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Reviews
The Fake Sheikh (2023)
Insightful view of UK tabloid journalism
Excellent character study of an ambitious young journalist who once reigned supreme on the front pages the now-defunct News of the World as well as an insightful overview of 1990s UK tabloid newspapers.
As the Fake Sheikh, Mazher Mahmood masterminded some terrific stings of high-profile figures of the day, including Sarah Ferguson, (former?) Duchess of York, Prince Andrew's ex-wife. Fergie is not one of those interviewed so just this once, Fergie showed some good sense.
The series includes interviews from Mahmoud's former coworkers and other journalists from the era. The son of Punjabi immigrants provides important cultural background for UK-born children, maybe particularly sons, of Asian immigrants.
The focus is clearly Mahmoud as the villain as he knocks down one famous person after the other using expensive locales and luring people to expensive restaurants with extravagant wine lists.
Mahmood's former partner of five years features extensively, speaking in Mahmoud's favor at times and giving details about her participation in one sting. Since Mahmood relied on his anonymity, we see only the back of his head and a close-up of his mouth during an interview with Emily Maitlis, the journalist who interviewed Prince Andrew about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The weak part of this series was the portrayal of three hapless up-and-coming young women, two models and a singer, as victims when they caved in to the Fake Sheikh Mahmood's request to supply him with drugs. He lured them promises of helping their careers and they took the bait. The interviews are only people speaking without an interviewer asking questions like, "Did you wonder why someone who appeared so wealthy and connected needed you to put him in touch with drug dealers?"
Mahmood played on their greed and ambition, and they took the bait. They complained he ruined their careers and their personal relationships but seem unaware of their own stupidity and vanity.
The question about where the editors were in this saga is unasked. Did they not ask him how he tricked these people, or did they not care?