Podcast appearances and mentions of al bernameg

In 2011 Bassem Youssef was a little-known heart surgeon in Cairo. A year later, he was hosting his own political satire TV show, Al-Bernameg, drawing in 30 million weekly viewers as he made fun of the Egyptian regime. Bassem's comedy was groundbreaking but it proved too controversial to remain on air. In 2014 he was forced to move to United States, where he has since had to work to re-establish his career in a new language. Now, he's back in the news thanks to an explosive interview with Piers Morgan on the conflict in Gaza, which went viral. Tickets for his latest tour, The Middle Beast, are available at livenation.co.uk

Bassem Youssef thinks that he's come on the wrong podcast. “People in power don't really care about any of our suggestions to change the world”, he tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy, “because if our ways to change the world affect their interests, they will stop you.” And he knows what he's talking about, having fled his home country of Egypt after his TV comedy became no longer acceptable to the authorities there. Bassem started his career as a heart surgeon, then moved to political comedy in response to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, taking on the ruling elite in his country. His political satire show, ‘Al-Bernameg' was the most watched show in Egyptian TV history, but soon became a thorn in the side of the authorities there, forcing him into exile. In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Bassem Youssef talks about his view that Israel should be held accountable for the war in Gaza, how the Egyptian revolution was a turning point in his life, and why he feels disillusioned with the West's "lecturing" on human rights and international law. Produced by Shaheen Sattar, Silvia Maresca, Hila May and Alice Wagstaffe.

Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnick, and Vincent Oshana are joined by comedian, television host and surgeon Dr. Bassem Youssef! Bassem Raafat Mohamed Youssef is an Egyptian comedian, television host, and surgeon. He is best-known in his media career for having hosted Al Bernameg, a satirical comedy show focused on Egyptian politics, from 2011 to 2014. 3:16 - Bassem discusses when he decided to leave medicine and become a comedian. 15:45 - Bassem discusses why he fled Egypt following his criticism of the Egyptian government. 26:30 - Bassem explains why he won't perform in Israel. 48:32 - Did the Israeli government know about the October 6th Hamas attack in advance? 51:50 - How to move forward in Israel following the October 6th attack. 55:50 - Are the tensions in the Middle East a social or economic issue? 1:06:00 - How the United States government uses economic hitmen to bankrupt and run other countries. 1:15:00 - Why there were no wars that broke out under Trump's administration. Follow Bassem Youssef on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RTTTgQ For tour dates, tickets and more check out BassemYoussef.xyz: https://bit.ly/3TXD8DN Purchase Patrick's new book "Choose Your Enemies Wisely": https://bit.ly/41bTtGD Register to win a Valuetainment Boss Set (valued at over $350): https://bit.ly/41PrSLW Get a free "Future Looks Bright" Hat & T-Shirt: Purchase two "Future Looks Bright" Hats and one "Future Looks Bright" T-Shirt & use the promo code "pbdpodcast2024" at checkout! Connect one-on-one with the right expert to get the answers you need with Minnect: https://bit.ly/3MC9IXE Get best-in-class business advice with Bet-David Consulting: https://bit.ly/40oUafz Visit VT.com for the latest news and insights from the world of politics, business and entertainment: https://bit.ly/472R3Mz Visit Valuetainment University for the best courses online for entrepreneurs: https://bit.ly/47gKVA0 Text “PODCAST” to 310-340-1132 to get the latest updates in real-time! SUBSCRIBE TO:  @VALUETAINMENT   @vtsoscast   @ValuetainmentComedy   @bizdocpodcast   @theunusualsuspectspodcast  Want to be clear on your next 5 business moves? https://bit.ly/3Qzrj3m Join the channel to get exclusive access to perks: https://bit.ly/3Q9rSQL Download the podcasts on all your favorite platforms https://bit.ly/3sFAW4N Patrick Bet-David is the founder and CEO of Valuetainment Media. He is the author of the #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller “Your Next Five Moves” (Simon & Schuster) and a father of 2 boys and 2 girls. He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pbdpodcast/support

TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THIS INTERVIEW, GO TO INSPIRING CONVERSATIONS PODCAST CHANNEL OR VIEW DIRECTLY AT https://youtu.be/ydcuOhsEsdoJeff sits down with comedian Mona Aburmishan as she shares very deeply about her Journey in comedy, about her evolution, and about how she has connected with Source and with higher Consciousness through the performance of her craft.To learn more about Mona, her comedy, and her work, visithttps://monacomedy.comhttps://www.instagram.com/monaspix/?hl=enhttps://twitter.com/monaaburmishan?lang=enhttps://youtube.com/c/MonaComedyMona is an international comedian based in her hometown of Chicago.She performs, emcees, and produces comedy shows, competitions and events in major clubs, theaters and universities around the world. In addition to comedy, Mona is a sought-after speaker for her expertise in using stand-up comedy to bring joy and affinity to various socio-political topics in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Most notably, Mona is America's first internationally honed stand-up comedian. Similarly, she is the first Arab and Muslim woman to perform stand-up comedy in the nation's most prestigious institutions: Carnegie Hall in New York City as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as well as private events for diplomatic agencies.She has a Master's in International Development and is fluent in English, German and Arabic and performs in these languages. Living and working around the world, Mona uses her global insight and homegrown Chicago-style urban & sub-urban perspective, that offers a fresh look at shifting frustration into funny.In addition to regularly performing in the US, Canada, EU, UK and the Middle East, Mona is a sought-after headliner on the African continent. Becoming a regular in the South African market, Mona works regularly with comedians and multi-media personalities throughout South Africa's major cities: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. As for Northern Africa and Middle East, Mona was a featured guest on the wildly successful “Al Bernameg” with host Dr. Bassem Youssef's ground-breaking satirical news program (once North Africa's version of “The Daily Show”); as well as headlined Comedy Central's Season 2 and 3, Premier “Comedy Central Present: Stand-Up Al Waggif” filmed on location in Dubai, UAE - featured throughout the Middle East and Africa. She was the first female to headline this revolutionary series produced by Viacom.State side, Mona is a regular host and headliner throughout the Midwest, Northeast, South and West Coasts of US. While touring Mona always checks in with Chicago based media was a consistent featured guest on “Pretty Late with Patti Vasquez” Chicago's #1 late-night radio show WGN 720 Radio as well as a regular feature on Chicago's #1 daytime talk show, Windy City Live!Globally, Mona launched Class Clowns® “Comedy & Culture Series” a stand-up comedy, improv, spoken word & writing workshop for CORPORATE AMERICA looking to reinvigorate and pivot their corporate family into a productive 2021. These workshops are dual-development model whereby the same workshop will be offered to a community group, school or charity of the company's choosing.She is currently working with the University of Chicago to teach medical students comedy skills to relate better to their patients and overcome racism and income disparities“Leadership isn't just the person on stage talking into a microphone, it's everyone aroundthat person making sure the microphone is on and the person is seen & heard!”Mona is also a trained and professional medium and channeler.

AJ is joined in the studio by Bassem Youssef. They talk about the transition between the medical profession to satirical comedy, Al Bernameg, death threats, Plant b, what the future holds for Bassem and much more! Find Bassem onhttp://www.instagram.com/bassem/http://www.instagram.com/plantb.tv/http://www.plantb.tv/Don't forget to subscribe and press that notification bell and tune in on Spotify and all other audio platforms and give a follow to our instagram pagehttp://www.instagram.com/jibberwithjaberofficial/

