Tez Ilyas looks forward to venues reopening

Blackburn-born comedian Tez Ilyas is looking forward to performing on stage again, when theatres and arts venues can safely reopen.

37 year old Tez is lending his support to a new Blackburn with Darwen Council communications campaign featuring local people talking about the things they miss doing, due to Coronavirus restrictions.

The new ‘Picture this’ campaign reminds us that we can all do our bit to control the spread of the virus, to get back to doing the things we love again quicker.

As part of the campaign, Tez’s picture will appear on bus shelter advertisements across the borough, and he’s recorded a video for the Council’s social media channels.

Tez Ilyas said:

2020 has been unlike any other year of my working life. I used to travel around the country three of four nights a week, entertaining audiences in different comedy clubs. And that’s been knocked on the head – my job has been made illegal!

The thing that I miss the most about performing is the performing – being on stage, in front of that audience, not knowing what’s going to happen. Every single night is different. I miss that adrenaline rush.

Watch Tez’s video now: 

The first phase of the campaign also involves a local business owner, a primary school headteacher, a grandparent and Blackburn with Darwen’s Youth MP.

Plus Blackburn Rovers Team Manager Tony Mowbray and players Bradley Dack and Elliott Bennett are backing the campaign too.

Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:

There’s no doubt that every part of our lives has been affected by the pandemic in some way; life just isn’t like it once was.

We understand how fed up people are of the constraints on their everyday lives, but the restrictions are in place to help us get the virus under control and to protect our loves ones.

Through our ‘Picture this’ campaign we want to encourage people to follow all the public health guidance to play their part in driving down infection rates and getting back to a normal life for all of us sooner rather than later.

We are so grateful to the local people who are working with us as the stars of our campaign, to help us share this important message through their friends, families, networks and audiences.

It’s fantastic to have Tez Ilyas on board. He’s an amazing home-grown talent and we are so grateful to him for helping us share these important public health messages to his extensive fanbase.

Tez, who has fronted his own Channel 4 satirical comedy show The Tez O’Clock Show, has written a book about his childhood growing up in Blackburn. The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13¾ is due to be published in April 2021.

Tez will also be bringing the last night of his Populist tour to Blackburn’s King George’s Hall on Saturday 27 November 2021. For more info and tickets, visit www.bwdvenues.com.

Read more about the Picture This campaign.