Sami Abu Wardeh lands Channel 4 satire on the super-rich, The Sheikh
Sami Abu Wardeh has landed a semi-improvised, satirical series for Channel 4, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
In The Sheikh, the UK-based Palestinian character comic and clown takes on the title role of Sheikh Ahmed Al Kabir, "867th richest person in the world", a billionaire from an unspecified Middle Eastern country seeking to splash his riches on the "poor and deprived island" of Britain.
Accompanied by his bodyguard (and former stripper) Jimmy (Joe Palermo), Sheikh Ahmed will immerse himself in various aspects of British culture across the five episodes on Channel 4's digital channels - including death, love, food, fashion and football - as the series mixes scripted elements with celebrity interviews and interactions with unsuspecting members of the public.
The Sheikh had an under-the-radar launch at the end of last year, with the character trying to plan a funeral for himself to overshadow the late Queen's:
BCG also has an exclusive clip from the forthcoming fashion episode here:
"We love Channel 4 in my country!" Sheikh Ahmed told BCG. "I am a big fan of their greatest shows like Coronation Street and ITV News at 10. I am sorry to say that my recent attempt to purchase Channel 4 has failed, but I am very glad Channel 4 have offered me my own show in exchange for me not pursuing legal action for breach of contract."
With further episodes dropping weekly from February 5th, The Sheikh is produced by Alex Gilman (British As Folk, One Night In...) for Untold Studios, who previously made the spoof storytelling series for kids, Once Upon A What?!, with Munya Chawawa.
The Sheikh arguably echoes the character-delivered interviews of satirical Channel 4 shows such as Brass Eye and The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, as well as the work of Sacha Baron Cohen and Paul Kaye, while nodding towards the huge amount of Middle Eastern wealth that currently flows through London, not all of it legally.
"Channel 4 has a rich history of throwing shameless comedy characters into the real world to cause havoc and The Sheikh is the next in line," said Charlie Hyland, digital commissioning editor for comedy at Channel 4. "Not only is he likeable, but he unwittingly pokes into often uncharted worlds inhabited by the super-rich, satirising their excesses with hilarious confidence!"
The Sheikh was created by and is executive produced by Wardeh with Jonathan Levene and Jack Kennedy at Untold.
Some credit for the character may also be due to disgraced undercover journalist Mazher Mahmood, better known as "The Fake Sheikh", who posed in character to secure various tabloid stings.
Alongside numerous investigations that led to criminal convictions, Mahmood attracted allegations of breaking the law himself without any clear public interest justification, including several episodes in which he was accused of entrapment. In 2016 he was jailed for 15 months after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
According to analysis by the Visual Capitalist website, London is the fourth-ranked city in the world for the number of millionaires it contains, with an estimated 272,400, placing it only behind New York, Tokyo and San Francisco.
"We're delighted Channel 4 have the chutzpah to allow us to continue nurturing new talent," said Levene. "It's been an exciting journey to work with Sami on his first production, creating a character that takes a well-timed poke into the absurd world of extreme wealth."
Wardeh made his Edinburgh Fringe debut last year with the show Bedu, attracting four star reviews from the Guardian, List magazine and Chortle.