The comedian on his rise from lockdown sensation to double Bafta nominee, approval from Stormzy and splitting apples with his bare hands
Munya Chawawa is a 31-year-old comedian whose satirical online videos made him a lockdown sensation. Viral hits included Craig Covid – Staying In, a Craig David parody, and his brutal takedown of health secretary Matt Hancock in June 2021 to the tune of Shaggy’s It Wasn’t Me. Chawawa has since appeared on Taskmaster and has twice been nominated for a Bafta for his documentary work: Race Around Britain in 2022 and last year’s How to Survive a Dictator With Munya Chawawa, about Robert Mugabe. He was born in Derby, grew up in Zimbabwe and Norfolk and now lives in south London.
You were recently on Celebrity Bake Off and you split an apple in two with your hands. When did you learn that was a skill you had?
The thing is, everyone keeps saying to me: “Oh, Bob Mortimer did it first.” Listen, there’s only one true test, isn’t there? Me and Bob Mortimer in the ring, unlimited supply of apples, whoever quits first. These days, the ultimate display of toxic masculinity is YouTuber boxing, and it’s time for some YouTuber apple-splitting with Bob Mortimer, one on one.
