Bazil Ashmawy

Baz Ashmawy

Baz Ashmawy in 2014
Born Bazil Ashmawy
(1975-04-09) 9 April 1975
Libya
Residence Dublin, Ireland
Occupation Presenter of radio and television
Employer Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)
Known for How Low Can You Go?
Fáilte Towers
Baz's Culture Clash
Baz's Extreme Worlds
Weekend Breakfast with Baz & Lucy
50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy
Baz The Lost Muslim
Religion Islam [1]
Partner(s) Tanja Evans
Children Hannah Ashmawy
Mahy Ashmawy

Bazil Ashmawy , commonly known as Baz Ashmawy,[2] is an Irish radio and television personality who co-hosted Weekend Breakfast with Baz & Lucy on RTÉ 2fm. He co-presented the 2008 reality show Fáilte Towers on RTÉ One.[3][4][5][6]

Early life

According to an article in the Carlow Nationalist, Ashmawy's mother Nancy is from Ballycoogue, Ballycoogue, Avoca, County Wicklow[7] although Ashmawy was born in Libya and is part-Egyptian.[2] He moved to Ireland at age eight and grew up in the suburb of Rathfarnham and attended CUS Leeson Street for a period of time.

Career

Ashmawy is 'best known for his antics'[4] on the popular RTÉ Two travel show, How Low Can You Go?[8] where he appeared with co-presenters Mark O'Neill and Michael Hayes. In remarking on his experiences with that show, Ashmawy said that he loved Las Vegas where he received a lap dance from (as he describes) 'a former hooker who looked like she was in her late 50s' and said of his experiences on the set of a porn movie in California that 'We saw things there that will be in our minds for a very long time.'[3]

Ashmawy is a sports fan who tried his skill at GAA management on the RTÉ show[2] Celebrity Bainisteoir.[4][9][10] According to The Irish Times, Ashmawy managed managing his team while wearing 'nicely polished footwear'.[11] When asked in an RTÉ Sport interview who he would like to see win the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Ashmawy joked that he was 'not going for the patriotic 'Go Ireland' I'd have to say New Zealand...typical. How boring is that. Think I've made myself feel a little sick there saying that. I'm going back....'GO IRELAND!'[12]

He appeared in Jason Byrne's award-winning prank series Anonymous. He later appeared numerous times on RTÉ One's flagship travel show No Frontiers before venturing into his own solo project Baz's Culture Clash on RTÉ Two. The series saw him travelling. His next project Baz's Extreme Worlds aired on 10 May 2010.

In addition to appearing on as television host, Ashmawy is an actor who has appeared in television dramas and other programmes.[5] He has also appeared in a plays and short films.[4] Although he says that comedy comes naturally to him, his dramaturgical background has led him to productions of classical theatre and the works of Shakespeare.[3]

In April 2015, Ashmawy began to host the Sky 1 quiz show "Fanatics" where fanatics of various things (e.g. Doctor Who) are tested on their knowledge of these things [13]

50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy

In 2014 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy was first broadcast on Sky 1. The show is based on Baz inserting his 71-year-old mother Nancy into various dare-devil situations, and documenting her typical Irish mammy reactions to the situations.[14][15]

From January 2015 the series, with the slightly different title of 50 Ways to Kill Your Mother has been aired on Discovery Channel in the USA.[16]

In November 2015 50 Ways... won the Best Non-Scripted Entertainment award at the 2015 International Emmy Awards.[17][18]

Critical reception

In 2008 Ashmawy has opined 'Most TV critics hate us' and has also said '...maybe RTÉ will get sick of us as well.'[3] Indeed, an article in the Evening Herald also in 2008 (subtitled '...Bellowing Baz just seems to have taken off for another planet') complained about Ashmawy's 'unnerving' personal style on Fáilte Towers and said that he 'seems to be addressing a completely different audience in a completely different programme on a completely different planet, somewhere inside the universe of his own head.'[19]

A later 2008 article by the same publication said that professionalism was something Ashmawy 'has a distinct lack thereof.'[20]

Legal history

On 4 March 2011, Ashmawy's employer, Raidió Teilifís Éireann, suspended Mr. Ashmawy for a period of one month following a drink driving incident the previous weekend.[21]

Personal life

He has two daughters Hannah and Mahy with Tanja Evans whom he met in 2006. He is also stepfather to Tanya's four other kids from a previous relationship (Charlotte, Harry, Jake and Amelia). The couple are set to marry in 2017. [22] One of his lungs collapsed on a transatlantic flight and he underwent double-lung surgery.[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/bazthelostmuslim.html
  2. 1 2 3 "Baz' hopes to lead the Billies to glory". Wicklow People. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "So, how low did they go?". Irish Independent. 12 April 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Fáilte Towers". RTÉ One. 2008.
  5. 1 2 IMDb: Bazil Ashawmy
  6. ↑ Wyatt Hotel Press Release
  7. ↑ Profile, Carlow-Nationalist.ie; accessed 9 January 2008.
  8. ↑ Horse Racing Ireland
  9. ↑ An Phoblacht (17 April 2008)
  10. ↑ The Once a Week Show
  11. ↑ The Irish Times (Saturday, 5 April 2008) Back to a familiar future
  12. ↑ RTÉ Sport Quick Tap: Baz Ashmawy
  13. ↑ "Baz Ashmawy to host super fan show The Fanatics for Sky 1". BSkyB. 2 October 2014.
  14. ↑ sky (Saturday 27 september 2014)
  15. ↑ "From Dublin to Hollywood! Baz Ashmawy's 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy hits American shores". evoke.ie. 16 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "From Dublin to Hollywood! Baz Ashmawy's 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy hits American shores". evoke.ie. 16 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "Baz and mammy Nancy bag international Emmy Award for 50 Ways to kill your mammy". Independent.ie. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  18. ↑ "Success! 50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy is nominated for an Emmy". evoke.ie. 6 October 2015.
  19. ↑ Evening Herald (Wednesday 6 August 2008)
  20. ↑ Evening Herald (Sunday 10 August 2008)
  21. ↑ Irish Times (Friday 4 March 2011)
  22. ↑ "Baz Ashmawy: Why I WON'T do magazine deal for my wedding". evoke.ie. 8 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Evening Herald (Wednesday 12 January 2012)
  24. ↑ Jarlath Regan (11 October 2015). "Baz Ashmawy". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (108 ed.). Retrieved 12 October 2015.
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