Ilyas fell into comedy after googling online writing courses and completing a week-long open mic workshop[3] before becoming a comedian in 2010.

[14] He has appeared as the recurring character 'Eight' on the BBC Three comedy series, Man Like Mobeen, alongside comedian and actor Guz Khan.

[16] In January 2019, it was announced that Ilyas would host a new comedy programme on Channel 4, The Tez O'Clock Show, broadcast from dock10 studios in Manchester.

[17][18] Three 60-minute episodes of the show were aired on the channel from 25 July 2019, featuring a combination of comedians, satirical sketches and celebrity guests.

In November 2019, Ilyas was chosen to take over the Instagram of Jeremy Corbyn[24] during the Labour Party leaders' debate with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In January 2020, Ilyas spoke at a 'No War on Iran' demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London organised by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament following the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the subsequent Iranian missile attack on US bases in Iraq.

[29] Ilyas cites television shows such as South Park, The Thick of It and Blackadder, but most importantly the dry humour of the people of his home town, Blackburn, and his father, as his biggest inspiration.

[3] In July 2022, Ilyas announced on social media that he had married, sharing a photo of himself and his wife wearing their wedding rings.