Interviews | The Snigger

Harun Musho’d December 2025

Harun Musho’d is an English comedian who moved to live in Scotland in 2023. He is an HR Consultant with the civil service after moving on from an extensive career in the civil service in Westminster. Harun started performing stand-up comedy in 2013 while a mature student. He later ran and compered The Happy Hour Comedy Club in London and has just revived that as a new venture in Scotland.

Starting out

Harun’s interest in comedy has been long standing after wanting at first to write comic fiction novels and short stories. In 2010 while still working in Parliament he realised if he wanted to become a writer, he had a gap in his education. He enrolled in university (Royal Holloway University of London – but it’s nowhere near Holloway nor London) to study creative writing as a mature student. At university he joined their Stand-Up Comedy Society and that by leaning into the Society he “accidentally fell into stand-up.”

Harun uses his experiences of his career in Parliament as the frame for his material where he combines political events with his own family background including multiple ethnicities, religions and fluid morality offering a brand of sharp, dark comedy.

Politics has also been a driving force in him moving to Scotland because he and his wife wanted to live somewhere that may, one day, re-join the EU and felt Scotland had a better standard of politics than UK. He is a Labour Party member but one who supports Scottish independence. He admits to being a bitter EU Referendum Remainer., but he is not a bitter man – he had an IPA when we met! (Sorry).

Magic with jokes

Harun says he gained his comedy performance skills from his peers in the Comedy Society and the fact that the comedy writing techniques in his course leant well into writing stand up. He writes every day and can easily find comedy angles in situations or first-hand experiences and uses these to develop his jokes into “long torturous routines.”

His early sets involved a family member who got into Take A Break magazine, or how his local bus garage is the source of all the worlds evil taking the situation from one point to evermore extreme and ridiculous circumstances. He likes is to conjure up connections and bring them back to his crucial point with a bit of enchantment and “create magic with jokes.”

Performer to MC and Solo Shows

From performing he started to run his own comedy night and thus created the Happy Hour Comedy Club. He is comfortable as MC and describes his on-stage persona as drier, more cynical and darker than his usual personality. His two solo shows “Why I Don’t Talk to People About Terrorism” and “A History of The Conservative Party in their Own Stupid Words” provided him with a difference in performance style; one using his persona and the other allowing to be himself to allow for audience interaction.

Harun is also the co-chair with Chris O’Neill on the comedy panel show Political Breakfast/Brunch. Chris created the show and devises the format for each run., while Harun does “the other organising”. Political Breakfast will be back for the Glasgow Comedy Festival in 2026.

Influences and emulating

Harun admits Stewart Lee is his main influence and sometimes emulates him by way of his style. He loves James Acaster but feels he couldn't replicate what he does, while Dara O Brian’s “friendly crowd work” earns his admiration. Although Harun enjoys watching comedians like Freddy Starr and Michael McIntyre for their physicality, he isn’t always a fan of their humour.

Outside of comedy, films make Harun laugh – including Groundhog Day as he loves the clever writing of the film. He is still a fan of Monty Python, the works of Spike Milligan and especially loves earlier volumes of his War Memoirs.

Harun shared a funny story of one of the reasons he joined the Civil Service after watching “Yes Minister.” While he was working with a senior Policy Manager who asked Harun for another way to say “In due course” thinking of Yes Minister Harun mischievously proffered “in the fullness of time” but then prevented the Manager from using it, for obvious reasons.

Comedy Ambitions

Harun recognises that there is still much to accomplish to achieve his aspirations in comedy. He is determined to tour a show, secure headline spots, and actively promote his new comedy venture. Harun understands that establishing a strong reputation at Festivals and Fringe events is crucial for developing his personal brand and achieving greater recognition and fame within the industry.

Happy Hour Comedy Club

A passion project currently taking shape is his new venture the “Happy Hour Comedy Club” which he had in London, so he is keen on promoting that at present with gigs booked in for 2026. He is keen to shake up the lazy idea of the diversity booking or token act (female middle in the middle anyone?) which is a bugbear of his.

By offering a diverse line up it is based on merit, or talent not because of filling a bill. He wants to offer semi-professionals a platform for progression. To support his night, keep an eye out on his Facebook page for upcoming info on this new night.

Food or Travel? & Christmas…

Finally, I ask Harun to reflect on which image he prefers and why.

He chose food because cooking is his passion, but then shifts focus to travel, mentioning that he increasingly avoids certain countries due to strong moral concerns. Countries Harun will not visit include:

Thirteen countries whose governments still carry death sentences for those practicing atheism.
The USA
Turkey – because of its illegal regime and he will not go where gay people cannot express their identity or be able to hold hands in public.

Harun fears he may never travel out of Scotland again.

Christmas

Harun has a birthday just three days before Christmas. This year he will be spending Christmas Day with his wife Clare with roast beef for him and nut roast for his wife. New Year is pizza, champagne and “winging at some of the shite” on Jools Holland New Year Hootenanny. Sounds like a most wonderful time of the year.

I'm grateful to Harun and all those who have consented to participate in interviews with me in 2025. Stay tuned for more updates in 2026, and feel free to reach out if you'd like to participate in an interview! I’d love to hear your comedy journey.

Tickets for Harun’s Glasgow Comedy Festival shows can be found on the Comedy Festival Website.