BAFTA nominated BBC comedy set to return for final ever series – and fans don’t have long to wait
A BAFTA nominated BBC comedy is soon returning for its final ever series.
Having launched in December 2017, the show has already aired four series to date.
Man Like Mobeen follows the title character, a reformed drug dealer trying to lead a law-abiding life in Birmingham’s Small Heath.
Created by and starring Guz Khan, the programme is coming back for a final outing.
Mobeen struggles to balance his past with Muslim family values, all while raising his younger sister Aqsa and navigating life with his close-knit friends Nate and Eight.
Fans don’t have long to wait for new episodes – the final series will launch on Thursday, May 1 at 9pm on BBC Three.
It will be then immediately followed by episode two at 9.20pm – with the remainder to be a boxset for fans wishing to binge-watch.
The BBC synopsis reads: “Mobeen is back on the outside and reunited with the gang in Small Heath, before embarking on an epic adventure overseas, if Mobeen can get his hands on a plane ticket and fake passport, that is.”
Alongside Guz, other returning cast members include Salman Akhtar as Saj, Duaa Karim as Aqsa, Mark Silcox as Uncle Shady and Korkmaz Arslan as Emre.
It will also feature the return of Hussina Raja as Nida.
In a previous statement, Guz admitted that the only reason he agreed to write another series was to provide closure for fans.
He explained how viewers had been eagerly waiting to see what happens next.
This is especially after series four ended with Mobeen’s brutal prison attack.
Guz joked: “I can’t even shop at Aldi without someone popping out from behind the bread aisle and asking me when there’s going to be more Man Like Mobeen.
“So, for you, and only for you, here’s one, final, very last, never to be done again season of Man Like Mobeen.
“Please don’t make me make any more, I got loads of kids to raise and that.”
Best BBC comedies
We look back at some of the best to ever grace the screen.
Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) – Only two series were made of the beloved institution. However, the cultural impact of the series starring John Cleese and Connie Booth spans decades. It follows rude and intolerant Basil Fawlty (Cleese) as he attempts to improve the reputation of his hotel.
Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003) – The show was crowned by some as the best British sitcom of all time by a TV poll in 2004. Seven series were broadcast on BBC until 1991 with additional sporadic Christmas specials airing until 2003. Sir David Jason starred as ambitious market trader Derek “Del Boy” Trotter whilst Nicholas Lyndhurst played his younger half-brother Rodney. Set in working-class Peckham in south-east London, it follows the highs and lows of the lives of the Trotters’, in particular their brazen attempts to get rich.
Blackadder (1983 – 1989) – Four series were made of the iconic show, created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. Each series spans a different historical period as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder (Atkinson) tries to better himself in each society. Accompanied by his dogsbody Baldrick (Tony Robinson), trouble always ensues. A TV poll in 2004 found that Blackadder was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time
Absolutely Fabulous (1992 – 2012) – Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley star as failing PR guru Edina ‘Eddie’ Monsoon and alcoholic fashionista Patsy Stone. The pair embark on heavy-drinking sessions and abuse drugs in a desperate attempt to stay ‘hip’. Eddie constantly chases bizarre fads and fails to lose weight whilst her disappointed and neglected daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) looks on.
Little Britain (2003 – 2006) – The premise is simple. A sketch show which features different British people from all walks of life that are engaged in all sorts of comical scenarios. Starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, the pair created iconic pop culture characters. Viewers loved obnoxious council estate teenager Vicky Pollard, morbidly obese scrounger Bubbles Devere, slimming coach Marjorie Dawes, despondent office worker Carol Beer, disgraced politician Sir Norman Fry, of course the iconic Lou and Andy!
The Catherine Tate Show (2004-2015) – A sketch show starring the likes of Catherine Tate. She made iconic characters such as rowdy schoolgirl Lauren Cooper with her line ‘Am I bovvered?’. Other characters featured Bernie the nurse, the aga saga woman, complaining couple Janice and Ray, and of course her infamous ‘Nan’, Joannie Taylor. The last character herself spawned multiple specials and even a movie.
Gavin and Stacey (2007 – Present) The series tells the story of Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page). The pair embarked on an online and telephone romance for six months. But when they finally decide to be together properly, their friends and family get in the way. Ruth Jones and James Corden created the beloved show, which has been going for over a decade. The 2019 Christmas special was the most-watched comedy in 17 years and the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade.
It was previously revealed the final series is going to be set in Coventry and Turkey.
Man Like Mobeen won Best Comedy at the 2020 Broadcast Digital Awards, and has been a consistent top performer for BBC Three.
Series four was the platform’s most-watched comedy in 2023, with an average audience of 1.1 million.
The final series of Man Like Mobeen launches on May 1 at 9pm.