DUBAI: Doctors at a mental health hospital in Cairo called on Egyptian officials to stop airing the controversial “Ramez Magnoun Rasmy” Ramadan prank show, following a social media backlash over the weekend.
Egyptian actor Ramez Galal faced criticism on social media after his popular annual prank show aired on Friday.
Since 2011, the star has been presenting hidden camera shows during Ramadan in which he pranks some of the biggest stars from the world of entertainment, sport and media.
However, doctors from the mental health hospital in Abbasiyah warned, in a statement issued the hospital’s board of directors, of the dangers of violence and torture that the program includes on the mental health of the viewers.
In the statement published by state-owned daily Ahram, the doctors called on the Public Prosecutor and the Supreme Media Regulatory Council to take action and cancel the show.
The statement said the show’s scenes of “violence, torture and bullying” could be a mental health trigger for viewers already suffering from a “state of anxiety, fear and tension” due to the coronavirus global outbreak.
Each year, viewers criticize Galal for his extreme, humiliating pranks. But this year, the audience did not seem impressed.
His show, which translates to “Ramez is officially crazy,” invites guests who think they are going to be interviewed by Yemeni TV presenter Arwa.
The celebrities sit on a “confession chair” and midway through the interview Galal appears and takes over the show.
He starts by rotating the stars, who are locked in what turns out to be a rollercoaster chair, 360° around the set.
Galal then puts the celebrities in a water tank where he throws in animals, like snakes and crabs, to scare the guests.
Once the stars think this is all over, they are set free. But before they can make another move, they fall into another water tank.
“It seems fake and the stars seem to be in on the prank,” Palestinian viewer Sarah Khader told Arab News.
“To be honest, I usually watch his shows every year, but this year it was disappointing. I was expecting much more,” Egyptian fan Kareem Nagy said.
“It is very humiliating and it is not a prank,” said another Egyptian viewer Logeen Abdelal.
On social media, one user created memes that read: “Where is the prank in the show?”
Another user wrote: “This show should be really stopped. I only watched the first two mins and I couldn’t support to watch more! This isn’t funny at all.”
