The P Word

'I'm not in your Britain. I'm in another Britain.'
Zafar flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK. Londoner Bilal (or Billy as he prefers to be known) is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man.
In Soho, at 2 a.m., worlds collide - and Zafar and Billy's lives are about to change forever.
The P Word is Waleed Akhtar's sharp-witted and devastating play charting the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men as they negotiate everything from casual hook-ups to the UK's hostile environment.
A story of who wins in the luck of life's draw, it was premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike and received widespread critical acclaim, winning the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre.

Waleed Akhtar was named the Most Promising New Playwright at the 2023 OffWestEnd Awards, for both The P Word and his debut play, Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan. His other work includes The Real Ones (Bush Theatre) and the English translation of Alexis Michalik's The Art of Illusion (Hampstead Theatre).