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Munya Chawawa will put her baking skills to the test in the Celebrity Bake Off tent for the Stand Up To Cancer special on March 17.
Hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding will welcome 20 stars into the tent for the Stand Up To Cancer special, where their efforts will be judged by Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith.
Munya, who will battle it out with Mel B, Oti Mabuse, Rhod Gilbert and Danny Dyer for the coveted baker title, has had quite the journey to stardom.
From growing up in Zimbabwe’s turmoil to being cruelly taunted at school, his path to internet stardom has been quite unique.
Read on to find out more about the hilarious comic who found fame as a classy drill rapper during lockdown.
Comic Munya Chawawa puts her baking skills to the test in the Celebrity Bake Off tent for the Stand Up to Cancer special on March 17
MailOnline takes a look at the classy drill rapper who found internet popularity during lockdown
Where is Munya Chawawa from?
From growing up in the turmoil of Zimbabwe to being cruelly taunted at school, his road to internet stardom has been anything but easy (Munya, aged four)
Born in the chilly East Midlands city of Derby, Munya Chawawa was welcomed into the world on 29th December 1992.
He is best known for his viral comedy sketches poking fun at celebrities and politicians alike.
As a child, Munya would imagine entire worlds and battle scenes every morning inspired by the toys hanging from his ceiling.
His acting started early as the comic regularly put on three-hour shows filled with ventriloquism, breakdancing and singing for his grandparents and parents.
He jokingly described himself as a ‘triple threat’, Munya said Guardian: ‘I attribute my path as an entertainer 100% to my uncle and grandfather.
“We went to my grandparents’ house on a Friday and my Uncle Doug came loaded with an artillery of jokes.”
But at the age of four, Munya was uprooted when his family moved back to Zimbabwe.
But thanks to his sporty and academic nature – and what he describes as the ‘shiny novelty’ of being a British kid – Munya was very popular at his new school.
With super strict parents at home, the comedy rapper noted how it felt like he was leading a double life as a squeaky clean head boy and the class joker.
In a chat with Patta in 2020, Munya said: ‘I tell people I’m Zimbabwean because you know when you just connect with a place so deep?
‘Growing up in Zimbabwe, people are so positive and so happy that you really believe you can do anything.’
When did Munya Chawawa return to England?
But the actor’s happy school life soon fell apart when he was forced to return to England due to political upheaval ignited by authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe.
Recalling the ‘culture shock’ of moving to the Norfolk village of Framingham Pigot, Munya explained that while being smart was a signal of popularity in Zimbabwe, it rubbed his British classmates up the wrong way.
Unfortunately, the comedian explained that he would often be reprimanded by other students for being eager to answer questions and labeled a ‘boffin’.
He added: ‘I didn’t even know what boffin meant. It sounded like something you might catch in a game of Quidditch.’
Although the bullies did not physically harm the young actor, they slowly chipped away at his confidence and self-esteem.
Giving an example of how they would get into his psyche, Munya recalled: ‘I had to have surgery to remove my appendix and while I was in hospital we had a substitute teacher asking why I wasn’t at school and boys in my class said, “Munya smokes weed; he’s a dealer.”‘
The comedian talks about how he was punished by his peers for being a walk-on who was proud of his heritage, recounting an incident where the bullies went so far as to drench a wooden hippopotamus – which he had made to remind him of his country. – in glue.
Through his pain, he found creativity in writing poetry and rap verses about his struggles—and eventually public speaking.
Finding his footing again as headmaster, Munya continued to present breakdancing competitions during lunch breaks and fist bump students as young as seven on their way to class.
What has Munya Chawawa done?
The former Sheffield University Psychology student rose to fame after poking fun at a video of Jamie Oliver making jerk rice
Now worth an estimated £1 million, according to The suncomic book stardom is a far cry from his difficult school life.
The former Sheffield University Psychology student shot to fame after running away with a video of Jamie Oliver making jerk rice.
After uploading the parody video titled Jonny Oliver, Munya gained over a hundred new followers.
To catch the attention of TV agents, the comedian was determined to reach 30,000 on Instagram, constantly posting two sketches a week.
Munya quickly got over 30,000 – and then more followers than all the presenters on 4Music – a job.
The new role was short-lived as the channel changed, making him redundant after just one week.
Despite the setbacks, Munya created parody drill rapper Unknown P and saw astronomical success during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.
He described the classy drill-rapper character as a ‘nod to the appropriation and false ownership of black culture that often happens in Western societies.’
Following his 2019 Fire in The Booth freestyle and a flurry of parody news sketches, Munya signed to Atlantic Records and later released his debut single Piers Morgan.
His second single Pain Au Chocolat as well as his Daily Duppy freestyle got him a large number of views.
Having previously collaborated with other comics such as Mo Gilligan and Michael Dapaah, Munya has secured trademark deals with Netflix and GiffGaff.
Since gaining an Instagram following of 1.3 million, he has signed deals with Atlantic Records, Netflix and GiffGaff
Outside of comedy, Munya has appeared on The Sandman as Choronzon and was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef (pictured 2021)
In addition to comedy, Munya has appeared on Celebrity MasterChef 2021 and as Choronzon on Netflix’s The Sandman.
But the comic felt like he really nailed it when he came face to face with none other than Dwayne The Rock Johnson.
“When I sat across from The Rock, it was definitely a sweaty moment for me because this is a guy that I watched my whole childhood,” he shared. BBC.
‘The amount of times I saw this man’s elbow land, then to sit across from him and do a sketch on it (is unbelievable).’
Recently, he decided to explore his Zimbabwean origins in the BBC documentary Munya Chawawa: How To Survive A Dictator.
Explaining why he took on the challenge, the actor said he wanted to bring himself ‘closure’ for why he had to leave ‘a place that felt like paradise’.
Bringing his own twist to the hard-hitting documentary, Munya has said it will be the first show in history ‘to explain dictatorships with R&B’.
Munya is set to star alongside a host of stars on The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer Special on March 17.
Recently, he decided to explore his Zimbabwean origins in the BBC documentary Munya Chawawa: How To Survive A Dictator to help himself “close”