She's the Queen of Killer Put-Downs: All Rise for Shalaka Kurup

Winner of West End New Act of the Year in 2023 and many a roast battle, she's also an engineering nerd with a PhD in trains. Now that's what I call an interview. Click it, click the email.

Mar 14, 2025

She’s perfectly amiable, actually. Let’s get that out of the way.

Only in the consensual context of roast battles is Shalaka keen to go for the jugular. She will call you “a two-day-old bread roll” and you have to stand there and take it. Her opponents’ comebacks feel flimsy in comparison, whilst hers are deftly calculated. It’s exciting.

It’s partly what made her name;1 that and winning the West End New Act of the Year competition in 2023 — by beating 299 other comedians in various live heats.

How does one climb so high without getting vertigo? By being an “only child” she tells me; they’re always telling us things, aren’t they?

I promised to ask her about trains if she did the interview. Her PhD specialised in the user experience of passengers. Thank God there are no problems in that area, that’s all I can say, it must have been a breeze. So, we discussed her degree. Oh, don’t worry, I pressed her to pick a favourite train too. I never betray my autistic readership.2

Much was said about comedy, of course. I’ve been greatly impressed by her stand-up. She’s touring a “work in progress” show about mental health, but not, as you’ll learn, from the obvious angles. She’ll be performing upside down.

Plus! I got her opinions on Francis Bourgeois, Christopher Nolan and Star Trek. You definitely want to know more.

“Well do ya? Do ya, do ya wanna? Wanna go, where I’ve never let you before?..” Or don’t you remember that one? Franz Ferdinand? 2004? I’ll shut up.

*audio below the article

Can you tell me more about having the energy of an only child?

Oh wow, ha-ha. I think it’s why I do comedy, I love attention.

I grew up as an only child in an Asian family. I was very achievement-focused, with very chilled-out parents.

Still, I put a lot of pressure on myself. There’s a lot of guilt involved in being an only child because nobody else is there to placate and visit family.

For the longest time, I thought I had Narcissistic Personality Disorder; until somebody said “No, you’re just an only child.”

Yeah, no, I don’t think you do.

Ha-ha, you also romanticise the relationships people have with their siblings.

You think they’ve got a readymade best friend, a fun thing.

Although, most people who are friends with their siblings say they had a hate-hate relationship growing up.

Yeah, that friendship kicks in later.

You’re admired for your triumphs in roast battles. What makes the perfect roast? Don’t say potatoes.

Yorkshire puddings, er no. It’s two things.

You paint a picture of your opponent, making the audience go “Oh my god, that’s perfect.”
The other element is that it must be descriptive and unexpected.
Anyone can call someone a “nonce” or “fat,” but it’s better to create a hyper-specific and detailed picture, in three sentences.

I think that’s the perfect answer.

You were crowned West End New Act of the Year in 2023. What strengths did the judges draw attention to and did the experience shape your writing and performance style?

I don’t think we got the judges’ comments.

Also, it was such a long night and by the time the results were announced, I was very drunk. All I remember is being on stage taking the photograph.

Hopefully, the joke writing and performance were my strengths.

The experience hasn’t changed how I work but it gave me a bit more confidence; this idea that “I have something.”

Also, the money was nice – it wasn’t a crazy amount but it made me feel like I could persevere.

Many acts entered.

Yes, what I like about Steve (McLean) is that he doesn’t claim to be the arbiter of what makes good comedy. Any new act is welcome.

He has a lot of heats, everyone performs and he doesn’t vet performers by video.

It’s on a first-come first-serve basis. There were maybe 12 -15 of us in the finals. It was a long night, but a fun night. I had a lot of friends in that lineup.

Who were the friends?

Luke Nixon was there. Su Mi was there too and she’s a very good friend.

How new were you to comedy at the time?

I started in October 2021, so I’d been doing it for under two years. The heats were in Winter 2022 and the finals were in January/February 2023.

On your stand-up style: There’s an element of cynicism in your observations and I say that as a fairly cynical person myself. Do you find joy in being cynical?

No, I just think it makes great comedy.

“I used to read a lot as a kid and was quite sarcastic, ha-ha. Then I moved to the UK - a country built on cynicism.”

The constant vibe is one of suspicion.

It’s very true.

So, I think I fit in really well and it enabled my cynicism.

“I grew up on all types of comedy but I specifically loved British comedy because it’s dry and less about slapstick.”

