Michael Odewale is an award-winning comedian and writer, star of his own Amazon comedy special, and a frequent contributor on panel shows up and down the UK. It was while at Greenwich that Michael honed his comedy craft. He began his comedy career at Up The Creek in Greenwich and as a student was a finalist in the Chortle Student Comedy Awards.
There were several reasons Michael chose to study at Greenwich. “While it was local – I wanted to study in London – I really liked the look of the history and politics programme. After visiting on an Open Day, I thought that Greenwich was the right place for me.”
It’s the friendships that are what most stick in Michael’s mind when reflecting on his time at university. Making new friends, many who he remains in touch with, has had a positive effect; “I wouldn’t be the same person if I hadn’t had those social experiences at Greenwich.”
Michael was also a part of the Politics Society and with a friend they had their own radio show, What’s Occurring? “It was a bit like a podcast. We spoke about current affairs, and it was a great opportunity to learn how to talk in a media environment”.
Studying history and politics also lent itself to Michael’s comedy as the programme helped him gain a better understanding of the political trends of the time and taught him about working to deadlines and the craft of writing.
As a comedian, his debut show #BlackBearsMatter won Best Show at both the 2019 Leicester and Hastings Comedy Festivals and achieved critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe 2019, earning him a nomination for Best Newcomer in the Dave Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
His most recent TV credits include BBC Presents: Stand Up For Live Comedy (BBC One/ Three), Mock The Week (BBC Two), The Mash Report (BBC Two), Chris Ramsey’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV1), and Comedians Solve World Problems (Comedy Central). As a writer, he has worked with Charlie Brooker on Attack of the Hollywood Cliches and Death to 2020, both for Netflix.
Reflecting on his journey so far, Michael says that writing his first hour of comedy is his proudest achievement to date. “Even before performing it, or anything else, the feeling of completing something that I set out to do was very important for my confidence. Not worrying about how people would receive it but trusting my creative process and following through with that process was important for me, not just as a writer and comedian, but also as a person”.
Earlier in 2022 Michael came back to Greenwich to speak at the launch of the university’s Race Action Plan. Reflecting on his role as a role model to the next generation: “It’s great to have carried on my involvement with Greenwich. The university has been very keen to support my work and I think it’s important to give back in support of the next generation. If I can be helpful and share my experience that your degree doesn’t dictate the career path you take afterwards, but it gives you the skillset to succeed, and to be involved in more community work and activism as a Greenwich graduate, then I’m really keen to do so.”
To those following in his footsteps as a Greenwich graduate, Michael advises “follow your passions and let that guide you on your journey. Try to turn off the self-critical mind that tells you that you can’t do something, because you can.”
In addition to gigging and appearing on the nation’s TV screens, Michael co-hosts the Btec Philosophers podcast, providing a philosophical spin on the week’s hot topics. You can find out more about Michael’s upcoming gigs on his Instagram page (@michaelodewalecomedy).
