Arabic drama podcast ‘The Basement’ to run from September

The Basement, a podcast whose creators claim it is the region’s first original drama podcast series, will start broadcasting in September.

The production will be available on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anghami, Deezer and Spotify.

The episodes, delivered in Arabic, are a fictional mystery series centred around Fadi Younan, a washed-up YouTube star who is looking for a way to reclaim his fame and success in the Arab world via a box of long-lost tapes he stumbles upon in a basement.

Set up as a podcast within a podcast, the series sees Younan, the main protagonist of the show, start a podcast himself where he plays the tapes he has discovered in the basement and discusses the mystery with his audience.

Producers Finyal Media say The Basement will feature “dynamic voice acting, realistic sound mixing and cinematic music scoring”.

“We’re excited to launch the MENA region’s first original scripted drama series for the podcast medium next month,” said Leila Hamadeh, co-founder and CEO of Finyal Media.

“The drama podcast format, which plays out like a movie or a TV series is growing in popularity, and it lends itself well to engaging storytelling that makes this particular genre of podcasts so captivating. Our new show is a first for the region and we’re excited to be leading the charge with the launch of this series created for Arab youth in the Middle East,” Hamadeh said.

Finyal Media specialises in producing fictional series on the podcast format focused on the youth.

“It’s been our mission to create content that resonates with the Arabic youth of the region. With The Basement, we are looking to engage with our audience in a different way, to create something new, exciting and different that will provide lots of twists and turns, keeping listeners in suspense until the very end,” said Mshari Alonaizy, co-founder and chief creative officer of Finyal Media.