Who is Abdullah Afzal? Celebrity MasterChef 2017 contestant, Citizen Khan actor and comedian
The TV funny man is showing off another of his talents on the celebrity cooking show
ABDULLAH Afzal is used to trying to get laughs out of his audience - but now he is aiming to make them swoon over his culinary skills on Celebrity MasterChef 2017.
Here's the lowdown on the Citizen Khan star and funnyman...
Who is Abdullah Afzal?
Stand-up comic Afzal grew up in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.
After attending Abraham Moss High School in North Manchester, he trained for three years to become a hafiz.
This Islamic term is used by Muslims to describe a person who has completely memorised the Qur'an.
Abdullah spoke to about his dramatic change in career and how his family reacted to this decision.
He said: “They are very proud of what I have done, but they didn’t initially want me to go into acting.
"I trained for 3 years to be a hafiz. My family wanted me to be an Imam."
Why is Abdullah Afzal famous?
Abdullah took on his first acting role while he was completing his studies.
He impressed in a short film called Raamis, before landing a part on a BBC Three telly show.
Afzal played Asif in two series of Lunch Monkeys, a sitcom set in a fictional personal injury law firm.
In 2012, he has been working on his most famous role to date.
Most people will recognise Abdullah from BBC One's Citizen Khan, where he plays Amjad Malik.
What else is Abdullah Afzal known for?
Over the years, Afzal has appeared on different variety shows and treated audiences to a spot of stand-up comedy.
He has voiced two different characters in BBC Radio 4's By a Young Officer: Churchill on the North West Frontier.
The actor has also appeared on BBC Radio's Asian Network.
What is Celebrity MasterChef? When can I watch the new series?
Abdullah will be appearing on the 2017 series of Celebrity MasterChef - a star version of the original MasterChef
The shows sees famous faces compete against one another to win in the ultimate cooking competition.
The new series started on August 16 at 8pm on BBC One, with the latest episode airing on Wedneday, September 6.
