Nick Mohammed, the comedian and magician known for his role as Nate Shelley in Ted Lasso, has reflected on how magic became his 'superpower' as a child. Growing up as a short, brown kid in 1980s Leeds, he was the only person of colour at his primary school. Magic, he says, was a defence mechanism that helped him survive the playground.
Mohammed, born in Leeds in 1980, left a PhD in seismology at Cambridge to pursue comedy full-time. He developed his character Mr Swallow while in Footlights, inspired by his English teacher at school. 'She was inspiring, brilliant and absolutely crackers,' he recalls, describing how she once slammed down photos of Myra Hindley on desks during a debate on capital punishment.
Magic also proved useful during his teens. When he found himself in a Design Technology class with school bullies, the teacher, Mr Pike, would often ask Mohammed to perform tricks. 'Even the well-built 15-year-old lads would do anything I wanted if I could show them a vanishing handkerchief,' he says.
Mohammed's career includes appearances in Miranda, Life's Too Short and Stath Lets Flats, as well as playing Nate in Ted Lasso from 2020 to 2023. He also appeared in the 2025 series of The Celebrity Traitors. His current show, Mr Swallow: Show Pony, tours from 9 April to 20 June.
