Shabaz Ali: Skulls, Sleep and Success

Summary

Podcast Summary: Sort Your Life Out Unpacked

Episode: Shabaz Ali: Skulls, Sleep and Success

Date: June 16, 2026
Host: Dilly Carter (BBC Sounds)
Guest: Shabaz Ali, viral comedian and broadcaster

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Overview

This episode of Sort Your Life Out Unpacked features comedian, broadcaster, and former chemistry teacher Shabaz Ali. Host Dilly Carter leads Shabaz through her signature format: quick-fire home truths, unboxing three personal items from his home, and exploring the stories behind these objects. The conversation dives into Shabaz’s approach to organization, his journey from morgue worker and teacher to social media stardom, insights on fame, and the importance of finding safe spaces.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Home Organization & Family Dynamics

• Organizational Ratings:
  • Shabaz rates himself a 9/10 for home organization, but a 2/10 for life organization.
  • “I am a chaotic mess, but in a very organized way. Like, you walk into my room and you'd be like, oh, my God, it's a mess. But everything's in a cupboard.” (03:39)
• Family Influence:
  • Lives at home with his mother, who keeps the house immaculate.
  • “Asian households have a room dedicated to guests where you're not ever allowed to go into… the rest of our house looks like that.” (04:06)
• Least Favorite Item:
  • His mum’s old sofa from 2001; symbolizes his working-class upbringing and his mother’s pride in her first big purchase.

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2. Item 1: The Pillow – Creativity and Comfort

Unboxed at: 05:38

• Sentimental Value:
  • Brings the pillow on travels for comfort and familiarity.
  • “My pillow is the reason why I'm as successful as I am… my bed is my studio.” (06:11, 06:54)
• Safe Space:
  • His bed is his sanctuary and sparks creativity. “Sometimes I don't even wash my face. I just roll out of bed… It's your safe space.” (07:12)
• First Viral Video:
  • About people over-organizing (moving ice cubes to containers).
  • Birth of his “I’m Rich, You’re Poor” catchphrase.

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3. Item 2: The Skull – Past Careers & Lessons from the Morgue

Unboxed at: 09:42

• The Replica Skull:
  • Not real; used for teaching and for fun (e.g., scaring his niece).
• Work Experience in the Morgue:
  • Started as work experience during university (biomedical science), then became a medical lab assistant.
  • Learned respect for the deceased from a mentor: “He just was so respectful of dead bodies… it made me really appreciate that when you lose a loved one, you want to know that they're being handled the better.” (13:02)
• Transition to Teaching:
  • Saw a teacher recruitment post on Instagram, pursued it for financial stability.
  • Loved teaching: “I miss it every day, dear. I love teaching. I would go back to it tomorrow if I could.” (14:16)
  • Teaching as an organized, positive space: “My books were organized. The kids knew exactly what they got from me. You know, they had structure in their lives.” (14:53)
• Resilience & Motivation:
  • Became a chemistry teacher after being told he would never pass chemistry. “Everything in my life that I've done is because somebody has told me I couldn't do it.” (16:11)

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4. Item 3: London Marathon Medal – Achievement & Perseverance

Unboxed at: 17:37

• London Marathon 2025 Medal:
  • Ran it for Save the Children; raised over £10,000.
  • Did no training, finished in 7 hours, lost toenails, and needed crutches.
  • “I got to mile 23, and I genuinely had the darkest thought… I don't think the children need saving at this point.” (19:05)
  • Testament to Grit:
    • “Even my own brain telling me, you can't do it. I was like, no, yeah, I can.” (20:22)
  • Proudly displays the medal at home.
  • Discusses the British tendency to downplay achievements: “For British people, though... we sort of like, revel in failure than we do in success.” (21:12)

5. Navigating Fame, Identity, and Mental Health

• Public Persona versus Real Life:
  • Challenges of always being "on".
  • “We don't get given the grace to be off. Like, we have to be on all the time. If you ever see me, you'll always see me with a smile, even if I'm dying inside.” (22:12)
• Identity Barriers:
  • Navigating fame as a working-class, northern, brown, Muslim man.
  • “Everyone's got something to say about something. So you're navigating a million different identities and a million different prejudices.” (22:11)
• Coping Mechanisms:
  • Retreating to his bedroom for peace and to recharge.

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6. Insights from Billionaire Homes (Current Project)

• Documentary Filming:
  • Filming in billionaire homes revealed they’re less stereotypically “rich” than expected.
  • “I opened his fridge… orange juice from like Quicksave and I thought… I thought you would have, like, had it squeezed from Valencia.” (23:56)
  • Would want a slide or a ball pit room if he had his own mansion.

