Diary of a Bad Man | |
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A screenshot from the opening title sequence
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Also known as | DOABM |
Genre | Comedy-drama |
Created by | Humza Arshad |
Written by | Humza Arshad |
Directed by | Bombay Spice |
Starring | Humza Arshad Mohammed Umar Baig Asif Hussain Jaspal Kerrah Yogesh Kalia Jazzie Zonzolo |
Narrated by | Humza Arshad |
Opening theme | "Three Pointer" |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English, Punjabi, Urdu |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Humza Arshad |
Location(s) | South London, United Kingdom |
Editor(s) | Humza Arshad |
Camera setup | Single-camera setup |
Running time | 10–30 minutes |
Production company(s) | Humza Productions |
Release | |
Picture format | 16:9 720p (HDTV) |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | 6 September 2010 | – 10 October 2013
Chronology | |
Related shows |
Smokey Barbers Badman's Britain Britain Bubblegum Black and Brown Badman Blogs Badman's World "Badman" |
External links | |
Website | |
Production website |
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.
In 2011, the fifth episode was the seventh most viewed video on YouTube in the UK. As of 2012, HumzaProductions had exceeded over 40 million views.
The name draws itself from Nikolai Gogol's short story Diary of a Madman. 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, who is also a "troubled young man with the mentality of a seven-year-old... whose adventures don't shy away from controversy".
Arshad's webcam monologues and sketches touches on impressing girls, arranged marriage, racism and attitudes to women. relationship with his parents, his extended family and his friends.
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.
The episodes are predominantly in English, but Arshad also uses Punjabi and Urdu phrases.
The series is written, directed, edited and produced by Arshad. The supporting cast features his friends and occasional celebrity guests. The episodes are shot in and around South London, filmed using a Sony Handycam HDR-SR12 and edited using iMac Movie. The series theme tune is "Three Pointer" from iMac Music Music Directory.
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.
The Guardian called the series "a satirical take on British Asian culture, with a twist: the videos all end with a moral message."The Huffington Post reported that the series "defy simple labels" and that episodes "begin with a superficial obsession end with a moral lesson."