Daliso Chaponda

Zambian-born stand-up comedian Daliso, 42, is best known for coming third on Britain’s Got Talent in 2017

What was your first TV memory?

As a little kid in Zambia there were only 30 minutes of cartoons shown every day. I remember running home from school with my brothers because if we missed them, there would only be adult programmes on.

Who was your first TV crush?

I was a big sci-fi fan, and it was Beverly Crusher, played by Gates Mcfadden, on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I said I was watching it for the sci-fi, but it was for her and Deanna Troi

(Marina Sirtis)!

What was your first TV appearance?

It was in Canada. I’d just started doing comedy and I had a three minute spot on a show called Trans Canada Comedy Trail. But doing Britain’s Got Talent in 2017 literally changed my life.

What is your favourite current show?

The Expanse on Amazon Prime. It’s astonishing, very clever and very good. I would have been a sci-fi fan for life even without Beverly and Deanna!

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

I watch either sci-fi or comedy so I would take Red Dwarf. It has both and I’ve not watched every episode yet.

What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?

Dating reality shows. They’re very bad for society. The worst are ones like Love Island where people tune in to see the dysfunction. It’s not love, it’s a car crash. It’s like watching the worst that humanity has to offer.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

Detective shows with will-they, won’tthey couples, like Bones, Medium, Scorpion. They’re terrible but I’m hooked.

What are you up to at the moment?

I’m touring my new stand-up show Apocalypse Not Now; it’s a celebration that the world did not end. I wrote it in a little kitchen doing comedy to a webcam, so it started on Zoom, then progressed into socially distanced shows and now full rooms.

Daliso Chaponda is on tour nationwide until September. Tickets: dalisochaponda.com