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7. Reflections on Aspiration, Humor, & Self-Image

• Longing for Grandeur:
  • Feels destined for opulence despite humble beginnings: “I don't think I was meant to be born poor… God humbled me.”
• Aspirational Fantasy:
  • Talk of being “discovered” as a secret billionaire’s child, referencing watching Annie.
• Organization & Letting Go:
  • Would auction his pillow “in the event of my death, like Michael Jackson's glove."
  • Would keep the marathon medal and donate the skull.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On organization:
  “[My life is] a chaotic mess, but in a very organized way.” – Shabaz (03:39)
• On family:
  “If it was up to me, I'd burn the house down just to see that sofa go.” – Shabaz on his mother's 2001 sofa (04:54)
• Creativity and comfort:
  “My bed is my studio.” – Shabaz (06:54)
• First viral video:
  “I just thought that is unemployment. It's a level of unemployed.” – Shabaz on ice cube container videos (07:20)
• Teaching inspiration:
  “Everything in my life that I've done is because somebody has told me I couldn't do it.” – Shabaz (16:11)
• On the marathon:
  “I can't do it… The only person that needs saving is me.” – Shabaz (19:24)
• On fame:
  “We don't get given the grace to be off. Like, we have to be on all the times.” – Shabaz (22:12)
• On selfhood:
  “In bed, it's just Shabaz. I'm just me. I get to just be me in that room.” – Shabaz (27:07)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Home Organization & Family — 02:33 – 05:35
• Item 1: Pillow & Viral Success — 05:38 – 09:40
• Item 2: Skull, Morgue & Teaching — 09:42 – 16:32
• Item 3: Marathon, Resilience — 17:37 – 21:29
• Fame & Identity, Mental Health — 21:33 – 23:19
• Documentary/Billionaires — 23:23 – 24:47
• Aspirations, Humor & Wrap-up — 25:00 – 27:25

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Item Fate: Keep, Sell, or Donate?

• Sell: Pillow (amusingly suggests auctioning it posthumously).
• Keep: Marathon medal (his most-proud achievement).
• Donate: Skull (teaching aid with sentimental but not personal value).

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Shabaz’s Happy Place

“My bed, absolutely. I think it’s just somewhere where I just chill… In bed, it’s just Shabaz. I’m just me. I get to just be me in that room.” (27:02–27:07)

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This episode delivers a humorous, candid, and surprisingly moving look inside Shabaz Ali’s life, showing that success, authenticity, and chaos can coexist if you have a safe space—and a sense of humor.

Transcript

[BBC Announcer]

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[Dilly Carter]

I'm Dilly Carter, the organized one, and this is Sort yout Life Out Unpacked get ready to unpack three boxes with my celebrity guest. Every box has an item from their own home, plus a load of stories and memories. And stand by for my tips on how to sort your own life out too. This episode, my guest is, to his millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram, the kid King of Povos. If you've ever thought how do they afford that? Or how do they have time for that about people you see on the Internet, then you are in safe hands. He is a chemistry teacher turned viral comedian and broadcaster and he says that when it comes to his home, he's a 9 out of 10 on organization. But when it comes to his life, he's a 2 out of 10. It's the witty, the smart and the lovable. Shabazz. Ali hi Ali. It's so amazing to meet you. I have got to say that I am literally your worst nightmare. I am everything about all those videos that you put online, I've literally just emptied all my sweets from one container into another. What form into a glass jar does that do for you? Does that make it makes me so happy.

[Shabazz Ali]

Does it?

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah. I mean I watch all your videos and I cry with laughter, but some of them I'm like, that is me.

[Shabazz Ali]

I just don't have the time to care to take everything out of a jar to put it into another jar.

[Dilly Carter]

I know. I mean it is the most ridiculous thing, isn't it?

[Shabazz Ali]

I also don't have my own house though, right? So maybe if I had my Own house. And, like, you'll be stacking your biscuits. Oh, yeah, maybe. Maybe then I will have that, like, you know, everything organized.

[Dilly Carter]

So talk me through those ratings you gave yourself. So you just said that we've caught you on a chaotic day.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, I am a chaotic mess, but in a very organized way. Like, you walk into my room and you'd be like, oh, my God, it's a mess. But everything's in a cupboard. Or everything's in its.

[Dilly Carter]

Organized chaos.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. My skincare gets put out in order of how, when I'll need it. So I will start with, like, product one, product two, product three, moisturizer, sun cream. And then I'll go with, like, if that's day, then there's night. But then when it comes to, like, my life, I have to have two managers. And still then it's not enough.

[Dilly Carter]

I feel for them.

[Shabazz Ali]

You should see my phone. Like, the tabs I've got open. I've got like 15 tabs open. And I was googling train times to go home. I was like, what time should I go home? While I. In the middle of doing that, I started looking at shopping and then I realized, oh, that's what I was doing. I was looking at trains. And then the reception went. So then my shopping had gone and I was like, oh, God.

[Dilly Carter]

Do you know what, though? I think a lot of people can be like that. I know I'm like that. I've always got 100 tabs open at one time sometimes. It's just that we have so much going on in our lives, don't we? And you are extremely busy. Okay, I'm very excited to see what's in those boxes. Before we look into those, I'd like to ask you a few quick fire home truths. Number one, how would you describe your home in a sentence?

