Kohli was born in London but his family moved to Glasgow when he was four years old. He studied law at Glasgow University before joining BBC Scotland’s graduate production trainee scheme. Moving to London, Kohli began directing children’s TV programmes, such as the award-winning It’ll Never Work. In 1996 he left the BBC and began to work more independently, appearing on TV shows such as Question Time, Celebrity Masterchef and in 2018 the celebrity edition of Big Brother. Over the years he has contributed to both radio and print media, at one point writing a column for Scotland on Sunday. Kohli also performs stand-up comedy, appearing  at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on several occasions where he incorporated Indian cooking into his routine.