It’s almost mean; but in a nice way. It’s very down on itself. Down on oneself, down on the people around you, down on where you live.

Absolutely.

I think it comes from a place of love; you only criticise things you love.

How do you feel about inspirational quotes?

Despite being quite cynical, I went through a phase where I had a blog called something stupid like “Peppermint Candy Hearts,” and I used to be very optimistic.

“It was my manic-pixie-dream-girl phase. I posted a lot of inspirational quotes on Tumblr. So, I tried that out for a long time.”

I still appreciate them occasionally, but very much from a place of shame, and I keep it to myself.

A secret side to you!

Yeah.

You stand very still on stage. It portrays an air of confidence. Is it a conscious decision?

No, I think I’m just lazy ha-ha.

I’m trying to move around more. I did a bigger gig on Friday and a few on bigger stages and it’s always a conscious effort for me to use the space.

I’d love to be more like that.

“For example, if you look at Danny Scott, he’s great at commanding the entire stage, running up and down. It’s an ability and it keeps the audience’s attention on you.”

Comedians tend to develop an act they’re happier with as they gain experience. Is your act changing in ways that you find exciting?

“As I develop this one-hour show, I’m writing in a way that’s truer to my personality.”

You start with the obvious jokes when you’re new.

And then you go into a phase of (still writing about the things you know,) but obsessing over the funniest punchline; and the best construction of each joke.

But now I’m writing sillier jokes with more niche references, and I’m less concerned with everybody getting it. I’m writing for the ones who do get it.

I’m happy to write the weirder jokes, the ones I used to worry about.

“I used to think I had to write something tons of people understand. But a one-hour show gives you more freedom. You start writing for your audience, and people like me. You write what you want to write about.”

Every comedian starts with personal hang-ups and they tend to fall away. It’s good to hear it’s happening for you.

You’ve acknowledged a passing physical resemblance to Velma from Scooby Doo. Do you relate to her as a character?

I watched a lot of TV as a child and my grandad would call me Velma.

I’d be annoyed. I thought it was because I have glasses and a similar haircut.

He’d say ‘No, it’s a compliment because she’s smart.’ I spent my whole childhood wanting to be Daphne because she’s the hot one.

“When I started doing roast battles, people were calling me Velma again. I was like ‘What is happening?’ I lean into it now, but I maintain that all we have in common is: that I vaguely look smart and have glasses.”

It never would’ve occurred to me if you hadn’t mentioned it on stage.

The comparisons also happened at a time when I had much shorter hair and a fringe.

Okay, let’s go locomotive. Have you always had an interest in trains?

I’m very sad to say that I haven’t. I always loved TFL, the London Transport Museum and anything to do with design and optimisation.

This is actually what I wanted to do for my PhD i.e. How you design things for people.

My fascination is with human factors engineering, which takes into account human abilities and limitations; when designing things like door knobs, elevator buttons etc.

That’s what I wanted to do but the train PhD was the only one that would pay me.

What do you think of Francis Bourgeois?

I have mixed feelings.

I’ve been exposed to the community of train enthusiasts quite a bit. I loved his joy for trains, loved his videos and how happy it made him.

The only thing I’ll say that I disliked was that he was very quiet when all the strikes were happening.

He’s never been supportive of the unions and the people who work on the trains. I don’t think you can profit from something without supporting the people that make it happen.

What is your favourite train?

“Oh my god, I don’t think I have a favourite train.”

I will say that the Avanti West Coast trains going from London to Manchester are phenomenally designed.

The lighting is great, they have charging points on the tables, the seats are super comfortable and they board people in the perfect amount of time. Especially from Kings Cross, phenomenal.

The LNER trains are great too.

A good train experience is to be treasured because a lot of them aren’t.

The best trains I’ve ever ridden went from Kyoto to Osaka. The most beautiful train I’ve ever been on, holy crap. And so cheap as well, exactly how public transport should be.

You talk about your boyfriend on stage. Is humour a big part of your relationship?

Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, he’s British. So, there’s lots of taking the piss out of each other. I make silly jokes about him and he always likes the really stupid ones.

I wrote a joke for a roast battle that I never used and it’s his favourite joke of mine: “This is Elliott Dallas. Dallas is known for cowboys and Elliott is known for being a boy cow.” It makes no sense but he laughed for ages. He’s the enabler of my worst jokes.

Your material mentions Lord of the Rings. Are you a fan?

“Don’t tell people. I pretend not to have watched it for the setup of the joke on stage.”

