Diary of a Bad Man

Last updated
Diary of a Bad Man
Diary of a Badman.jpg
A screenshot from the opening title sequence
Also known asDOABM
Genre Comedy drama
Created by Humza 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 languagesEnglish, Punjabi, Urdu
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerHumza Arshad
Production locations South London, United Kingdom
EditorHumza Arshad
Camera setup Single-camera setup
Running time10–30 minutes
Production companyHumza Productions
Release
Original network YouTube
Original release6 September 2010 (2010-09-06) 
10 October 2013 (2013-10-10)
Related
Smokey Barbers
Badman
Badman's Britain
Britain Bubblegum
Black and Brown
Badman Blogs
Badman's World
"Coconut"

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]

Contents

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 focus on topics such as impressing girls, arranged marriage, [4] [9] racism, attitudes towards women, his relationship with his parents, and his extended family and friends. [4] [9]

Badman is a dim-witted, stereotypical young man 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.

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
Season premiere Season finale
1 10 6 September 201027 January 2012
2 6 30 June 201210 October 2013

Season 1 (2010–2012)

No(s). in seriesNo(s). in seasonTitleRunning timeOriginal 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 seriesNo(s). in seasonTitleRunning timeOriginal 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

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
Season premiere Season finale
1 10 6 September 201027 January 2012
2 6 30 June 201210 October 2013

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]

See also

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References

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  7. "Brit Asian 'Badman' comedy star announces tour". Desi Xpress. 10 November 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
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  10. Dakin, Melanie (14 July 2011). "Humza Arshad and Jeff Mirza head up charity comedy tour". Croydon Guardian . Croydon. 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. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
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