[Shabazz Ali]

And you said actually showroom, because my room is. I've got a lock on my door because my mum, like, the house needs to be immaculate because I still live at home. But if she walks past that room and sees, I don't know, last week's pizza box, it needs to look ready for the king's arrival. So, like, it looks like a showroom.

[Dilly Carter]

I love your mum.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, my mom, like, Asian households have a room dedicated to guests where you're not ever allowed to go into. And I think this might be a working class thing as well. Like, it's just a room dedicated to in case the queen or king visits. And the rest of our house looks like that. My mom, like, brought us up three Boys. So she brought us up. We were like clean freaks. Like, we had chores. We'd get up, walking up on a Sunday to clean the whole house. And that's. Yeah. So my bedroom needs to be locked.

[Dilly Carter]

Your mum sounds like I would get on with her very well. Rank the people in your home from the most organized to the least organized.

[Shabazz Ali]

I'd say my mum probably at the top. And then I think everybody would be second. And then I'd be last. Yeah, I'm the least organized. Like, an event is at 5 o'. Clock. I will be getting ready at 5 o'. Clock.

[Dilly Carter]

What's the one thing in your house you'd love to get rid of, Mum?

[Shabazz Ali]

My mum's got a sofa that she bought back in 2001. I think for her it was this idea that, like, it was probably the first big purchase. Like, you know, we grew up working class, we grew up quite poor. So I think for her it was like my pride and joy. But let it go, love. Like, if it was up to me, I'd burn the house down just to see that sofa go.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, your poor mom's sofa.

[Shabazz Ali]

Awful.

[Dilly Carter]

What does it look like?

[Shabazz Ali]

It's just. I'll send you a picture. It's like the most.

[Dilly Carter]

Is it material? Is it leather?

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, it's leather and material.

[Dilly Carter]

Leather.

[Shabazz Ali]

Shiny, shiny. Well, it's not anymore. I mean, it's lost all its color, everything. She just won't let it go.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay. Shall we have a look at your first item?

[Shabazz Ali]

Right. Okay. So it's a big one.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay. I've got. No, I mean, who knows?

[Shabazz Ali]

Do you want me to give this to you?

[Dilly Carter]

Yes. Pass this over. Oh, my gosh. This is a big box. Okay. There is a pillow in this box. I mean, it's just a nice white pillow. Did you sleep on this last night?

[Shabazz Ali]

I did, yeah. So if there's any, like, there's a few bits of makeup on there, probably, maybe potentially. Or like. Or the food I was eating. I stay away from home so much.

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah.

[Shabazz Ali]

So it's one of those that. The comfort of having something from home.

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah.

[Shabazz Ali]

Plus, I will say, like, my pillow is the reason why I'm as successful as I am.

[Dilly Carter]

Let's just talk about that. Because the success that you have, you know, acquired and that you've achieved is just insane, isn't it? Talking about videos that you've seen on the Internet from your bed under a duvet.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah.

[Dilly Carter]

On your pillow.

[Shabazz Ali]

I mean, I've got to get out of bed. Isn't it, like, it's a Shame.

[Dilly Carter]

Well, it's evolved, hasn't it, since those

[Shabazz Ali]

days of like just being in bed, just, you know, making money from the bedroom. Now it's like I've got to get out and go and actually work. But I've been in London now for a couple of days and like I was saying to my manager, I was like, I've just lost this creativity spark. And one thing that's really interesting, as soon as I get home, I get into my bed, get into my studio, I call it, because my bed is my studio. I get into my studio.

[Dilly Carter]

Clever. I'm in the studio.

[Shabazz Ali]

I'm in the studio. Sorry, Khan. As soon as I sit there, I just feel inspired. It's just strange. Like I think the silence or the quiet or the comfort of my bedroom where you don't need to perform, you don't need to do anything. Sometimes I don't even wash my face. I just roll out of bed and just.

[Dilly Carter]

It's your safe space.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. And that's where creativity comes from.

[Dilly Carter]

And what was the first video that went viral for you? What were you talking about?

[Shabazz Ali]

Ice cubes. It was the woman who was taking out the ice trays and she'd firstly made the ice to put into the freezer, Taken it out of the freezer to then take it and put it into separate containers to put it back in the freezer. I just thought that is unemployment. It's a level of unemployed. I like to be like, that is some serious unemployment there. Just spending your day filming yourself taking out ice and doing that. Not even drinking it, just doing that. So I started I'm Rich youh Poor. And then it just led to that catchphrase is just.

[Dilly Carter]

When did you realize that it started? I didn't.

[Shabazz Ali]

I just said it because I was like, oh, and today that was sort of I'm rich, you're poor. And then it just turned into like, I've said it before, I'll name my firstborn child I'm Rich or Poor. You know what I mean? Because it's just marketed the hell out of book podcast tour, you know what I mean? Like I'm writing a comedy series at the moment and I want to name it I'm Rich or Poor. Because I'm like. It just.

[Dilly Carter]

You have to.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, yeah. Trademarked as well.