People come up to me afterwards, shocked that I haven’t seen it.

I say “Think about the jokes I’ve made tonight and the references I’m dropping. Do you really think someone who’s never seen Lord of the Rings would know what the Silmarillion is?” Ha-ha, of course, I have! I’ve read the books, I love them.

You did a video about your partner not understanding pop culture references. I’m very much with him on that. I don’t know any actors’ names. Can you tell me a bit more about the media you consume?

He’s not on social media whatsoever.

The only sites he scrolls through are BBC News and Reddit, but he has so much knowledge about things that matter in the world.

However, when I show him a meme, it requires six layers of explanation: “Well, this meme was created because this guy did a funny tweet, then he was cancelled on the internet, so that’s how this other meme happened, which refers to this other thing.”

Sometimes, when I show him a TikTok video he has no idea what’s going on.

I have to tell him what the funny bits are. It might reference a trend that happened a couple of weeks ago. It’s fascinating living with someone so at peace with his distance from the internet.

It would probably be good for me; if I could hack it, but I can’t keep away.

I saw you in a Star Trek T-shirt, is that a big thing for you?

It’s his shirt! He’s trying to make it a big thing for me.

I’ve watched a lot of Deep Space 9, but haven’t finished it, which is a point of contention in our relationship. I do really enjoy it though.

What do you think of the ergonomic design of the spaceships?

Ha-ha! You know what? Deep Space 9 is so far ahead of its time.

The things the creators have thought to do.

But some of the technology is so stupid, like the translators who enable you to speak to anyone, in any language. It’s a great science fiction idea but so much about the concept makes no sense whatsoever – the logistics of creating something like that.

The ships are great. I love how you see the ships from the outside but you never really know the actual schematics. How many levels are there? Sometimes they go 6 levels down, so how big is it really?

I love it when shows imply that there’s more to a world than you’re getting.

My big pet peeve with science fiction shows is that the time travel explanations never make sense.

This is controversial but I think one of the best time-travel movies is About Time, with Bill Nye.3

They don’t try and explain how it works, you just have to accept it. There’s no “Well, actually, at the stroke of midnight you can move forwards but not backwards,” and it’s the same with spaceships.

“Avoid big explanations in science fiction. Allow the viewer to fill in the blanks in whatever way they like.”

You want to avoid writing like Christopher Nolan.

Don’t even get me started on Tenet. I think it’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever watched.

I haven’t seen it because I’d given up on Nolan long before.

Ha-ha, fair enough.

Who are your influences?

It could be anybody I’m watching at any given moment.

The comedians that made me want to get into comedy were Sindhu Vee, Glenn Moore, Rhys James and Nish Kumar.

I watched tons of Mock the Week and that made me want to be a comedian. And Sean Lock - oh my god Sean Lock.

One of my favourites.

Yeah. I like people for different reasons. I’d love to have a career like Bill Burr, I love him so much. Nikki Glaser, she’s phenomenal at roast battles.

I went through a phase where I’d watch everything I could from one comedian a week.

I had to stop because it influenced the way I was talking and behaving on stage. Not that I’d do their jokes but my head would be full of their stuff.

The worst time was when I watched Maria Bamford for a week.

I started speaking like her and pulling the faces she does. I realized I needed to stop. So, yeah, tons of comedians have influenced me. I just love comedy.

Me too, as you might gather.

What made you take the leap into stand-up?

I did science communication i.e. making science fun for people.

Through lockdown, we had meet-ups where we traded information about science communication. A couple of stand-up comedians were brought on to speak to us and it made me think.

“It feels very vulnerable to say you want to be a stand-up comedian. It’s like saying you want to be a ballet dancer.”

But during lockdown, everyone’s mentality was like “We’re all going to die. F*ck this.”

So, I found the courage somehow to do it; people introduced me to open mics. I owe it all to them. As restrictions eased, I got into it more.

How old were you at the time?

I think it was the day before my 27^th birthday.

I read that you thought “If it goes badly, it’s still going to be my birthday tomorrow.”

Exactly.

It’s comforting to know you started at around my current age (28); because I’ve not done it yet. Some comedians start at 18, and there’s no way I would have been ready.

I know some comedians who started at 18/19/20 and they’re phenomenal now despite being a similar age to me. I probably would’ve quit if I’d started at that age.

I was in the habit of picking up interests and dropping them.

I think when you’re nearing 30 you start to consolidate, and what’s important becomes more obvious. Do you find that?

