1 Her comedy career began not too long before a certain terrorist attack on a certain big American city. Those events provided her with a dream opening line and much press attention. 'My name is Shazia Mirza. At least that's what it says on my pilot's licence.'

2 She had previously used her degree in biochemistry from Manchester University to become a schoolteacher in a tough establishment in London's East End. Mirza was raised as a strict Muslim, and it's fair to say that her parents did not wholly approve of her dramatic career shift into comedy. When interviewed, Mirza insists that her family were glared at each time they went to the local mosque. For her own part, she says she was determined not to end up like the kitchen-bound aunties she would meet at family gatherings.

3 She reckons that Sweden has the best comedy audiences: not only do they very happily laugh, but they have no concept of heckling.

4 Mirza wrote a column for The New Statesman between 2006 and 2009, and for The Guardian in 2010. The latter was entitled 'Diary of a Disappointing Daughter', and she wrote about such dilemmas as how parents find it difficult to praise their kids face to face, visiting the Moulin Rouge on her own, and being chatted up at Jim Morrison's grave.

5 One of her ambitions is to have a jacuzzi and a cleaner some day. This might be a joke.

The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 3 Dec; The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 4–Sun 8 Dec.