[Dilly Carter]

With your fame and with your success, are you going to upgrade to like a feather and goose pillow?

[Shabazz Ali]

No, Pavel, always, always. This is too fancy for me. It's leopard print chair.

[Dilly Carter]

Well, I mean, you look great in my chair.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, your leopard Print chair. I have a joke about leopard print, but I'm not going to say it.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, no, go and tell me.

[Shabazz Ali]

You can always. You always know you're in the presence of a middle aged woman when there's leopard print.

[Dilly Carter]

I wish you hadn't said that.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

I know, I know.

[Shabazz Ali]

I'm gonna get kicked off. I joke. I say this all the time. But my target demographic. Mum squad, right? Love my target demographic. Leopard print wearers.

[Dilly Carter]

I am your target demographic.

[Shabazz Ali]

I will tell you, when I went on tour, I saw so much leopard print. I've never seen that much leopard print in my life. And you would always spot the women in the squad of women in the room and you'd be like, leopard print, leopard print, leopard print. It's almost like you get to a certain age and you think, do you know what leopard print?

[Dilly Carter]

Well, you never print. Pardon?

[Shabazz Ali]

Do you want a leopard print?

[Dilly Carter]

Is that a joke? Yeah, I literally. Well, I love leopard print. I wear a lot of leopard print.

[Shabazz Ali]

Like, ask your viewers, do a poll, how many of them, like, check your demographic. Leopard print.

[Dilly Carter]

It's like, how many of them own a lot of leopard print?

[Shabazz Ali]

Something happens at a certain age, you think, oh, leopard print.

[Dilly Carter]

How do you switch off in your bedroom if you know your studio, how do you find time to separate the both?

[Shabazz Ali]

Because I roll over. So what happens is when I roll over on one side, I roll over on one side and then that becomes studio. And then I over on the other side and that becomes nighttime bedtime.

[Dilly Carter]

That's bedtime. And it's that easy.

[Shabazz Ali]

That's easy, Yeah. I pick the phone up and I'm like, oh, roll over film. Roll back over bed.

[Dilly Carter]

And that's it?

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay, should we have a look at your second item?

[Shabazz Ali]

This is going to be fun. Okay, this is fun for you.

[Dilly Carter]

All right, so the next box is a small box. Let's see.

[Shabazz Ali]

Oh, my God.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, my. I don't know if I don't want it like, oh, my God.

[Shabazz Ali]

Where'd you take it out?

[Dilly Carter]

It's made me just shiver. Okay, hold on. Okay, I was not expecting that. Okay. Can I touch this?

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, you can.

[Dilly Carter]

This isn't real, is it?

[Shabazz Ali]

No, it's not. It's not a real one.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay, I am. I'm looking at a human skull.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah.

[Dilly Carter]

But you'll promise me it's not real.

[Shabazz Ali]

It's not real. It's squidgy, so.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, gosh. I don't know if I've ever told anyone that I'm a bit squeamish. This is a lovely skull. This is a human skull, which is actually. Yeah, it's a squidgy one, but wow.

[Shabazz Ali]

Give it a squeeze. Oh, that's really grim, isn't it?

[Dilly Carter]

It's so grim.

[Shabazz Ali]

So this isn't this one. I actually have a life size replica of a human skull. So I have one that is weighted as a human skull. It's not a real human one, but it's.

[Dilly Carter]

But it's more lifelike.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. And it. Honestly, it's so heavy, so I couldn't bring it with me because I don't just carry skulls around with me.

[Dilly Carter]

No. That'd be so weird, wouldn't it? Where do you keep this skull?

[Shabazz Ali]

First of all, I have it on the shelf. I just have it on a shelf.

[Dilly Carter]

On the shelf in your room? In your room?

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. On the shelf in the room, yeah. Because I used to have. I used to use it in school and stuff. So, you know, you take all the brain apart and take the skull off and like do all that. So now I do tend to scare my niece with it. It's really fun.

[Dilly Carter]

Your poor niece. How old is she?

[Shabazz Ali]

Five years.

[Dilly Carter]

God, she's gonna be absolutely.

[Shabazz Ali]

She's been traumatized since she was one, so it's brilliant to write for age. She hasn't got any older siblings, so I might as well do this.

[Dilly Carter]

It's your job. It's your job to traumatise her.

[Shabazz Ali]

The reason I have it is two reasons. I used to. I got gifted that one. Cause I used to work in a morgue. Yes. I used to work.

[Dilly Carter]

She used to work in a morgue.

[Shabazz Ali]

I did used to work in a morgue. So I had that. And then I kept it because I became a teacher. So I taught science. So then obviously when we did night looking at the brain, you know, it had a human. It had the brain in it as well. So that is.

[Dilly Carter]

So tell me about working in a morgue.

[Shabazz Ali]

Which one are you more interested in? The morgue or the teaching?

[Dilly Carter]

I mean the morgue. Because I am one of those middle aged women that wears leopard print that also likes crime drama. Never gonna let it go.