Meet Today's Guest: Mona Aburmishan Mona is an international comedian based in her hometown of Chicago. She has performed, emceed, and produced comedy shows, competitions and events in major clubs, theaters and universities around the world. In addition to comedy, Mona is a sought-after speaker for her experience using stand-up comedy to bring joy and affinity to various socio-political topics in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Mona has a Master's in International Development and is fluent in English, German and Arabic and performs in these languages. Having lived and worked around the world, Mona uses her global insight and homegrown Chicago-style to offer a fresh look at shifting frustration into funny. Most notably, Mona became the first Arab and Muslim woman to perform stand-up comedy in the nation's most prestigious institutions: Carnegie Hall in New York City as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; and will be returning this Fall! Currently, Mona is back home in Chicago after having completed a powerful Pre-COVID touring schedule throughout US, and recently WON the “Kennan Thompson Road to NYC” comedy competition in Las Vegas this year; having just completed her Summer tour throughout the West Bank, Europe and the United Kingdom. As an international producer, host and headliner Mona in less than one week performed and produced 9 shows spanning Palestine, Switzerland, and the heart of London's thriving comedy scene. While in London, Mona was a special featured guest honoring her self-produced tour on “Islam Channel” as a thriving female Muslim entertainer which was broadcast to over 100 countries. In addition to regularly performing in the US, Canada, EU, UK and the Middle East, Mona is a sought-after headliner on the African continent. Becoming a regular in the South African market, Mona just recently headlined one of the world's top ten comedy establishments – The Cape Town Comedy Club and returns to tour the entire Sub Sharan African region again in early last year. As for Northern Africa and Middle East, Mona was a featured guest on “Al Bernameg” with host Dr. Bassem Youssef's ground-breaking satirical news program (once North Africa's version of “The Daily Show”); as well as headlined Comedy Central's latest Season 2 and 3, Premier “Comedy Central Present: Stand Up Al Waggif” filmed on location in Dubai, UAE - featured throughout the Middle East and Africa. She was the first female to headline this revolutionary series produced by Viacom. State side, Mona has been a regular throughout the Midwest, Northeast, South and West Coasts of US. While touring Mona always checks in with Chicago based media as a consistent featured guest on “Pretty Late with Patti Vasquez” Chicago's #1 late-night radio show WGN 720 Radio as well as a regular feature on Chicago's #1 daytime talk show, Windy City Live! Globally, Mona launched “Class Clowns” a stand-up comedy, improv, spoken word & writing workshop for kids and adults of all ages in all environments using the comedy club as a microcosm for leadership, self-expression, face-to-face empowerment and healing. The workshop is currently running in the Chicago & Cape Town, South Africa. She is currently working with the University of Chicago to teach medical students comedy skills to relate better to their patients and overcome racism and income disparities. Share with the audience a little bit about who you are, and why you're on the journey that you're in right now. The truth is this. I'm your classic bullied kid that turned out when she went back to her high school reunion that I was actually the bully. So I'm the reformed bully, whereby I really got to see that creating laughter as the school bully or the class clown that I was because I had a lot of stuff going on at home that I was bringing to the table. There was a lot of stuff going on personally, where making other people laugh, made me feel really, really good. That line of comedy and tragedy, I walked my whole life. I was a really, really big kid. And in order to get anybody to give me attention, I had to be the funny kid. And typically the funny kid can actually be the bully. So that's really my talk. My conversation and my journey was the emancipation of your high school class clown. It's a shift in perspective. Where, really, laughter is the best medicine. And you teach this laughter all over the world. I know you've been on some big stages, not only here in the United States, but internationally, so talk about that. I am my own worst bully. Because imagine, if you're the bully in school, who do you think else you're bullying? You're pulling yourself all day. Us comedians bully ourselves. It's like this rat race. So as my career was getting better and better, it took me a long time to look back and say, hey, Mona, you've done Carnegie Hall in less than a decade, kid. How about you tone down all your self hate? How many of us are super successful and still like I can't believe it. Where did you grew up Mona? I grew up in Chicago. I grew up by Wrigley. I have a Palestinian father who's immigrant came in 71. I have an American British mother and my grandmother immigrated after World War II from the United Kingdom. That was back when Arabs were like the hippies. My pops was in the 70s with this big Afro. And my mom's like he's super cute. So like me understanding my own identity where my Grandmother has a British accent. And my other grandmother is Palestinian like literally from the motherland. And I'm their translator because they don't speak the same language. How did you get into comedy? It was one Christmas Day. I had come back from Namibia finishing my thesis in late 20s. And my family said you need to be a comedian. My family said, listen, you're working so hard to entertain us. You need to be a comedian. I said, I just got my masters. The way they came at me was as if it was like a confessional. But that was the best journey of my life because I really did a deep dive into intellect because my first reaction was like, I'm not going to be comedian. They're dumb. Turns out, it's the exact opposite. Your comedian is your modern day philosopher, court jester, celebrity, teacher, reporter. So you have to know a lot about a lot of things. I know you have a really strong belief about comedy in our culture today. And more importantly, comedy as it really relates to our health. Can you tell us more? Tip #1 - The three tips that I would give anybody, right now, if they're listening to it, the most important rule in comedy is “yes and.” So whatever you're dealing with, lean into it. If you just got into a car accident, “yes and.” How was this car accident here to serve me? Right? So whatever's going on in your world, if you allow that the world isn't happening to you, it's happening for you. And you just have to add, these are principles of comedy. And these are principles of self-development. Tip #2 - The second would be a perspective exercise. Which is everything makes sense from the other person's perspective. What is that perspective? And how is noticing that gap in difference important? For example, when I walk into a comedy club, I walk in early and I evaluate my environment. Where's the waitress staff, what's going on with that? Has the lighting been set up in my environment? What is my environment? Understanding how they interpret me. As an American comedian, who has an English accent and my type of accent? What data are they assuming is true? Based on me walking on stage? Tip #3 - And third, is going to sound totally counter to number one, but third is the power of no. Being able to be like no, these are my boundaries. Then you can have you have control of the mic, you have control of your voice. And that's why when I teach these comedy classes for kids because if you can navigate society by being able to say Yes, and make fun of yourself, understand how they're seeing you, and how you're seeing yourself and able to say, No, no one's ever gonna mess with your mind. I work on a lot of spiritual, acupuncture meditative and the comedy classes that I teach like this perspective, exercise is taught at the University of Chicago level. This is a project that I'm currently in three year project where we're teaching physicians, the art of standup comedy, as a modality to navigate society, racism, income disparities, because when a white doctor walks in looking just like you, Christie with a lab coat, and there is an African American man, that's 80 years old, he is existing in a conversation that's tied to civil rights. So he might feel some type of way when you walk in, or you might be like, this is a black man, I don't want to I don't really don't want to insult him in any way, understanding some of the principles of comedy allows that to navigate much more holistically. And that's the project we're working on. Mona's Free Gift: I'd like to offer a 90-minute workshop which I'll have the information on when that live class is going to be. It's a 90-minute class clowns workshop. It's the same workshop, whether it's kids in high school for veterans, those old timers or in corporate America, where I've been doing a dual development model for corporate training, team building. A lot of these same principles go into all that training modality. So offering a 90-minute course. I might have comedian friends coming in and out of the background, in and out from different countries. You never know. We've offered that and then it will be also recorded and available for consumption. So we'll have that recording available. Free Gift Link How to connect with Mona: Website: https://monacomedy.com/ “Your comedian is your modern-day philosopher, court jester, celebrity, teacher, reporter. You have to know a lot about a lot of things.” – Mona Aburmishan  