For sure, I care a lot less about things that don’t concern me.

I used to be such an extrovert, going out and meeting people.

I had a gig on Friday and decided I wasn’t going to leave the house until Tuesday evening. I just love being at home now; I don’t know whether that’s an age thing or a stand-up comedy thing.

I have a smaller circle of people that I want to be around at any given moment.

Your new tour (a work in progress) is advertised in a way that suggests a mystery mental health diagnosis. What can you tell us at this point?

“The show is about me desperately trying to find any sort of diagnosis, just to have an excuse, an explanation, an answer. It’s about working with a very lovely, very frustrating therapist who sees through all of my bullsh**.”

There are a lot of mental health shows.

It would be inauthentic for me to do a show that suggests I care a lot about mental health. I do care a lot about mental health, but it would be wrong for me to say “It’s a struggle,” “This is how difficult things have been,” or things like that.

It’s more tongue-in-cheek and almost irreverent towards getting diagnosed. The person that’s at fault, the villain of the show, is me.

I’m the one who’s sceptical about almost the entire concept of mental health diagnoses, so I’m playing into the idea that everyone has ADHD, or this or that. It’s putting my very flippant attitude towards mental health on blast.

There was a fascinating anti-psychiatry movement at one time. People like R.D. Laing.

There needs to be a type of therapy, but we forget how many different kinds there have been. We haven’t found a way to help everybody.

People don’t realize that it’s not one size fits all.

I know people for whom CBT has done wonders, and I know people who will never do CBT again. I know people who’ve found improvement just through medication.

This is a bit of a spoiler for my show, but my actual lived experience is: I did 20 sessions of therapy and the therapist said “Stop coming back. You’re fine, you’re just looking for a problem.”

Despite only 20 sessions, he knew me so well that it was exactly what I needed to hear.

People think I’m making that story up; because I don’t believe in therapy, but it’s not that. He knew how to speak to me in a language that helped me to get a grip. I’ve been fine since.

I just think therapy is so personal, we want a one-size-fits-all answer but that’s not how it works. 4 Even diseases like cancer have very personalized treatment. I just don’t think there’s one answer to fix everybody.

What does the future hold for Shalaka Kurup?

All I want is to continue working in comedy. Sure, I’d like the “work in progress” to turn into a coherent one-hour show, but I just hope I can continue getting paid for this.

It’s so unpredictable. In a year I could be back working as a UX researcher for a tech company in a different company.

I’ve had months where I’ve (positively) been like “Oh my god, this is my future!” and then I’ve had months where I’ve thought “Maybe I should get a job.”

I’m hoping to keep going for as long as I can.

I think the future is bright. You’ve created a unique “brand” for yourself quite quickly… Don’t give up, please.

Ha-ha-ha, it’ll never be a “give up” situation. More like a “try something new” situation. Maybe I’ll start improv, who knows.

I just think the cost of living needs to go down. I keep hearing about comedians not being able to do the Edinburgh Festival anymore.

It’s mental. I thought I’d found accommodation and nearly booked and paid for it. I thought “This is such a bargain” but it was still £1,400 for the month.

Then I read a notice below and it said “For August it will be £3,200.” Everyone’s taking the p*ss. There are tons of people with rich parents who will pay for it, and the landlords know this. It’s a scam.

Something needs to be done about it, but nobody has the initiative.

Everyone has resigned themself to the idea that “This is how it is.”

It’s a common thing, to talk about a debut Edinburgh show as being about losing a ton of money, instead of making it. In the hope that one day you might be successful.

Then there’s the Free Fringe, where people just pay donations.

It’s actually quite good for making money.

Last year I went for two weeks and managed to break even with the Free Fringe.

I did a showcase show (various acts performing) and the money was split between us. I was able to pay for my accommodation and the trains, with a little bit left over.

Sometimes you do a non-ticketed show and people just don’t donate.

On the flip side, you might get an American in who doesn’t understand the cost of anything and they give you £100. I’m like “Well, I’ll take it.”

It’s much cheaper to do a show at the Free Fringe rather than a proper venue, because no one’s taking a cut of ticket sales, as far as I know.

I’m glad we could end on such a valuable insight. I’m in awe of Shalaka’s achievements, I think she’s brilliant and I’m so pleased to finally have her on the blog. Tickets for the tour are linked in the bio of her Instagram account. Thank you for reading.

I encourage you to like, comment on and share this post, as it does drive engagement. But not only that, I love to hear from you!

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