[Shabazz Ali]

Never gonna let it go Title. Is she gonna be that? Isn't it? So the skull. Basically, I took work experience in hospital while I was studying biomedical science. And the pathology lab next door had an opening for a medical lab assistant. So I was like, that sounds interesting.

[Dilly Carter]

And so what did you have to do in the morgue?

[Shabazz Ali]

Just everything. I started off obviously like more like assistant stuff.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay.

[Shabazz Ali]

And then I worked my way up to like, doing postmortem stuff. Like, wow, that's so funny. Sewing back up was always fun. I used to practice on chickens.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, my gosh. You had to sew bodies back up?

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or, like, take the stuff out, weigh them, test stuff, do all that? Yeah.

[Dilly Carter]

And I mean, was that. Not when you first. What was your fascination by that? Was it. Were you scared when you first saw your first dead body?

[Shabazz Ali]

I'm not very squeamish. Things like that don't bother me. I think. I think more so than anything, like, I really appreciated, like, how good. The guy, the man I worked with, was one of the best people I've ever worked with. Like, he just was so respectful of dead bodies. Like, he was. This is someone's loved one, and it was way the next step in their journey through life and death. There's something. The way he spoke about it was just stunning. It made me really appreciate that when you lose a loved one, you want to know that they're being handled the better. And I know that the person, especially the lab I worked in and the man I worked for, he was incredible. The doctor I worked with, he was incredible. And the way he handled the bodies and the way he spoke about people and the way he dealt with it just made me appreciate human beings and appreciate life as well. So I think that's probably the reason why I stayed so long. I think initially it was just like, I was 18 years old. I was like, fascination. I was like, this is crazy. What a job. You know, I mean, but it became. It became a sort of like a. You know, felt rewarding in a way. And also, it's. It's fantastic. It's brilliant. Imagine dead. But when you're going to see a dead person in front of you, when are you ever going to see guts and hearts and lungs and all that?

[Dilly Carter]

Absolutely never.

[Shabazz Ali]

This is it. Like, you never. Human beings, we're not ever going to be able to see that. It was great.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, my God. I mean, so how did you transition from working in a morgue to then working as a teacher?

[Shabazz Ali]

I just. It fell into it. I was. I was scrolling on Instagram and I saw that they were saying that, you know, you can become a teacher. And I thought, yeah, okay. They were offering 30 grand for it. And I was like, okay, well, yeah, I could do that. Okay. That's what I'm doing then.

[Dilly Carter]

Is there anything you miss about teaching?

[Shabazz Ali]

I miss it every day, dear. I love teaching. I would go back to it tomorrow if I could. If this job didn't pay well. I loved standing in front of the classroom teaching, imparting wisdom, like, just. Just educating people. I love doing it. I love inspiring science and inspiring the love of chemistry to these kids and also just teaching them life skills and helping some of these kids navigate a really chaotic world. I had my year eights who would look to me as like, for some of them, the only stable person, only stable adult in their lives. And I thought, oh, is this what I'm supposed to be doing? This is what.

[Dilly Carter]

This is the good side of teaching.

[Shabazz Ali]

This is what I'm supposed to be doing. Like, and then, you know, being able to have my. I organize my room, and I thought, oh, this is it. Like, my books were organized. The kids knew exactly what they got from me. You know, they had structure in their lives. They were taught science. I enjoyed teaching. And then five years later, I was still there.

[Dilly Carter]

And you had a tidy classroom.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, very tidy classroom.

[Dilly Carter]

Because you have to be pretty organized to be a teacher.

[Shabazz Ali]

Very, very. Yeah. I mean, I wasn't. They didn't know that, though, that the kids didn't know that if I was late, you'd get in trouble. Cause my head of department knew what time I was clocking in. So I'd climb in through the window. So sometimes I'd tell my phone and be like, open the window. And because it was on the ground floor. So we open the window, and I'd get out of my car and I'd climb through the window. So sometimes my form saw a real unprofessional teacher. But they also just humanized them. And I think structure wise, everyone. My lessons were organized, but if only you knew that six minutes before the bell, I was putting that together. Yeah, yeah. But they. They wouldn't know that. They saw a really organized, smartly dressed teacher with books labeled and everything. Like pens and everything organized.

[Dilly Carter]

And where did the love for chemistry come from?

[Shabazz Ali]

My college chemistry teacher was awful. That's where it came from. And he said, you will never be able to pass chemistry.

[Dilly Carter]

That's right. And so you thought, right, I'm gonna be a chemistry teacher.

[Shabazz Ali]

Everything in my life that I've done is because somebody has told me I couldn't do it.

[Dilly Carter]

Well, congratulations.

[Shabazz Ali]

So I'm a very petty and spiteful human being.

[Dilly Carter]

Nice.

[Shabazz Ali]

So you tell me that I'm not gonna. And I'm like, I'm good.

[Dilly Carter]

I like people that do the opposite of what someone tells you.

[Shabazz Ali]

You've got to do it. You got to do it. You can't let anyone tell you that you're not going to achieve.