Joining us today on Warrior Health is a special guest and international comedian, Mona Aburmishan.  Adam and Mona talk about the profound impact laughter has on our health and well-being. We’ve all heard the saying, ‘laughter is the best medicine’, but there is so much more to it.  Did you know when a room of people are laughing together their heartbeats are synchronized? Mona would argue that comedians are modern-day philosophers that can bring people together and facilitate healing. ________________________ Mona Aburmishan’s Bio Mona is an international comedian based in her hometown of Chicago. She has performed, emceed, and produced comedy shows, competitions, and events in major clubs, theaters, and universities around the world. In addition to comedy, Mona is a sought-after speaker for her experience using stand-up comedy to bring joy and affinity in various socio-political topics in the United States, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Mona has a Master’s in International Development and is fluent in English, German and Arabic and performs in these languages. Having lived and worked around the world, Mona uses her global insight and homegrown Chicago-style to offer a fresh look at shifting frustration into funny. Most notably, Mona became the first Arab and Muslim woman to perform stand-up comedy in the nation’s most prestigious institutions: Carnegie Hall in New York City as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC twice, and was the featured headliner this October 2018! Currently, Mona is back home touring the US, having just completed her Summer tour throughout the West Bank, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. As an international producer, host and headliner Mona in less than one week performed and produced 9 shows spanning Palestine, Switzerland, and the heart of London’s thriving comedy scene. While in London, Mona was a special featured guest honoring her self-produced tour on “Islam Channel” as a thriving female Muslim in global entertainment which was broadcast to over 100 countries. In addition to regularly performing in the US, Canada, EU, UK and the Middle East, Mona is a sought-after headliner on the African continent. Becoming a regular in the South African market, Mona just recently headlined one of the world’s top ten comedy establishments – The Cape Town Comedy Club and returns to tour the entire Sub Sharan African region again in early 2019. As for Northern Africa and the Middle East, Mona was a featured guest on “Al Bernameg” with host Dr. Bassem Youssef’s ground-breaking satirical news program (once North Africa’s version of “The Daily Show”); as well as headlined Comedy Central’s latest Season 2 and 3, Premier “Comedy Central Present: Stand Up Al Waggif” filmed on location in Dubai, UAE – featured throughout the Middle East and Africa. She was the first female to headline this revolutionary series produced by Viacom. Stateside, Mona has been a regular throughout the Midwest, Northeast, South and West Coasts of US. While touring Mona always checks in with Chicago based media as a consistently featured guest on “Pretty Late with Patti Vasquez” Chicago’s #1 late-night radio show WGN 720 Radio as well as a regular feature on Chicago’s #1 daytime talk show, Windy City Live! In Chicago, Mona produces and co-produced four comedy shows throughout the region; two most notably a weekly stand-up comedy open mic “The Riff” as well as “Lil Comix” a stand up, improv and comedy production class for kids. For more information on Mona, international press, productions, and her schedule, please visit monacomedy.com. _______________________________ Welcome to Warrior Health. A podcast dedicated to the education of those seeking to find a holistic approach to health and wellness. Each week Dr. Adam Splaver, M.D., will speak to his listeners about a method and blueprint that will integrate every aspect of their physical and spiritual health. Sharing this information so that you too, can enjoy a happy and healthy lifestyle.

