Bassem Youssef: Egypt’s revolutionary comedian
Egyptian doctor Bassem Youssef gave up his surgical scrubs to become a satirist during the Arab Spring. But his political parodies soon landed him in trouble with the authorities.
Bassem Youssef was a heart surgeon in Cairo during the Arab Spring when he started poking fun at the politicians in power. His style of subversive comedy was ground-breaking, and Bassem soon became one of the best known comedians in the Middle East. For a while he was described as 'Egypt's Jon Stewart'. Bassem's television show was wildly popular but his fan base didn't extend to the Egyptian authorities. His show was cancelled and soon he had to flee his home. He talks to Jo Fidgen about the personal price of satire in Egypt's revolution.
Image: Bassem Youssef
Credit: Kareem Mazhar
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- Mon 19 Aug 201911:06GMTBBC World Service
- Mon 19 Aug 201915:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Mon 19 Aug 201917:06GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa
- Mon 19 Aug 201920:06GMTBBC World Service South Asia
- Tue 20 Aug 201902:06GMTBBC World Service UK DAB/Freeview
- Tue 20 Aug 201903:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia, Online, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
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