MUMBAI: BBC World is looking at increasing viewership in the Asian region through shows that build up intimate contact. Not too long ago, HardTalk's Tim Sebastian had come down to India to be interviewed by prominent personalities. Now, the channel is looking at enticing neighbour Pakistan through its first ever weekly chat show focussed on the country Face To Face Pakistan.
Through the show, the channel aims at increasing the variety and breadth of its South Asian coverage. The show presented by Mahvesh Murad, launches today at 10 pm. It will run along the same lines as Face To Face India. An official release informs that the aim of the show is to capture Pakistani life in its different facets by interviewing celebrities from all walks of life, getting them to reveal the sides of their characters rarely exposed to public view.
Murad kicks off the series by meeting Ali Azmat, the front man of Pak pop band Junoon. The group has been hailed the biggest Pakistani crossover success in music since the late Qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Junoon is now considered to be Asia's biggest band. Azmat talks about his life, his work and his vision for the future and tells why he both hates and loves the Pakistani people.
The programme is produced in Pakistan by Telebiz, one of the country's top production houses which also runs production facilities in Dubai.