three boyz drive & dream of an impossible night on an endless street…

We are delighted to welcome debut author Sufiyaan Salam to Deansgate, celebrating the release of Wimmy Road Boyz: a blistering story of masculinity, violence and love set against the backdrop of Manchester’s ‘curry mile’.

Winner of the 2023/24 #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize, Salam’s frenetic first novel, a darkly witty coming of age, follows Immy, Khan and Haris over the course of one whirlwind night.

Sufiyann joins us, in conversation with British comedy legend Tez Ilyas, to discuss this electrifying debut and answer audience questions, followed by a signing.

Doors at 6pm. Ticket with Book option includes a copy of Wimmy Road Boyz, to be collected at the event.

About Wimmy Road Boyz

‘A landmark debut that will inspire many books after it. Salam’s prose flows with wit and feeling. You will love Wimmy Road Boyz’ —Nicola Dinan

a white bimmer hurtles down manchester’s curry mile, carrying three brown boys in pursuit of a wild night out, oi oi oi!

there’s IMMY (22) – nursing mad heartbreak but tryna get over it by chirpsing someone new, hoping to distract from the scores of rage bubbling up beneath…

there’s KHAN (23) – cambridge-gangster on a mission to avenge, losing himself to old stereotypes, illegal ventures on the sly…

and there’s HARIS (23) – the sensitive type, getting married next week but having second thoughts, feeling mad para about his day ones discovering all his secrets.

it’s an evening of chaos and mischief. three boys with nothing to do and something to prove. of course there’s gonna be trouble.

and look, what the boys don’t know: this night might just be their last…

About the Author

Sufiyaan Salam is a writer and former animator from Blackburn. He’s working on several TV and feature projects, and co-wrote the short film MAGID / ZAFAR, which won the BIFA award in 2025 and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Short Film. WIMMY ROAD BOYZ, winner of the #Merky Books New Writers’ prize, is his first novel.

Tez Ilyas achieved phenomenal success with his debut stand up hour TEZ Talks in 2015. A sell out run at the Soho Theatre and his own Radio 4 series based on the show followed, with a second series quickly being recommissioned. In 2016 his highly anticipated follow up show Made in Britain went on to sell out every single performance (including extra shows) at the Edinburgh Fringe and gained spectacular critical acclaim, with a smash hit nationwide tour in 2017. Tez has appeared on Live at The Apollo (BBC Two), The Last Leg (C4), Mock the Week (BBC Two) and many more. His Channel 4 comedy Blap Bounty is the most watched show in the strand’s 10 year history. In 2019 he fronted his own Channel 4 satirical sketch series The Tez O’Clock Show to huge critical acclaim. His hotly anticipated debut novel The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13 3/4, a teenage memoir, was released in 2021.