Daring Saudi TV show host breaks taboos, draws crowds

Prominent Saudi host and journalist, Dawood al-Shirian has gained the audience trust and interest due to his daring talk show, “al-Thamina ma Dawood” (8 O’clock with Dawood), a daily show aired at 08:00 pm KSA (1700 GMT). The TV program is Saudi Arabia’s first talk show, addressing everyday political, social and economic topics. Shirian previously gained popularity from his former radio show “al-Thania” on MBC FM. The radio show focused on similar topics and received callers to discuss topics with guest speakers. The TV host is known to lose his temper and confront his guests who appear on the show. Sharian is favored by his viewers for his honest opinions and discussions during the one-hour show. Unlike any traditional Arabic talk show, Shirian places no boundaries before his guests and audience. His bold way of approaching his guests during his talk show has earned him the trust to enter the hearts of millions of viewers as he elaborates issues of every family’s interests. The show hosts four guests per episode. Guests could be officials, experts, students, family members and women. In a popular episode which addresses the quality of food provided by charities across Saudi Arabia, Shirian did an on-air food testing providing feedback to the charity’s representatives. “Al-Thamina ma Dawood” is one of the most tuned-in program across the Middle East, along with Arabs Got Talent and Arab Idol. The show airs five days a week on MBC 1.