz Association. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  26. ↑ "Results - World Quizzing Championships 2018". Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  27. ↑ "QLL – team". Quiz League of London. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  28. ↑ Arnold, Ben (30 June 2016). "The Chase: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Chasers". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.
  29. ↑ Kilgallon, Steve (9 January 2018). "Paul Sinha, famous in small towns". Stuff (company) . Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  30. ↑ "Paul Sinha's TV Showdown Episode 1". Press Centre. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  31. ↑ Rosseinsky, Katie (14 June 2019). "Paul Sinha from The Chase reveals he is battling Parkinson's disease in 'devastating' blog post". Evening Standard . Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  32. ↑ Kay, Adam, ed. (2020). "Paul Sinha". Dear NHS 100 Stories to say Thank You. ISBN   1398701181.
  33. ↑ Sinha, Paul (20 June 2024). One Sinha Lifetime. Penguin Books.
  34. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
Preceded by BBC Radio Five Live
Fighting Talk Champion of Champions
2014/15 and 2015/16		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.