Series 1, Episode 1
Omid talks about his days as a bit-part actor, Muslim fundamentalists and Godzilla impressions. Sketches include a self-help guide to countryside survival, a wannabe actor trying to impress a famous actress, and an innocent film director who finds himself directing Osama Bin Laden.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Saturday 17th November 2007
- Time
- 9:30pm
- Channel
- BBC One
- Length
- 30 minutes
Cast & crew
Press
I'm afraid The Omid Djalili Show was not as good as the torrent of advance publicity suggested. In the past, Djalili has proved himself a fine comedian, neatly combining his Iranian background with his current status as a middle-class Englishman to explore the two cultures - and, more importantly, to be funny. Saturday's show, by contrast, was just a great big mess.
Going for a Dave Allen mix of sketches and gags, it ended up misfiring on both counts. The sketches were generally overlong, and often uninspired to start with. The stand-up stuff had its moments - but never seemed sure whether it wanted to play with stereotypes or simply rely on them. Djalili still came across as an interesting and likeable man, and as a good actor. Nonetheless, some serious script-editing is badly needed if the series is going to do him anything like justice.
James Walton, The Telegraph, 19th November 2007
