Michael Akadiri is an award-winning standup comedian and NHS junior doctor. His first show, “No Scrubs,” is already shaking things up in the theater scene and has quickly received a nomination for the Prestigious Award of the Grandest of Comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This unique blend of medicine and comedy has defined much of Akadiri’s professional career. It’s indicative of his upbringing as the son of Nigerian immigrants who instilled a culture of academic excellence.
For Akadiri, the journey to pursuing comedy full time has been a bit more of a roundabout road. As a kid, his parents made academic achievement feel like an unbendable rule. At 14 years old, he was just waiting on his GCSE results. In another amusing stroke of fate, the only class he ever received a ‘D’ in was his last name! This depressing showing on a practice test—one that he hadn’t studied for at all—swung on him a considerable demoralizing sledgehammer from the start.
He has a clear memory of one pivotal experience in school. Miss T, his science teacher and form tutor, opened the assembly with an impassioned 15-minute rant, berating his Year 10 classmates for their lack of aptitude and attitude. Those words have haunted him ever since.
“Fix up. It’s not me who needs their GCSEs – it’s you!” – Miss T
Akadiri took this advice to heart. He went on to nail down the study routine, working intensively year-round but ramping up the pace during exam blocks. This doggedness ultimately resulted in drastic turnaround of his grades and overall academic success. Most importantly though, he learned the meaning of accountability and dedication. These principles are not limited to the classroom and power his ongoing dual career as educator and artist.
After graduating from university, Akadiri joined the medical field, all while continuing to work on his comedy aspirations. His first exhibition—confusingly titled No Scrubs—smartly illustrates that collision of worlds. It mixes sarcasm and satire with the very real struggles of an overworked, underappreciated junior doctor. The production has since traveled to great acclaim and is now available on YouTube for global audiences.
Akadiri’s comedic voice is both incredibly relatable and perfectly insightful. He frequently incorporates his experience as an M.D. to underscore the pressure his family exerts on him. By bringing his story to life through comedy, he hopes to encourage anyone else overwhelmed by the weight of this world’s expectations to learn to let go.
Akadiri is on a breakthrough ascent in the world of comedic performance. He keeps himself humble by never forgetting the priceless teaching of his formative years. He hopes that despite all the difficulties you may face in academia and in life, you can always look to do better. Improvement is never out of reach.