From Banker to Stand-Up Comedian: The Story Behind the Success of Eshaan Akbar
From What It Takes with Olly Fawcett by Olly Fawcett
February 23, 2026 · 1h 20m
About this episode
Eshaan Akbar shares his journey from various careers to becoming a successful stand-up comedian in the UK.
From Bollywood dance choreographer… to HSBC speechwriter… to one of the sharpest comics in the UK.Eshaan Akbar breaks down what stand-up actually teaches you: reading rooms, earning trust, surviving bad gigs, and why “bombing” is often an audience warm-up problem (his words… 😅).If you’ve ever felt like you’re starting late, pivoting careers, or trying to build confidence in rooms that weren’t made for you, this one lands.Chapters 00:00 Who is Eshaan Akbar?01:20 The pre-comedy life04:26 Why comedy started (a course, not a dream)05:51 Family, immigrant pressure, and dad’s support08:16 First open mic, March 201409:13 Mum’s sudden death + comedy becoming a lifeline14:27 Therapy 10 years later + what finally made him face it19:19 The grind years: unpaid gigs, long drives, learning every room29:24 Kings Lynn: the gig that turned ugly 41:38 How he writes: no scripts, built on-stage + reading rooms46:19 Crowd work, social media, and comedy’s new era58:32 Opening for Mickey Flanagan + the O2 arena realityFollow Eshaan: https://www.instagram.com/eshaanakbar/Follow Olly…
People in this episode
Host: Olly Fawcett
Guest: Eshaan Akbar
Topics covered
- career change
- stand-up comedy
- personal growth
- mental health
- audience engagement
Keywords
- stand-up comedy
- career pivot
- audience trust
- comedy writing
- mental health
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: HSBC
Places: UK
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