[BBC Announcer]

What do Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney,

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

YouTube megastar MrBeast and former Facebook executive

[BBC Announcer]

Sheryl Sandberg all have in common?

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

They're all being discussed in the new season of Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast which explores the lives and fortunes of the world's super rich.

[BBC Announcer]

That's good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

Listen now. Search for Good Bad Billionaire wherever you get your BBC podcast.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

You can never have too many tools. Shop Dewalt deals at Lowe's. Get a free select Dewalt 20 volt max power tool when you buy a select 20 volt max 5amp hour battery kit. Plus get a free additional Dewalt 20 volt max 8amp hour battery when you buy a Dewalt 10 inch 20 volt max dual bevel compounded miter saw. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Ballot through 624 while supplies last selection varies by location, location,

[Shabazz Ali]

Anything.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay, should we move on to your

[Shabazz Ali]

third and final box? Sorry, but this one's a nice one.

[Dilly Carter]

It's a nice one.

[Shabazz Ali]

I promise.

[Dilly Carter]

I'm not gonna find his arm. Am I in here?

[Shabazz Ali]

No, no, no.

[Dilly Carter]

Okay, let's see what's in this third box. Oh, okay. So in this third box is a medal. And this is. What is this a medal for? Let me have a look. It says we finished together. So is this London Marathon 2025. London Marathon 2020. I've never seen a London Marathon medal. So tell me about this gold medal.

[Shabazz Ali]

So this medal is my medal from running the London Marathon last year.

[Dilly Carter]

Well done. Congratulations. And how long did you run it in?

[Shabazz Ali]

Okay, so let me tell you a story about this. So I did it for Save the children.

[Dilly Carter]

Well done.

[Shabazz Ali]

The year before. You know when the videos come out. Have you ever been scrolling on social media? After the London Marathon, you get so inspired. You feel like, I'm gonna do it, I wanna do it right. You see all the videos, they're so emotional. They're so inspirational. You see the stories, the journeys and everything. I thought, yeah, I wanna be that person. I wanna be inspirational. I wanna be raising money a year before. And then it got closer and closer and it was like a year away and then it was six months away and then it was five months away, and then it was a month away and then it was two weeks away and then it was a day away. And I didn't do any training.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh my gosh.

[Shabazz Ali]

Because I kept saying, I will.

[Dilly Carter]

I mean, this is the story of your life, isn't it? Last Minute.

[Shabazz Ali]

And I kept saying I should train. And I kept saying I should train. So I ran for seven hours.

[Dilly Carter]

I mean, that's good, isn't it?

[Shabazz Ali]

I mean, it's great. I finished. But seven hours running, I had no toenails left. I ended up in crutches.

[Dilly Carter]

Oh, my goodness.

[Shabazz Ali]

I did my backing. It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I got to mile 23, and I genuinely had the darkest thought. And I thought, but I don't think the children need saving at this point. I was like, I just thought, I'm

[Dilly Carter]

a child that needs saving.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, I'm a child that needs saving.

[Dilly Carter]

Because you can't do it.

[Shabazz Ali]

I can't do it.

[Dilly Carter]

The only person that needs saving is me.

[Shabazz Ali]

Me. When it comes to save the children, it's save Shabazz. At this point, I just.

[Dilly Carter]

I would have paid money to save.

[Shabazz Ali]

I was crying mentally. My God, is it hard? Your brain's telling you you cannot do it, right? Your brain is telling you, quit, quit, quit. The children don't need savings, Shabazz. Quit, quit. You've done it. You've raised the money. Now quit. And imagine having to battle through your brain telling you constantly, quit, quit, quit, quit. And you're like, no, I've got to do it. And your brain's going, no, stop now. Immediately stop. Stop. And then. And then you still push through. I ran mile 1 to 10 so quick that the people that were tracking me were like, my God, you're about to break a world record here.

[Dilly Carter]

And then it slowed.

[Shabazz Ali]

Slowed down. Mile 10 to 15. Took me two and a half hours. And I was like, oh, okay, so maybe something's not right here. I started slowing down, but it was one of the best things I've ever done.

[Dilly Carter]

It killed you, but it was good.

[Shabazz Ali]

No, and honestly, and I think that is, again, a testament to people saying, no, you're not gonna be able to do it. And I was like, I'm gonna do it. Think about it. I'm so petty and I'm so relentless that even my own brain telling me, you can't do it. I was like, no, yeah, I can.

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah.

[Shabazz Ali]

I was having all these voices going, you can't do it. You can't do it. And I was like, I can't.

[Dilly Carter]

Where is your marathon?

[Shabazz Ali]

Oh, it's here.

[Dilly Carter]

Medal kept? Yeah. Where is it? Where do you keep it?

[Shabazz Ali]

Where do I keep it? So I have. I actually have. They sent me this frame that I've got my T shirt in it. You know, like, the little badge that you get with your number on it, the medal, and then a little photo of me. It's in my room. I'm gonna. When I move into my house, I'm gonna put it above the fireplace.

