‘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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How Insider is selling its newfound Facebook video expertise to brands

The rise of social video has changed the game for publishers like Business Insider, which owns a Facebook-based property called Insider that generates more than 1.3 billion video views a month across all platforms. In April, Facebook updated its branded-content policies that opened a path for... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA 2016: Inside EveryLibrary's National Campaign for Local Library Support

EveryLibrary is the only national political action committee fighting for libraries at the local level. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walking Dead creator: ‘Optimism doesn’t always show in my work’

Robert Kirkman on the enduring attraction of zombies, why exorcism fascinates - and how he doesn’t let social media chatter drive him crazy There’s one thing that might surprise fans of Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, the comic book author and TV series writer and producer whose apocalyptic... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virago to be subject of BBC Four documentary

The BBC is making an hour-long documentary about the founding of Virago for BBC Four. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Selling Positivity: A Look Inside Condé Nast Aurora

A Folio: Q&A with Glamour and Self publisher and chief revenue officer, Connie Anne Phillips. The post Selling Positivity: A Look Inside Condé Nast Aurora appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CI4: Big Presence for Small Presses at Show

Support from presses of all sizes has been key to CI's success, but this year even more small presses than usual will be at the conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC producer's The Elephant Thief to Chicken House

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC relaunches Love To Read campaign at Hay

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former BBC Africa correspondent pens 'dramatic' Somalia story

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Picador to publish 'inside story' of AIDS epidemic

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Walking Dead' creator's new show to debut on Facebook in Europe

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[ Engadget | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC’s public service remit includes recipes | Letters

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[ The Guardian | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Zuckerberg says many conservatives don't trust Facebook to show 'content without a political bias'

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Bitesize promotion will 'kill start-ups and destroy jobs'

Educational publishers have raised concerns over the BBC’s revision platform Bitesize, after the organisation launched a free app with cross-promotion on BBC TV and Radio. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers divided on BBC online shake-up

Cookery and travel publishers are divided over whether the removal of free recipes and some travel articles from BBC websites will benefit the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: It’s Show Time! Kids’ Events on Author Stages: Act II

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Books by Whitehead, Patchett Among Show’s Biggest

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inside Harvard Business Review’s Plans to Boost High-Frequency Traffic

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[ Folio Magazine | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC unveils 'unparalleled' Hay Festival presence

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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