Paul Sinha

Supriya Kumar “Paul” Sinha was born on May 28, 1970, in Luton, Bedfordshire, to Bengali Hindu parents. His father and paternal grandfather were doctors, and his mother was a nurse. He attended Dulwich College before studying medicine at St George’s Hospital Medical School, qualifying as a general practitioner in the 1990s. While in medical school, Sinha developed an interest in performance through St George’s annual revue and as co-editor of the medical school newsletter. He began performing stand-up comedy while working as a junior doctor in London and King’s Lynn hospitals. In 1999, he achieved third place in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition.

Sinha’s career in stand-up comedy advanced significantly with his 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, “Saint or Sinha?”, which received an if.comeddie award nomination. This led him to pursue comedy more dedicatedly. He has since performed eight solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, including “Shout Out To My Ex” in 2017 and “The Two Ages Of Man” in 2018, both of which had sellout runs and national tours. In addition to his live performances, Sinha has been a consistent presence on BBC Radio 4, appearing on programs such as “The News Quiz,” “The Now Show,” and “Just a Minute.” He has also developed and presented several of his own radio programs, including “Paul Sinha’s Quiz Culture” (2011), “The Sinha Test” (2011), and “The Sinha Games” (2012).

His career expanded into broadcast quizzing, leading to appearances on shows like “The Weakest Link,” “University Challenge: The Professionals,” and “Mastermind.” In 2011, Sinha joined the ITV game show “The Chase” as one of the six Chasers, adopting the nicknames “The Sinnerman,” “The Smiling Assassin,” and “Sarcasm in a Suit.” He has since become a recognized figure in British television, appearing in celebrity and family editions of “The Chase” and hosting his own quiz show, “Paul Sinha’s TV Showdown,” for ITV, which premiered in January 2021. In 2019, he participated in “Taskmaster” (Series 8). Sinha published his autobiography, “One Sinha Lifetime,” in June 2024 through Penguin Books. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in May 2019.