Bassem Youssef leaves CBC
Rebecca Hawkes | 18-11-2013
QSoft, the production company behind Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef, says it is to leave the private channel that suspended his latest television series.
CBC took Al Bernameg (The Programme) off air after just one show, after it mocked both the military and ousted President Morsi, along with current nationalist zeal in the troubled North African country.
QSoft says it will now take legal action against Future Group, owners of CBC, to obtain compensation for financial and moral losses, according to Al-Ahram newspaper.
QSoft said in a statement that "CBC embellished excuses" for taking the programme off air on 1 November 2013.
The production company added: "The decision to suspend the show reflects a negative image to the world about democracy and freedom of expression in Egypt after the June 30 revolution, especially after several Western media outlets expressed concern over this sudden attack on freedom of expression which tarnished Egypt's image abroad."
CBS said Bassem Youssef, who is often likened to the US comedian Jon Stewart, was pulled from the schedules because he and his producer violated its editorial policies and had not kept to financial commitments. The decision followed a torrent of complaints about content in the opening show of the series, aired at the end of October.
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