[Dilly Carter]

Lovely.

[Shabazz Ali]

It's my proudest achievement. I think it's something that I should. I'm never gonna do again, ever. You know what I mean?

[Dilly Carter]

Absolutely. Always display our achievements. I think people. There's so many people that I speak to that hide away their achievements, but I think it's lovely to have them on display. Do you know, to remind yourself of what you've done.

[Shabazz Ali]

For British people, though, I think it's British culture, like, we wait for people to fail more than we. We sort of like, revel in failure than we do in. In success. So I think. But we need. The culture needs to change. Like, be proud of your achievements.

[Dilly Carter]

How much did you raise?

[Shabazz Ali]

Ten. Just over ten grand.

[Dilly Carter]

Well done.

[Shabazz Ali]

So. Exactly. You know what I mean? So I did.

[Dilly Carter]

I did 35. Well done. That's incredible. And how are you finding fame in general?

[Shabazz Ali]

Okay, let me try and word this so I don't get cancelled. I love being able to make people laugh and I've always been a great joy. It's always like doing the tour and meeting people and seeing people come up to me in the streets and go, you know, I love what you do for me. Like, some of the darkest days, you. You're the light and I love that. I struggle with being on all the time, and I think that the fame side of it is really hard. Like, people are gonna probably crucify and be like, oh, my God, poor little rich boy. But like the creator, we don't get given the grace to be off. Like, we have to be on all the times. If you ever see me, you'll always see me with a smile, even if I'm dying inside.

[Dilly Carter]

It's exhausting.

[Shabazz Ali]

And also, the industry is hard. The industry is hard. I'm. I work hard all the time and it's constantly feeling like we're not good enough. Like, you create a working class northern, brown, Muslim, there's all of these barriers that are in place where everybody's got something to say about something. So you're. You're navigating a million different identities and a million different prejudices, aren't you? So. And then if you say it, people are like, oh, always complaining about being this. Always complaining about being working class. Yeah. So you say it, you're a problem. You don't say it, it's a problem. So a lot of Conversations.

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah, it's tough. It is really hard to have that balance as well, isn't it? Like you said, to be on all the time is exhausting, isn't it? Which is probably why it's nice to go back to your studio.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dilly Carter]

And go bed and roll over.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. Because the thing is like, also I. I love doing it and I love being busy and stuff, but at the same time, I love my own space. The two things can be true at once. You can be tired and you can be appreciative and I love what I get to do and I love doing all of this. But at the same time, Mum was like, you complain all the time. I'm like, because I'm tired. Yeah. What? Tired from what? And I'm like, yeah. Different kind of tired though.

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah. And you're doing documentary at the moment?

[Shabazz Ali]

I am, yeah. Yeah.

[Dilly Carter]

Filming billionaires houses, aren't you?

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. So it's called obilinaries. Bad. The topic's so interesting, what their houses like. Oh, well, surprisingly, the ones I've met are actually not. Not what I thought. I feel like the online space has definitely warped your sense of what billionaires are really like.

[Dilly Carter]

Why are they different? What ways?

[Shabazz Ali]

The ones that. I mean, I met one and yeah, his house was Dinghy, but my God, I opened his fridge and it was like. I was like, where's all the containers? That's a poor people, apparently. That's a poor people thing. You know, that's a povo thing. That's not a rich people thing. Rich people.

[Dilly Carter]

Actually, this is giving poverty advice. Yeah.

[Shabazz Ali]

Like, I opened it and he had like orange juice from like Quicksave and I was like, 79p orange juice. And I thought, oh, I thought you would have, like, had it squeezed from Valencia or something. I don't know. But like just normal. That didn't have a bunker. What you're gonna die with the rest of us thought billionaires would have, like, you know, all the things that you would assume billionaires have, like. No.

[Dilly Carter]

What's the most inspiration you've got from a house that you've seen? Is there anything that you've seen that you think, oh, God, if I ever get a house that's something I would have.

[Shabazz Ali]

Something I'd have. I'd love to have a slide from upstairs to downstairs.

[Dilly Carter]

Slide.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah. Or a room. Like a ball pit room.

[Dilly Carter]

Because I'm Richard Paul.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, I'm Richard Paul.

[BBC Announcer]

Yeah.

[Shabazz Ali]

A ball pit room. Or, you know, I mean, all those crazy things that you'd love to have. As a kid, like. Like a fireman's pole to go from upstairs, downstairs, or a room downstairs that's like, I don't know, a shark tank where if you get bored, you could just press the button and drop somebody in it. I don't know. I would go crazy. I'd love to do that.

[Dilly Carter]

And then next minute, they're in the morgue.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Or I have my own morgue downstairs. Oh, my gosh.

[Dilly Carter]

You can have whatever you want. It is your house.

[Shabazz Ali]

What would you have?

[Dilly Carter]

Do you know what? The only thing that I've ever, ever wanted that I always think, if I'm ever rich, I'd like a hair salon in my house.

[Shabazz Ali]

Oh, that would be good.

