Tash Ma Tash is a televison serial broadcast every year in Ramadan. The creators of the serial, Naser Al-Qasbi and Abdullah Al-Sadhan, are both Saudi and their outlook and perspective are very much a home-grown. Watching the show has become a national pastime in the Kingdom after iftar in Ramadan.

This year Tash Ma Tash will be different from years past in that it addresses current social issues in Saudi Arabia.

The most important episodes:

‘The Sea of Tears.’ This deals with the negative aspects of soap operas in the Gulf in terms of the quality of acting, the script, the production and the way in which issues are addressed.

‘Don’t Come Near.’ This deals with the problem of a lack of places in Saudi Arabia for single men to relax. Most places are ‘family only’ and do not admit single men. ‘Matchmaker 007.’ This deals with matchmaking by calling a number and getting married over the phone. It is a comic episode which stresses the negative results of getting married this way.

‘Lord of the Rings.’ This is based on the movie of the same name and is a dramatic but comic story featuring sorcery, magic and the jinn.

‘May God Have Mercy On You.’ This addresses what relatives suffer, psychologically as well as physically, following the death of a loved one.

‘Tash Cartoons.’ In these are many characters such as ‘Dhab’, ‘Aliyaan’, ‘Saeedaan’ and ‘Asad Omar Qali’. The cartoons are fully animated. ‘The Elections Episode.’ Abdallah Al-Sadhan and Nasser Al-Qasbi play candidates running for office in the municipal elections. They deal with the failure of candidates to keep promises made before the election. The Kuwaiti actor, Hasan Al-Ballam, is featured as ‘Abu Ali’ and is a foil for one of Nasser Al-Qasbi’s sarcastic characters.

‘Jeddah’s Different.’ This is the first episode written by the actor, Yousef Al-Jarrah. He wrote the entire episode including both scenario and dialogue. This episode is expected to be one of the serial’s most striking, especially as it takes place in one of Jeddah’s old areas with narrow streets and alleys.

Many of these Tash episodes were filmed in Riyadh. The crew went through a lot of trouble taking footages in Riyadh.

Some scenes were also shot at Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport inside an airplane. A complete episode was also filmed in Cairo entitled ‘Oh, The Country Life’ with Egyptian comedians featuring in it.

Back Stage With ‘Tash’ Team

While recording the serial Tash 12 (its 12th season) in Jordan a number of comic episodes took place. The Tash team recorded an episode about the coming municipal elections in which Al-Sadhan and Al-Qasbi play candidates. Included in the episode was a scene of Al-Sadhan trying to gain votes by concentrating on the voters. He was comically affected by the episode and when he later had his lunch, he began serving those who were with him at the table. He went around serving and distributing food and making sure each person got the desired drinks and water. Between filming, Al-Qasbi took advantage of the breaks by grabbing a few winks on any available patio where he could enjoy Jordan’s cool fresh air. As for actor Yousef Al-Jarrah, he had a hard time adjusting himself to the mustache he wore in the episode, “The Lord of Rings.” The make-up man’s constant advice was that he should avoid moving the moustache lest it fall from his face.

In the elections episode, Abu Ali promised the crowds of people who were coming to vote for him, that he would remove all the damaged trees and replace them with palm trees — a promise which was merely one among many and none of which were implemented after he won office in the elections.

Among the episodes expected to have a major impact among viewers this year is one entitled, “For Your Sake.” In this, Al-Qasbi plays the role of Fuad who suffers a great deal until someone takes pity on him and he ends up marrying the daughter of the sympathetic individual.

This year’s Tash, the Tash stars will not be present in the episode Tash Cartoon that is addressed and directed at children. This episode consists of animated cartoons with the voices of Abu Hizar, Hizar, Nizar along with Habib Al-Habib in another episode titled “Dhab.” The Tash episodes this year also include an episode entitled “Life Goes On” which addresses the results of terrorism.