‘Will Allah be OK with this?’: inside the BBC's first British-Muslim sketch show

They joke about airport security and overindulging over Ramadan. Meet the creators of Muzlamic, the trailblazing comedy exploring the contradictions of modern Muslim lifeAs Ali Shahalom and Aatif Nawaz scan the faces on the walls of the boardroom we’re in, their faces light up. “The BBC have put us in the brown room!” laughs Shahalom, gazing up at the cast of Goodness Gracious Me. It feels fateful that this is where we meet in Broadcasting House, given the impact the pioneering British-Asian sketch show had on these two comics. (“That was the first time I ever saw brown people on TV,” says Shahalom. “That did something to me.”) These days he and Nawaz are the trailblazers; they are about to launch Muzlamic – the first British-Muslim sketch show ever broadcast on the BBC. From airport interrogations to a childrens’ author forced to answer extraneous questions while plugging a book called The Diary of a Friendly Squirrel (“Don’t you think it was insensitive to release it so soon after the anniversary of September 11?!”), the Muzlamic pilot is made up of bite-sized chunks that never outstay their welcome. In one sketch, which they refer to as “the whitest brown guy”, two feuding colleagues stalk one another around an office in Stevenage, playing top trumps with facts like “I’m so white I have a loyalty card at Greggs” and “I think a C is a really good grade.”Shahalom and Nawaz often offer up a jester v straight man dynamic, with Shahalom playing loveable buffoons like... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-18 13:28:25 UTC ]
News tagged with: #brown people #loyalty card #open mics #unsuccessful attempts

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Adult Day in Photos

Lauren Groff, Keegan Michael Key, Sarah Jessica Parker, and more joined the U.S. Book Show on May 24 to discuss this year's most exciting forthcoming adult fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Jacqueline Woodson Works from Memory and Empathy

At a lunch-hour keynote on May 24, National Book Award winner and former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jacqueline Woodson sat down with bookseller Miwa Messer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show: B&N CEO Says Chain Is in Midst of Significant Change

As Barnes & Noble continues to put its troubled past behind it, CEO James Daunt outlined the "process of change" at the company, which includes renovating stores to make them more appealing, empowering employees, adding sidelines, and renewing the browsing experience both offline and on. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Comics and Graphic Novels Day in Photos

A who's who of comics writers and graphic novelists—and a surprising number of hip hop legends—joined the U.S. Book Show on May 23 to discuss this year's most exciting forthcoming books in the comics format. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Libraries Confront Post-Pandemic Challenges

The U.S. Book Show kicked off with lively discussions of the recent wave of book bans across the country, how citizens can successfully fight against those who would restrict our freedom to read, and how libraries and publishers can be strategic partners in enabling access to digital content. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Midtown Scholar, Emily Bates Named PW Bookstore, Rep of the Year

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Tensions Flare Inside The Messenger, a Fledgling News Site

The company’s high-volume approach to digital publishing has led to duplicated stories and alienated some of its journalists. At least one editor has already resigned. Continue reading at The New York Times

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Martin Amis, acclaimed British novelist and London scenester of '80s and '90s, dies at 73

Martin Amis, best known for a scathing, dazzling trilogy of novels on money-saturated '80s London and the memoir "Experience," died Friday at 73. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-20 20:05:38 UTC ]
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Martin Amis, era-defining British novelist, dies aged 73

The celebrated author of Money and London Fields, whose works defined the 80s and 90s literary scene, died of oesophageal cancer on Friday at his home in FloridaMartin Amis, the influential author of era-defining novels including Money and London Fields, and the memoir Experience, has died at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 18:53:35 UTC ]
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Polly Toynbee: what my privileged start in life taught me about the British class system

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[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 12:00:56 UTC ]
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Drawing Is Power! Chuck D Launches Book and Imprint at U.S. Book Show

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Book Awards Honor Salman Rushdie

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-05-16 00:21:54 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Harvey’s Tales

Sara Hoerdeman, the American Academy of Pediatrics marketing manager for consumer products, didn’t just nominate Harvey’s Tales in Geneva, Ill., to be PW’s 2023 Bookstore of the Year: she wrote a 500-word love letter extolling the virtues of the five-year-old indie, located in an upscale suburb... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Interabang Books

Named after the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, Interabang Books meets challenging questions with bold answers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Edmonds Bookshop

At Edmonds Bookshop in the historic town center of Edmonds, Wash., Michelle Bear refers to herself not as the owner but as “the most recent and honored caretaker.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Ty Wilson

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Emily Bates

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Live from New York, It’s the U.S. Book Show!

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Chuck D

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Tillie Walden

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