Diary of a Bad Man

Diary of a Bad Man (often abbreviated as DOABM) is a British comedy drama web series that premiered on 6 September 2010 and ended on 10 October 2013. The series was created by Humza Arshad and consists of continuous episodes uploaded on his YouTube channel HumzaProductions, revolving around the life of a young man and his relationships with his friends and family.[1]

Diary of a Bad Man
A screenshot from the opening title sequence
Also known asDOABM
GenreComedy-drama
Created byHumza Arshad
Written byHumza Arshad
Directed byBombay Spice
StarringHumza Arshad
Mohammed Umar Baig
Asif Hussain
Jaspal Kerrah
Yogesh Kalia
Jazzie Zonzolo
Narrated byHumza Arshad
Opening theme"Three Pointer"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English, Punjabi, Urdu
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)Humza Arshad
Production location(s)South London, United Kingdom
Editor(s)Humza Arshad
Camera setupSingle-camera setup
Running time10–30 minutes
Production company(s)Humza Productions
Release
Original networkYouTube
Picture format16:9 720p (HDTV)
Audio formatStereo
Original release6 September 2010 (2010-09-06) 
10 October 2013 (2013-10-10)
Chronology
Related showsSmokey Barbers
Badman
Badman's Britain
Britain Bubblegum
Black and Brown
Badman Blogs
Badman's World
"Coconut"
External links
Website
Production website

In 2011, the fifth episode was the seventh most viewed video on YouTube in the UK.[2][3] As of 2012, HumzaProductions had exceeded over 40 million views.[4]

Premise

The name draws itself from Nikolai Gogol's short story Diary of a Madman.[5] The series follows a fictionalised portrayal of Arshad consisting of video diaries chronicling the life of a self-styled "Badman with seriously good looks" as an exaggerated stereotype of an Asian youth in today's society,[4] who is also a "troubled young man with the mentality of a seven-year-old...[6][7] whose adventures don't shy away from controversy".[8]

Arshad's webcam monologues and sketches touches on impressing girls, arranged marriage,[4][9] racism, attitudes to women, relationship with his parents, his extended family and his friends.[4][9]

Badman is a dim-witted, stereotypical young guy in today's society who does wrong, makes mistakes, has no respect for anyone and gets into trouble. However, as each episode unfolds he slowly starts to learn from his experiences and improve on his flaws and character.[8][10][11]

The episodes are predominantly in English, but Arshad also uses Punjabi and Urdu phrases.

Production

The series is written, directed, edited and produced by Arshad. The supporting cast features his friends and occasional celebrity guests.[3] The episodes are shot in and around South London, filmed using a Sony Handycam HDR-SR12 and edited using Apple’s iMovie. The series theme tune is "Three Pointer" from the iMovie Music Directory.[12][13]

The advert for season two featured guest appearances from Richard Blackwood and Muhammad Shahid Nazir (One Pound Fish Man). The scenes in Arshad's father's shop Bubblegum Children's Wear are filmed in Thornton Heath, Croydon.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Humza Arshad as Humza (Badman): Main character of the series and narrates the story in each episode.
  • Humza Arshad also as Mr Arshad (Mr Bubblegum): The father of Humza who owns a shop called Bubblegum.
  • Mohammed Umar Baig as Umar: Humza's best friend who has betrayed Humza a few times during the first season and he is often ridiculed for being overweight.
  • Asif Hussain as Asif: Humza's enemy turned friend.
  • Jaspal Kerrah as Dexter: Humza's friend who is constantly insulted for being dopey.
  • Yogesh Kalia as Agent Kalia: A secret agent who works for the P.I.A (Pakistani Intelligence Agency) who he claims is a less intelligent version of the C.I.A. He initially met Humza during his search for Jazzie who had been kidnapped.
  • Jazzie Zonzolo as Jazzie: Humza's friend who is shown to be vain and claims to be half-Asian.

Recurring

  • Kasim Khan as Imam Ali Khan
  • Fayaaz Kassam as The Dentist
  • Junaid Malik as Kalum
  • Malik as Tony The Kala
  • Hasan Raja Azmat as Azmat
  • Stefan Mensah as D-Dark
  • Arnold Jorge as A Squeezy
  • Kiell Smith-Bynoe as Klayze

Badman

Guest

  • Maya as Umar's sister
  • Mehreen Baig as Humza's ex-fiancé (Ep. 8)
  • Prince Abdi as Somali Pirate
  • Dominic Othol as Smokey
  • Muhammad Mumith Ahmed as Mumzy Stranger
  • Tolulope Ogunmefun as Don't Jealous Me
  • Adam Deacon as Charles The Boss
  • David Vujanic as Mr Bricka

