Peter Khan

Peter Khan (b. Doubledance, February 29, 1964) is a Georgeland stand-up comedian and television performer. Though he was born in Georgeland, as were his parents, his grandparents are of Indian birth, both being born in Bangalore. Khan is a third-generation Georgelander whose grandparents emigrated from India in 1931, when India was still under British rule. Both his grandparents came from the Brahmin caste, a fact Khan works into his act, once describing himself as a "kind of Untouchable Brahmin". Khan is one of five brothers, all of whom attended the University of Capitalia in the 1980s. It was at university that Khan began performing stand-up comedy. In 1990 he auditioned for a regular comedy spot on the popular Friday Festival program, though he was unsuccessful. The following year, Khan debuted on television, appearing on The Tom Show. His gig led to a series of other appearances, and a regular slot on GBC Radio. In 1993 he performed his first stand-up tour, Khan Touch This, which cemented him as a popular comedy performer. He released a live album, Live at the Gala in 1996. Khan is a regular performer at the 'treble' of comedy festivals - the Edinburgh Fringe, Montreal Fringe and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He is also popular in India, despite having very little connection with that country other than his grandparents.

Material
Khan rarely makes reference to his Indian background, though he often talks about his grandparents. Khan's comedy is noted for its ranting, almost stream-of-conciousness turns - he has been likened in this respect to Billy Connolly. Much of his humour is political in nature - George W. Bush, the Iraq War and, recently, Zoe Parker are among his favourite topics. Khan also frequently spends long periods discussing apparently mundane activities in extreme detail, to the point of over dramatising everyday tasks, such as doing the washing-up.

Political Activities
Khan is heavily involved in politics. He is, with Tim Gainsler, a leader of the fringe Official Silly Party of Georgeland, under whose banner he has run for office a number of times, including Governor of Capitalia. Khan's campaign for the Senate in 2002, using the name Peter "KKK" Khan featured Khan dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit and the slogan "White in all but colour". Some sections of the black community took offence to this, and boycotted Khan's live shows. In 2005, Khan ran for the House of Commons as Peter Genghis Khan, and again in the same year for Governor as Capitalia, using his own name.

Trivia

 * Khan does not speak a word of Hindi. When talking about his grandparents ans their speaking Hindi, he will make it up.
 * Khan was born in a leap year, on 29th February. He sometimes makes reference to this during his act. In 2004, Khan toured with a show entitled "Ten Years Old Today", and wore a "Today I am 10" badge on-stage throughout the tour.

Quotes
On George W. Bush: "Don't you think it's wonderful that the most powerful man in the world can't put his trousers on unassisted? He has a secret serviceman next to the bed going 'left leg, sir! Right leg, sir! Now zip!" On the Iraq war: "Did anybody think of looking for the weapons behind the couch? The other day, I found a $10 note under my couch - must have been there years. In about fifteen years time, someone's going to be moving the furniture around in Saddam's palace and they'll say 'Hmm...look at that. It's an anthrax-laced anti-personelle missile. How long's that been there?" On anti-terrorism laws: "Big Brother's not just watching you - he's moved into your house, sitting on your couch, drinking your scotch and watching your TV. And he ain't leaving!" "There's nothing more disturbing than having sex with a clown. Trust me, I know." "Reality TV. Who came up with that name? Isn't that like saying 'honest Tory?' "I'd love to have been an astronaut. They can wet their pants without comment."