A rough guide to Bassem Youssef
1974 – Bassem Youssef is born in Cairo. His early life is largely unremarkable.
1988 – He attends Cairo University’s medical school, majoring in cardiothoracic surgery. For the next decade, he works as a heart surgeon in Egypt, the US and Germany.
January 2011 – Youssef uses his medical skills to care for the injured in Tahrir Square as the Egyptian Arab Spring is in full flow. It is an experience that changes his life.
May 2011 – Inspired and influenced by Jon Stewart,
host of The Daily Show, Youssef posts the first episode of satire show B+ to YouTube.
July 2011 – After nine episodes of the online show, Egyptian channel ONTV offers Youssef a slot for a weekly political satire,
Al Bernameg ( The Show). It becomes the platform for many writers, artists and politicians to speak freely about the social and political scene.
June 2012 – Youssef makes his debut on The Daily
Show, giving host Stewart an extended interview. He becomes the show’s Middle East correspondent.
November 2012 – Al Bernameg returns for a second season on a new network, CBC, and in a new home, at Cairo’s Radio Theatre, making it the first live audience television show in Egypt.
January 2013 – It is reported that an Egyptian prosecutor is investigating Youssef on charges of maligning president Mohammed Morsi, whose office claims Youssef’s show is “circulating false news likely to disturb public peace and public security and affect the administration”.
March 2013 – An arrest warrant is issued for Youssef for allegedly insulting Islam and Morsi. Youssef confirms the arrest warrant on Twitter and says he will hand himself in to the prosecutor’s off ice “unless they kindly send a police van today and save me the transportation hassle”. He is questioned by authorities and released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds.
October 2013 – Al Bernameg returns for a third season. However, after Youssef again criticises the administration, during the season premiere, CBC distances itself from his views then cancels the show.
December 2013 – Youssef is named in the annual Time magazine list as one of the 100 most infl uential people in the world.
February 2014 – Al Bernameg is resurrected on MBC Al Masr. However, the network suspends the show during the Egyptian election campaign in May.
June 2014 – Youssef announces that he is ending Al
Bernameg, saying he feels the political climate in Egypt is too dangerous to continue.