Episodes

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally released
Season premiere Season finale
1 10 6 September 2010 (2010-09-06) 27 January 2012 (2012-01-27)
2 6 30 June 2012 (2012-06-30) 10 October 2013 (2013-10-10)

Season 1 (2010–2012)

No(s). in series No(s). in season Title Running time Original release date
11"Part 1"9:126 September 2010 (2010-09-06)
22"Part 2"11:334 November 2010 (2010-11-04)
33"Part 3"14:065 December 2010 (2010-12-05)
44"Part 4"14:1531 December 2010 (2010-12-31)
55"Part 5"14:5913 February 2011 (2011-02-13)
66"Part 6"16:001 April 2011 (2011-04-01)
77"Part 7"16:1127 May 2011 (2011-05-27)
88"Part 8"18:1731 July 2011 (2011-07-31)
99"Part 9"20:0022 October 2011 (2011-10-22)
1010"Part 10"26:3027 January 2012 (2012-01-27)

Season 2 (2012–2013)

No(s). in series No(s). in season Title Running time Original release date
111"2.1"20:1830 June 2012 (2012-06-30)
122"2.2"19:231 September 2012 (2012-09-01)
133"2.3"20:0119 October 2012 (2012-10-19)
144"2.4"20:031 February 2013 (2013-02-01)
155"2.5"21:0015 March 2013 (2013-03-15)
166"2.6"30:0010 October 2013 (2013-10-10)

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally released
Season premiere Season finale
1 10 6 September 2010 (2010-09-06) 27 January 2012 (2012-01-27)
2 6 30 June 2012 (2012-06-30) 10 October 2013 (2013-10-10)

Reception

The Guardian called the series "a satirical take on British Asian culture, with a twist: the videos all end with a moral message."[4] The Huffington Post reported that the series "defy simple labels" and that episodes "begin with a superficial obsession end with a moral lesson."[14]

Arshad has also received criticism for jokes, which have offended Muslims. In the second season, he made an effort to moderate some of the jokes. To avoid offending people he has also neglected much of the Islamic elements, which formed a major part of the first season.[15] Islamic activist Muhammad Abdul Jabbar called the series disrespectful to Islam.[4]

Music videos

Title Episode
Jam That Hype Part 5
Rap Battle Part 6
Arranged Marriage Part 7
Lotta Riddim Part 8
Anti-Social Rap Part 9
Roti or Rice Part 10
Mirror Mirror 2.1
You Are Freshy 2.3
DTR (Down To Rishta) 2.4
Get Funky 2.5
gollark: I guess with a watch you can see who's calling?
gollark: Accepting calls would be useful-ish if you have a Bluetooth headset or something on I guess.
gollark: Pebbles, I mean.
gollark: It does cost a lot more.
gollark: Well, "advantage".

See also

References

  1. "Muslim comedian Humza Arshad becomes internet sensation". BBC News. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  2. "Talking dog's top YouTube hit". Sky News. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  3. Hawkins, Si (24 August 2013). "Diary of a funny man: the comedian Humza Arshad on love and hate on the web". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  4. Shahid, Omar (10 June 2012). "Diary of a Badman: 'I'm not a model Muslim, but I make people think'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  5. "SashTV- @HumzaProduction [Interview]". SashToonsTV. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  6. "Brit Asian 'Badman' comedy star announces tour". The Asian Today. 10 November 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  7. "Brit Asian 'Badman' comedy star announces tour". Desi Xpress. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  8. "Interview: Humza Arshad brings Diary of a Badman to 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe". The List. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  9. Marya, Yasin (22 November 2011). "YouTube sensation Humza Arshad gets ready to take his 'Bad Man' show on the road". Manchester: Mancunian Matters. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  10. Dakin, Melanie (14 July 2011). "Humza Arshad and Jeff Mirza head up charity comedy tour". Croydon: Croydon Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  11. Dakin, Melanie (14 July 2011). "Humza Arshad and Jeff Mirza head up charity comedy tour". Watford Observer. Watford. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  12. "YouTube 'Diary of a Badman' star visits school". Harrow: Metropolitan Police. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  13. "What's going on Bladrins?! Big up to the West Yorkshire fans!". Bradford: Awaaz News. 11 December 2011. p. 13. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  14. Hooda, Samreen (27 June 2012). "Humza Arshad's Diary Of A Badman Show On YouTube Has Fans And Critics". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  15. Shahid, Omar (4 September 2012). "Real Life: Citizen Khan is just a comedy, stop complaining!". Live Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
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