[Dilly Carter]

No, that's not my. I'd like to have my hair blow

[Shabazz Ali]

dry and they pamp.

[Dilly Carter]

Morning. I get up. Like, when I come to this podcast, there's someone gorgeous doing my hair and makeup. I'd like them in my house every

[Shabazz Ali]

day, employed all the time, full time. Yeah. The thing is, I've always said, right, I don't think I was meant to be born poor. I think that, right, I descended from, like, an old raj. Or you're like a king back in, like, the Mughal empire India. Because I love glitter and diamond and, like, jewels, and I love gowns and I love of opulence.

[Dilly Carter]

Yes.

[Shabazz Ali]

My circumstances just made me poor, I think. So God humbled me.

[Dilly Carter]

Yes.

[Shabazz Ali]

That's what it was.

[Dilly Carter]

I agree with you. I feel I was adopted from an orphanage when I was three years old. But I've always had these ideas of grandeur that I think, where does it come from? But I think one day someone's gonna find me and they're gonna be, like, a billionaire tech guy, and they're like, you're my long lost child.

[Shabazz Ali]

Oh, my God. I always thought that I used to watch Annie over and over and go, that's going to be me one day.

[Dilly Carter]

That's what I think is my real

[Shabazz Ali]

parents are going to come and find me and go, shabazz, you own, you know, half a country. And I'll be like, me, I own half the country. I never would have thought this. Whereas I would slip right into it in a second.

[Dilly Carter]

I'd be like, get me in the Bentley. I'm ready to go.

[Shabazz Ali]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Like, yeah, press the button.

[Dilly Carter]

It's coming to us. Shabazz, he's coming. So we have seen and heard about your items, Shabazz. Thank you. If you had to, what would you sell, donate, or keep?

[Shabazz Ali]

I would say the pillow I would sell because I think you can auction it off and that can be really fun. Like, in the event of my death, it'd be great. Like Michael Jackson's glove, innit? Like, not that I'm saying I'm Michael Jackson.

[Dilly Carter]

It's literally same same.

[Shabazz Ali]

Exactly. It might as well be. You know what I mean? I think I'd probably get more than the Heart of the Ocean for that, but. And then I would sell the pillow, keep the medal, and then donate the skull.

[Dilly Carter]

Donate the skull. That makes sense. Very good choices. And my last question to you, where in your home is your happy place?

[Shabazz Ali]

My bed. Your bed, absolutely. I think it's just somewhere where I just chill.

[Dilly Carter]

Yeah.

[Shabazz Ali]

And everything just gets. Is outside. The quiet, the noise, the Shabazz says the brother, the son, the uncle is out of that. In bed, it's just Shabazz. I'm just me. I get to just be me in that room. I don't have to be anyone other than Shabazz.

[Dilly Carter]

Thank you so much.

[Shabazz Ali]

Thank you so much.

[Dilly Carter]

You've been incredible.

[Shabazz Ali]

I appreciate it.

[Dilly Carter]

I can't wait to be back with you. For more revealing home truths, organizational hacks and celeb unboxings, sort your life out. Unpacked is presented by me, Dilly Carter. You can watch us on iplayer and listen on BBC Sounds.

[BBC Announcer]

Xande, Happy anniversary. What are you talking about? Have I missed something? Yes, Zandi, you have. We are over a year into making what's Up Doc? You didn't even get me a card. Is it really over a year? It is. Think of all the episodes we've done. How to look after our feet, our shoulders, our hips, our teeth. We've explored snoring, cholesterol, the immune system, endometriosis, all with the help of expert guests. I think it's fair to say we have plundered the world of health and well being, equipping ourselves and our listeners with the best information out there on how to look after our minds, our bodies, our souls, even. And we're not stopping, are we, Chris? We're most certainly not sand. We have a lot of new topics coming up. From tinnitus to acne, crying, male fertility. We are holding steadfast in our mission to sort facts from fiction, debunking wellness myths along the way. And you can find all of our previous episodes of what's up Docs in the feed on BBC Sounds. And don't forget to subscribe on BBC Sounds and turn on the notifications so you don't miss any of these upcoming episodes Episodes.

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

He's widely recognized as one of the greatest footballers in history.

[BBC Announcer]

He's won the prestigious Ballon d' or award five times.

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

He's the all time leading goal scorer in professional football, and according to the

[BBC Announcer]

Bloomberg Billionaires Index, he's the first active footballer in history to achieve billionaire status.

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

Guess who we're talking about yet?

[BBC Announcer]

That's right. Good Bad Billionaire is exploring the life and fortune of football icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

[Good Bad Billionaire Narrator]

That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[BBC Announcer]

Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

You can never have too many tools. Shop Dewalt deals at Lowe's. Get a free select Dewalt 20 volt max power tool when you buy a select 20 volt max 5amp hour battery kit. Plus get a free additional Dewalt 20 volt max 8amp hour battery when you buy a Dewalt 10 inch 20 volt max dual bevel compounded miter saw. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's ballot through 624 while supplies last selection varies by location.