Stand up, Akmal

Akmal Saleh.

Comedian Akmal Saleh is heading for the hills.

He’ll perform at the York on Lilydale in Mount Evelyn on Friday 23 August as part of his Transparent Tour.

Akmal has performed in movies, sketches, stand‐up and TV shows, as a radio DJ and talk show host, and is a published author.

He immigrated to Australia from Egypt with his family nearly 30 years ago.

“My parents didn’t tell us where we were going,” he said.

“We thought it was two hours away.

“Twenty hours later, we got off the plane. We were on another planet.”

Akmal’s Arab heritage steers his comedy to issues of religion, honesty, looks at modern-day life.

He has appeared at festivals around the world including Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Vancouver Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, New Zealand Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Akmal wrote and starred in the feature film You Can’t Stop the Murders’ to critical acclaim and also the cult hit TV show The 40 Foot Show.

He hosted The Wrong Way Home drive radio show on the Nova network and achieved the station’s highest ever drive-time ratings.