“Hate is illogical and hating other human beings is something that is outside of our nature”Bassem YoussefOne minute you're a heart surgeon. Blink once and you're hosting the most watched television program in Middle East history. Blink again and you're exiled from the homeland that made you famous.The story of Bassem Youssef is legend. But there's far more to this tale than meets the eye.Dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, today's guest is an Egyptian cardiothoracic surgeon and member of the Royal College of Surgeons who caught lightning in a bottle making catchy 5-minute YouTube videos in his Cairo laundry room. A flash moment later, he’s a media mega-star, the man behind a controversial, first-of-it’s-kind political satire program entitled Al-Bernameg that garnered a massive and unprecedented 30 million viewers every week.Insightful as it was incisive, Al-Bernameg received global acclaim and coverage in some of the world's biggest media outlets, culminating in Bassem appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – twice. But Bassem's bold criticism of the ruling powers led to accusations that he was disrupting public order, insulting Islam and its Armed Forces. Over 120 complaints were lodged with the General Prosecutor's office. Tens of lawsuits were filed. He was publicly smeared. Opponents put his theatre under seige, even jamming his satellite signal during airing.Then came the arrest — a detainment that brought Bassem to the realization that his media career in Eqypt had come to a swift and decisive end, culminating in Bassem fleeing his homeland for the United States.Nonetheless, Bassem’s work made an indelible imprint on Middle East culture. He landed on TIME magazine’s annual 100 Most Influential People list. He was awarded the International Press Freedom Award by the CPJ and chosen by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the global thinkers.The focus of the acclaimed documentary Tickling Giants, Bassem is the author of Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring*. And when he isn’t developing television projects or performing stand up comedy, he hosts a recently launched podcast entitled Remade In America.But Bassem's latest act could be his most impactful to date: the quest to revolutionize nutrition and health across the Middle East.As passionate about the plant-based lifestyle as he is about political satire, Bassem is on an unlikely yet zealous quest to leverage his medical background and massive influence across the Middle East (10+ million twitter followers!) to better educate the region on the inextricable connection between nutrition, illness and optimal health.This is a powerful conversation about how one doctor became a lightning rod media figure in the cross hairs of political power and social unrest.It’s about fake news, free speech and the cultural imperative of political satire in responsible citizenship.And it's a discourse on how this man's personal evolution and relationship with food motivated a desire to redress the chronic lifestyle illness epidemic America has exported across the Middle East.Note: we conducted this interview at Bassem’s apartment in the midst of a crazy LA heatwave that left my studio with a po... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bassem Youssef, dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, was the host of the popular tv show "Al Bernameg " which was the first political satire show in the middle east. Originally a 5-minute show on Youtube, Al Bernameg became the first show to transition from online to television in the Middle East and the most watched show across the region with 30 million viewers every week.Youssef is currently hosting a podcast called "Remade in America" presented by CAFE and available for download and streaming here: https://art19.com/shows/remade-in-america-with-bassem-youssefRecently, he released a book about his experience “Revolution for Dummies: Laughing through the Arab Spring” where he gives different perspectives and insights on the Egyptian political scene through the Arab spring and after.

Bassem Youssef, dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, was the host of the popular tv show "Al Bernameg " which was the first political satire show in the middle east. Originally a 5-minute show on Youtube, Al Bernameg became the first show to transition from online to television in the Middle East and the most watched show across the region with 30 million viewers every week.Youssef is currently hosting a podcast called "Remade in America" presented by CAFE and available for download and streaming here: https://art19.com/shows/remade-in-america-with-bassem-youssefRecently, he released a book about his experience “Revolution for Dummies: Laughing through the Arab Spring” where he gives different perspectives and insights on the Egyptian political scene through the Arab spring and after.

Comedian Bassem Youssef, star of the documentary film "Tickling Giants," shares his journey with "Al Bernameg."

