Born in Coventry, Guz Khan, 39, was working as a secondary school teacher when he began uploading comedy videos as the character Mobeen in 2014. The following year, he gave up teaching to pursue standup. In 2017, his show Man Like Mobeen was released by the BBC and ran for five series. He won a Royal Television Society award in 2020 and was Bafta-nominated twice. His films include Army of Thieves and The Bubble. Guz Khan’s Custom Cars starts on Quest on 19 January. He is married with five children and lives in the West Midlands.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impulsivity. We end up in strange places, like right now – I am in the Middle East.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Being cruel.
Describe yourself in three words
Juicy, funny, impulsive.
What would your superpower be?
I would love the ability to grant people’s wishes. I want to be a genie.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My breasts. They are too voluptuous for a man my age.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I pick my nose in traffic.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Cilla Black. She seemed so friendly and happy.
Would you choose fame or anonymity?
I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite because I am here talking to you, but anonymity, please.
To whom would you most like to say sorry and why?
To my cousin P, who was one of my best mates growing up. We lost him when we were in our 20s and, before he passed away, I was so busy with this stupid thing called life and a brand new kid. He called me and said: “Bro, I’m not feeling right.” And I said: “Bro, you’ve never been feeling right.” And it always sits on my head that if me or somebody else had been paying more attention maybe things would have worked out different. He had extremely rare bowel cancer and died five weeks later at 27.
Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not meant it?
All the time.
What is the worst job you’ve ever done?
Leafleting for a window company when I was 12. I remember putting them through letterboxes thinking: I’m going to sell drugs, because this is rubbish.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
I bought a BMW 7 series and my best mate said: “I don’t think you should buy this, bro, it’s too cheap.” And I said: “Let’s live the dream” and put my foot down hard on the accelerator and the bottom of the engine and the gearbox blew out.
When did you last cry and why?
We’re not really allowed to cry where I’m from. I can only cry in summer, at the height of hay fever.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Turning my life around. Seeing the level of criminality I was involved with, and coming to the realisation that it was not the life that I should be leading.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
No comment.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?
Sex. If I had all the money in the world but I lost the ability to get my groove on, would that be a life worth living?
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Want for your brothers and sisters what you want for yourself.
