Allan Mustafa Explained

Allan Mustafa
Birth Name:Allan Kamal Arif Mustafa
Birth Date:29 September 1985
Birth Place:London, England
Occupation:Actor, comedian, writer
Years Active:2012–present

Allan Kamal Arif Mustafa[1] (born 29 September 1985), also known by his nickname Seapa, is a British actor, comedian and writer who is best known for portraying Anthony "MC Grindah" Zografoff in the BBC mockumentary series People Just Do Nothing, which he co-created and co-wrote with Steve Stamp, Hugo Chegwin and Asim Chaudhry.[2] [3]

Early and personal life

Allan Kamal Arif Mustafa was born on 29 September 1985 to immigrant parents; his mother is from the Czech Republic and his father was Kurdish-Iraqi. His parents fled Baghdad, due to Saddam Hussein's regime, in the early 1980s.[4] [5] [6] He has an older sister.[7] His father died in 2012.[5]

Mustafa grew up in Chessington, Kingston upon Thames.[6] As a teenager he had jobs at Chessington World of Adventures and as a cleaner at a carpet shop.[8] He has said that he was arrested around six times as a teenager, mainly for graffiti, the first time being when he was around 14 years old.[9] [10]

Growing up, Mustafa had a passion for music and used to rap, MC and was involved in pirate radio.[11] He did a music production course at Thames Valley College, which he ended up dropping out of.[12] [1] He later worked in a call centre with Hugo Chegwin, Asim Chaudhry, and Daniel Sylvester Woolford. With whom, along with their friend Steve Stamp, he would go on to create the show People Just Do Nothing.[1] [13]

Career

Mustafa met Hugo Chegwin, through a mutual friend, after which Chegwin introduced Mustafa to Steve Stamp and Asim Chaudhry, with whom he created YouTube mockumentary videos about a fictional pirate radio station. This led to the group being commissioned for People Just Do Nothing, a BBC mockumentary about West London pirate radio station Kurupt FM. The pilot aired on BBC iPlayer in July 2012. The show ran for five series, winning a BAFTA and a Royal Television Society Award. In 2019, production began on a feature length adaptation of the series called . The film was positively received by both fans and critics.[14]

Mustafa appeared in the 2020 Netflix film Love Wedding Repeat as Chaz, the boyfriend of Freida Pinto's character Amanda.[15] [16]

Mustafa starred for two series of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Ability as the "useless carer" Bob, for the character played by comedian Lee Ridley, who also wrote the series.[17]

In 2022, he starred in the Channel 4 series The Curse,[18] and the BBC Three series Peacock.[19]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012BBC Comedy FeedsSniperEpisode: "People Just Do Nothing"
2014–2018People Just Do NothingGrindah27 episodes; also co-writer and co-creator
2017Chicken Shop DateMC GrindahEpisode: "Kurupt FM"
Sounds Like Friday NightGrindahEpisode #1.1
2018Kurupt FM vs Top GearGrindahTelevision film
2020Love Wedding RepeatChazFeature film
2021MC GrindahAlso co-writer
2022The WitchfinderGrocerEpisode #1.5
Kurupt FM the Greatest HitsMC GrindahOnline video
2022–2023The CurseAlbert6 episodes; also co-writer
2022–2024PeacockAndy PeacockSeries lead (9 episodes)
2023JackdawFeature film[20]
2024LudwigGary Jennings1 episode

Notes and References

  1. News: Wollaston. Sam. 'The joke is always on us': how People Just Do Nothing struck comedy gold. 27 October 2018. The Guardian. 10 April 2020. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  2. Web site: Allan Mustafa . British Comedy Guide . 6 May 2020.
  3. Web site: One of the funniest TV shows of recent years has been renewed for a final season . Shortlist . 6 May 2020 . en . 1 May 2018.
  4. Web site: Stecher . Nicolas . 13 February 2022 . 'How the F-k Did This Get on the Telly?': Inside the Cult-Hit UK Mockuseries 'People Just Do Nothing' . 17 February 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  5. News: Cumming . Ed . 17 May 2023 . Allan Mustafa on People Just Do Nothing and the problem with 'working class TV' . 17 February 2024 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
  6. Web site: 23 August 2021 . People Just Do Nothing's Allan Mustafa interview: 'Everything I did, I failed at' . 17 February 2024 . The Independent . en.
  7. Web site: ‘I used to walk around junior school thinking I was Snoop’: Allan Mustafa’s honest playlist Music The Guardian . 17 February 2024 . amp.theguardian.com.
  8. Web site: Wray . Daniel Dylan . 8 November 2018 . Kurupt FM On Their First Dates, Jobs and Drug Experiences . 17 February 2024 . Vice . en.
  9. Web site: JaackMaate's Happy Hour . 1 September 2022 . 304 – KURUPT FM – Allan 'Seapa' Mustafa & Hugo Chegwin Discuss People Just Do Nothing! . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240217000000/https://open.spotify.com/episode/1B7cAGLlre4CmjlcpwwPyr?si=yr_mueI_TL2YZqn1pGtdKQ . 17 February 2024 . 17 February 2024 . Spotify. Alt URL
  10. News: Kurupt FM On Their First Dates, Jobs and Drug Experiences – VICE . 6 May 2020 . vice.com.
  11. Web site: Tate . Gabriel . 18 July 2014 . Radio gag-gag: introducing the stars of BBC3's new mockumentary People . 17 February 2024 . Evening Standard . en.
  12. Web site: Nadal . Rich . 30 June 2017 . Interview: How staying Kurupt Beats the daily Grindah . 17 February 2024 . Around Ealing . en-GB.
  13. Web site: 13 July 2015 . People Just Do Nothing: How BBC3's latest comedy started with a series . 17 February 2024 . The Independent . en.
  14. Web site: 'People Just Do Nothing' Movie Adaptation Shooting In Japan & UK For Focus Features & BBC Films . Deadline . 6 May 2020 . 28 November 2019.
  15. Web site: Curtis Brown . curtisbrown.co.uk . 6 May 2020.
  16. News: Love Wedding Repeat: Netflix rom com's multiple timelines explained . 6 May 2020 . Radio Times.
  17. Web site: Ability – Radio 4 Sitcom. British Comedy. Guide. British Comedy Guide.
  18. Web site: The Curse review – a sublime crime caper with an unfeasibly brilliant cast . . 28 April 2022 . Jack . Seale . 6 February 2022.
  19. Web site: Peacock's Allan 'Seapa' Mustafa: 'People are being more open about body image issues' . . 28 April 2022 . 25 April 2022 . Harvey . Day.
  20. Web site: Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jenna Coleman star in Anton’s UK-set action thriller 'Jackdaw'. Screen Daily. 29 September 2023. Mona. Tabbara. 2 February 2023.