Sara Taksler and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film Tickling Giants, fear, politics, outrage, hope and oppression and why jokes are an easier delivery system for calling out hypocrisy.  Trailer IMDB More about the film here on the website. Synopsis: In the midst of the Egyptian Arab Spring, Bassem Youssef makes a decision that’s every mother’s worst nightmare... He leaves his job as a heart surgeon to become a full-time comedian. Dubbed, “The Egyptian Jon Stewart,” Bassem creates the satirical show, Al Bernameg. The weekly program quickly becomes the most viewed television program in the Middle East, with 30 million viewers per episode. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart averaged two million viewers. In a country where free speech is not settled law, Bassem’s show becomes as controversial as it popular. He and his staff must endure physical threats, protests, and legal action, all because of jokes. As Bassem attempts to remain on the air, keep his staff safe, and not get arrested, he continues to let those in power know they’re being held accountable. Despite increasing danger, the team at Al Bernameg employ comedy, not violence, to comment on hypocrisy in media, politics, and religion. Tickling Giants follows the team of Al Bernameg as they discover democracy is not easily won. The young women and men working on Bassem’s show are fearless revolutionaries, who just happen to be really, really funny. No unicorns or falafel were harmed in the making of this film Biography A Senior Producer at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Taksler has pitched stories and jokes, and researched footage for over a decade. Taksler directed and produced the feature documentary, TWISTED: A Balloonamentary, a hilarious and heartwarming look at the world’s premier balloon-twisting convention, with film partner Naomi Greenfield. After debuting at South by Southwest, Hollywood Reporter called the film “A thoroughly winning feature” and Variety hailed it as “A feel good, irony-free celebration”. Taksler’s first film, Stop the Ignorance: The Beauty That Is New Jersey, was a tribute to her home state. Her latest documentary, Tickling Giants, will have its world premiere at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Taksler can talk backwards and has a remarkable fake sneeze. Sara’s favorite way of Tickling Giants: Using comedy to find cathartic ways to process major bummers. ---------- For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here. With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. Image Copyright: Sara Taksler. Sarkasmos Productions. Used with permission See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

TICKLING GIANTS is a great story about the power of political satire in the face of oppression. In the midst of the Egyptian Arab Spring, Bassem Youssef makes a decision that’s every mother’s worst nightmare… He leaves his job as a heart surgeon to become a full-time comedian. Dubbed, “The Egyptian Jon Stewart,” Bassem creates the satirical show, Al Bernameg. The weekly program quickly becomes the most viewed television program in the Middle East, with 30 million viewers per episode. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart averaged two million viewers. In a country where free speech is not settled law, Bassem’s show becomes as controversial as it popular. He and his staff must endure physical threats, protests, and legal action, all because of jokes. As Bassem attempts to remain on the air, keep his staff safe, and not get arrested, he continues to let those in power know they’re being held accountable. Despite increasing danger, the team at Al Bernameg employ comedy, not violence, to comment on hypocrisy in media, politics, and religion. Directed by Sara Taksler TICKLING GIANTS follows the team of Al Bernameg as they discover democracy is not easily won. The young women and men working on Bassem’s show are fearless revolutionaries, who just happen to be really, really funny. The subject of Tickling Giants, Bassem Youssef joins us for a conversation on the cost and consequences of speaking out. For news and updates go to: ticklinggiants.com

In just a few short years, comedian Bassem Youssef, often referred to as "The Jon Stewart of Egypt", went from being Egypt's biggest television star, pulling in 30 millions viewers a show, to living in political exile. But what does his unprecedented popularity, and subsequent cancellation tell us about the impact and importance of modern satire? To find out, Rob and Geoff sit down with Sara Taksler, Senior Producer at The Daily Show, and director of TICKLING GIANTS, a documentary on Bassem and his show, AL BERNAMEG. The three chat about how AL BERNAMEG became Egypt's first, and last, political satire show (7:20), what the show's popularity says about the power of satire in the Middle East (9:05), and why the best comedy often comes out of the toughest situations (10:50). They also discuss the importance of satire in today's political climate (15:30), question if the glut of political satire in popular culture is fatiguing to the consumer (23:10), and wonder if the form is changing opinions or just preaching to the choir (24:25)

Bassem Youssef - credited as a key figure in the Arab Spring - is a global icon of freedom of expression and political satire. Despite its immense popularity, in June 2014 Youssef had to end his TV satire show, Al Bernameg, and leave Egypt due to continued threats and harassment. Bassem Youssef joins The Chaser’s Chris Taylor for a conversation about the perils and power of laughing at politicians. For more info and speaker's biography see this page: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2015/bassem_youssef_and_the_chaser.shtml