The story
Mobeen Deen has put his drug-dealing days behind him and is trying to live as a good Muslim in Small Heath, Birmingham, while raising his younger sister Aqsa with no parents on the scene. With best mates Nate and Eight at his side, he does his best to keep his family safe and his community together, but old connections and local trouble have a habit of dragging him back in.
Why it matters
Man Like Mobeen followed a familiar online-to-TV route: Guz Khan built an audience with YouTube character videos while working as a teacher, which led to a BBC Three pilot and then a series released first on iPlayer. Running to five series, it has been praised for its portrayal of working-class West Midlands life and British Pakistani-Muslim culture.
Born online
Guz Khan built a following with YouTube videos in character as Mobeen, which led to a BBC Three Comedy Feeds pilot made by Baby Cow. The first full series was released on iPlayer as a BBC Three title in December 2017, during the channel's online-only period; later series continued after BBC Three returned as a TV channel.
Notable facts
- Guz Khan began making Mobeen videos on YouTube while working as a secondary-school humanities teacher in Coventry. (source)
- Steve Coogan's company Baby Cow spotted the videos and made a pilot for BBC Three's Comedy Feeds. (source)
- The BBC commissioned a third series in March 2019 in response to the show's success with younger audiences. (source)