NewsBiscuit

The execution of two of Saddam Hussein’s key aides have flopped badly in the ratings; barely registering half of the website and mobile phone traffic achieved by the former dictator’s death.

Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar were led to the scaffold on Sunday night as entertainment bosses hoped to build on the success of the first digital public execution. The pair were billed as ‘Saddam’s henchmen’ and ‘evil collaborators’ with the double execution adding a new incentive for viewers to seek out the footage and forward it to their friends. But early figures from MORI have shown a failure to hold on to a fraction of the audience achieved by the highly popular first show, and now Iraqi showbiz bosses are under heavy pressure from Western internet providers, mobile phone companies and Fox News to improve the show’s entertainment value.

The reviews have also been damning. Nicholas de Jongh from the London Evening Standard blamed the casting for the disappointing audiences; ‘Whatever you thought of him, Saddam was a star; a celebrity, a crowd puller. These new hangings need another big name, an Osama or an Abu Hamza.’ Bloggers too were unimpressed; ‘It were good when it started’ wrote Jim27 from Illinois ‘But it gone got boring now. What about pegging them about in the desert till dem buzzards plucks their’s eyes out? I’d watch that.’

In Iraq, desperate phone calls were being made in an attempt to win back their audience from rival shows (mobile phone footage of Kylie looking poorly and the second episode of ‘Ugly Betty’ now posted on YouTube). Russell Brand was being approached to host the rest of the hangings, and there was talk of inviting Leo Sayer and Jade Goody to Baghdad; although precisely what role they would have in the proceedings had not been made clear.

darkbill

Posted: Jan 16th, 2007 by darkbill