Principal production has begun on new 60-minute film: Shabaz Asks: Are Billionaires Bad? produced by Brighton-based Indie, Hello Mary for BBC3.
Shabaz Ali, better known to his four million plus followers as ShabazSays for his online comedy content on wealth inequality, celebrity and culture, will front the film. Ali kicked off the project with a callout on his socials for an interview with a billionaire: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU0dIkXjFue/
Shabaz, the self-proclaimed ‘King of the Povvos’, is known for his straight-talking reality checks on the super-rich, all filmed from his bedroom in Blackburn. In this new BBC commission, Shabaz will step out of his cosy hoodie and head out on a mission to meet a billionaire in person, to try and understand what life is actually like for the super wealthy – and whether they are as bad as some might think.
Shabaz Ali says “I’ve always looked at my social media content as only one way to approach important subjects. I’m interested in digging deeper into the issues of inequality, community and our comparative culture, and a film offers the most exciting opportunity yet to ask questions about our culture: whether it is broken, or whether we just need to update our perspective. There is no format quite like television in which to do that. I am super nervous, but I’m super excited to be working with the BBC to make a film that will explore the burning question ‘are billionaires bad?’ It’s going to be interesting to leave all the filming, editing, producing to someone else (since it’s always been just me doing it all for my online videos) but TV is something I have always wanted to do and this is going to be very fun!”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC, says “Shabaz has built a strong connection with young audiences by combining his sharp humour with genuine cultural insight. We are excited to be working with him on his television debut, and see him explore such a relevant debate. Shabaz Asks: Are Billionaires Bad? promises to be bold and conversation-starting and reflects the BBC’s commitment to distinctive, homegrown storytelling.”
Steven Regan, Executive Producer for Hello Mary, says “Like millions of others we’re massive fans of Shabaz and are delighted to show his legions of followers a new side to him, as well as introduce him to viewers who have somehow not discovered him yet. We love working with big characters at Hello Mary, and Shabaz is no exception: he’s clever, funny and provocative.”
Shabaz Asks: Are Billionaires Bad? will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three later this year.
Shabaz Asks: Are Billionaires Bad? (1×60’) is a Hello Mary production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. The Executive Producers for Hello Mary are Steven Regan and Paul Hughes, and the Director is Ahmed Peerbux. It was commissioned by Nasfim Haque, Head of Content for BBC Three. Ruby Kuraishe is the BBC Commissioning Editor.
Jon Creamer
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