Citizen Khan
- TV sitcom
- BBC One
- 2012 - 2016
- 34 episodes (5 series)
Sitcom focusing on Mr Khan - self appointed community leader and future President of the Sparkhill Pakistani Business Association. Stars Adil Ray, Shobu Kapoor, Bhavna Limbachia, Maya Sondhi, Krupa Pattani and more.
- Series 2, Christmas Special repeated Tuesday 3rd December at 1:40pm on U&Gold
Press clippings Page 7
BBC One's 'Citizen Khan' gets Christmas special
The BBC has yet to officially confirm this, but insiders tell me that they had long planned having a Citizen Khan Christmas Special and it was for that reason that when the series was re-commissioned back in September 2012 the BBC announced a seven episode order.
Patrick Munn, TV Wise, 31st May 2013Adil Ray interview
To coincide with the release of Citizen Khan on DVD, I spoke Mr Khan himself, Adil Ray, to discuss how Citizen Khan as we know it came about, what his influences were and some more general thoughts about his show.
Elliot Gonzalez, 21st October 2012Video: Writersroom interviews... Adil Ray
Adil talks to us about the writing process for the show, the challenges involved in representing a community on screen, and how he developed the Mr Khan character.
He responds to some of the reactions to the series and tells us about the sitcoms he's grown up with, and loved.
BBC Writersroom, 1st October 2012It was uncanny that the plot of Monday's episode of BBC1's family sitcom Citizen Khan revolved around Mrs Khan spoiling her husband's TV viewing. Because my wife did exactly the same thing to me on Monday night. She put Citizen Khan on.
Ian Hyland, Daily Mail, 29th September 2012Citizen Khan gets a second series
Citizen Khan, the BBC One sitcom about a Muslim family created by Adil Ray, has been given a second series.
British Comedy Guide, 27th September 2012Devised by and starring Adil Ray, Citizen Khan (BBC One) has been greeted as an all-time stinker. Is it really that bad? I'm afraid so, but it has its moments. The leading character is a Pakistani. Amiable and generous with his time, he is ready to have a long conversation with a cold caller until it turns out that the cold call is coming from India. He bangs down the phone, to a convulsive response from the audience.
Mind you, the audience responds convulsively to anything. At one stage Mr Ray did nothing but walk out of the kitchen to answer the phone in the hall, and he was met by a ripple of laughter. Why? No, the show is dreadful. But it might not be hopeless. There is room for it to grow. It might even turn into something as richly informative as the movie East is East, although for that to happen someone will have to get some writing talent from somewhere.
Clive James, The Telegraph, 22nd September 2012Spotlight On... Citizen Khan
The programme was critised for lazy cultural stereotypes and for insulting Islam, but certain prominent Muslims defended the show.
The Scotsman, 20th September 2012The sitcom set among Birmingham's Muslim community has provoked a rash of complaints to the BBC, mostly regarding disrespect towards the Qur'an. Few mention the BBC'' offence against comedy itself in commissioning yet another sitcom constructed almost entirely from clichés. Tonight Mr Khan (Adil Ray) becomes the Simon Cowell of Sparkhill in seeking a star performer for the local mosque's call to prayer.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 14th September 2012Citizen Khan is not racist, but it's not funny either
The programme's offence is to bring back sitcoms to the slavery of one-liners.
Christopher Howse, The Telegraph, 12th September 2012Citizen Khan - the view from abroad
Debate over the BBC's new comedy series Citizen Khan has spread beyond the UK thanks to the availability of video clips online.
Paul Brown, BBC, 7th September 2012