4.4.1

Media Language

Test yourself

Man Like Mobeen - Product

Man Like Mobeen Series 1, Episode 2 (2017) is titled Wifey Riddim.

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Production background

  • Man Like Mobeen was produced by Tiger Aspect (Endemol Shine UK) for BBC Three.
    • It launched on BBC iPlayer during the period when BBC Three was online-only.
    • Later, it was broadcast on BBC One, then made available on Netflix.
  • The show was created by Guz Khan (who plays Mobeen) and Andy Milligan.
    • It originated from Khan’s YouTube videos.
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The show

  • The show is set in Small Heath, Birmingham.
  • It focuses on Mobeen, a 28-year-old Muslim man caring for his younger sister Aqsa.
  • It aims to challenge stereotypes of working-class British Muslim communities with realistic representations.
  • The show had received multiple awards:
    • RTS Best Writer (2020)
    • Asian Media Awards Best Newcomer (2018)
    • Broadcast Digital Awards (2020)
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Genre conventions

  • The show has recognisable sitcom features.
  • Episode structure:
    • Focus on a simple, clear “situation/problem”
    • Often linked to class differences, identity, or social/ professional goals
    • Small ongoing narrative arcs (relationships)
  • Recurring motifs:
    • Catchphrases
    • Running jokes
    • Misunderstandings
  • Visual & verbal humour:
    • Slapstick
    • Puns
    • Fast dialogue
    • Physical comedy
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Genre theory (Neale)

  • Sitcoms repeat familiar codes and conventions to meet audience expectations, but they must also introduce variation to stay relevant.
  • Genre is dynamic, shaped by cultural and social change.
  • Man Like Mobeen demonstrates this through:
    • Representing British Muslim identity
    • Addressing cultural diversity
    • Showing changing gender roles
  • This positions the show as a modern sitcom adapting the genre.
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Sound and music usage

  • Man Like Mobeen uses a popular music soundtrack, which is unusual for sitcoms.
  • The music spans multiple decades and genres.
  • It helps:
    • Reach a diverse audience
    • Reflect Birmingham’s multicultural identity
    • Emphasise tone, energy, and humour
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Hybridity & intertextuality

  • Sitcoms often blend genres or reference other texts.
  • Man Like Mobeen uses hybridity by combining:
    • Sitcom conventions
    • Realistic social commentary
    • Urban drama elements
  • Intertextuality can emerge through:
    • Cultural references
    • Music choices
    • Character humour

Man Like Mobeen - Media Language

Season 1, Episode 2: Wifey Riddim (2017) uses visual, technical and audio codes to convey identity, culture and comedy.

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Visual codes: Expression & gesture

  • Body language
    • Mobeen’s open posture + frequent hugs → connotes loyalty, warmth, community ties
    • Frequent close-ups/extreme close-ups align audiences with his reactions (e.g. supermarket magazine scene).
  • Physical comedy
    • Shop worker searching Mobeen → humorous reminder of his “criminal past”.
    • Uncle Shady pouring blackcurrant on Khadijah’s carpet → signals disdain + creates situational comedy
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Visual codes: Clothing

  • Mobeen’s outfit
    • Kurta + baseball cap + Maharishi coat → connotes identity “between cultures”
    • A visual shorthand for hybridity (British/Muslim/urban)
  • Aqsa’s clothing
    • School uniform → establishes age & Mobeen’s responsibility
    • Jeans/t-shirt/parka → modern, westernised teen identity
  • Traditional clothing
    • Older Muslim men wear culturally traditional garments → connotes age, heritage, community norms.
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Setting

  • Key locations
    • Family home = primary space for character interaction
    • Local shop & market by the mosque = social hubs, community realism
  • Real locations
    • Shot on location in Birmingham = strong regional identity + authenticity
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Mise-en-scène

  • Mise-en-scène
    • Working-class home aesthetics = verisimilitude
    • Cold open: Mobeen plucking nose hair = relatable “bathroom comedy”.
  • Sitcom twist
    • Sofa in front yard used as final meeting point = playful twist on sitcom “family sofa” convention
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Characterisation & comedy

  • Mobeen
    • Uses “roadman” vernacular (“bare free munch”, “peng milfs”)
    • Switches to respectful Islamic greetings with elders
    • This shows dual identity + situational language use
  • Eight
    • Misunderstandings create humour
    • Classic “clueless friend” trope
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Characterisation & comedy 2

  • Nate
    • Outsider jokes: “Why can’t you all go to the same mosque?”
    • Highlights cultural differences through humour
  • Aqsa
    • Dialogue shows authority: “You don’t think you should be explaining how I might have made the wrong decision?”

Jump to other topics

1Overview

1.1Media Language

1.1.1Media Language

1.1.2Media Language 2

1.2Audience

1.2.1Audiences

1.2.2Audiences 2

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Media Language & Audience

1.3Representation

1.3.1Stereotypes

1.3.2Gender

1.3.3Audiences

1.4The Media Industry

1.4.1Media Industries

1.4.2Ownership

1.4.3Funding & Regulation

1.4.4End of Topic Test - Representation/Media Industry

2Component 1: Section A

2.1Magazines - Vogue

2.1.1Magazines

2.1.2Vogue - Context

2.1.3Vogue - Narrative

2.1.4Vogue - Representation

2.2Magazines - GQ

2.2.1GQ - Context

2.2.2GQ - Narrative

2.2.3GQ - Representation

2.3Advertising & Marketing

2.3.1Advertising & Marketing

2.3.2Analysing Adverts

2.3.3Analysing Adverts 2

2.3.4Theories & Principles

2.3.5End of Topic Test - Magazines & Advertising

2.4Print Advertisements - Quality Street

2.4.1Quality Street - Context

2.4.2Quality Street - Narrative

2.4.3Quality Street - Representation

2.5Print Advertisements - (2026 Exams) This Girl Can

2.5.1This Girl Can - Context

2.5.2This Girl Can - Narrative

2.5.3This Girl Can - Representation

2.6Print Advertisements - (2027 Exams) NHS 111

2.6.1NHS 111 - Context

2.6.2NHS 111 - Narrative

2.6.3NHS 111 - Representation

2.7Film Posters (Marketing)

2.7.1The Man with The Golden Gun

2.7.2The Man with The Golden Gun 2

2.8Film - No Time To Die

2.8.1Context

2.8.2Narrative

2.8.3Representation

2.9Newspapers

2.9.1Ownership & Regulation

2.9.2News Selection

2.9.3Media Language

2.9.4Genres

2.9.5Newspaper Conventions

2.9.6Representation

2.9.7Audience

2.9.8Theories

2.9.9End of Topic Test - Newspapers

2.10The Sun

2.10.1Context

2.10.2Narrative

2.10.3Language & Images

2.11The Guardian

2.11.1The Guardian

2.11.2Narrative

2.11.3Language & Images

2.12(2028 Exams) The Sun

2.12.1The Sun - Context

2.12.2The Sun - Narrative

2.12.3The Sun - Representation

2.13(2028 Exams) The Guardian

2.13.1The Guardian - Context

2.13.2The Guardian - Narrative

2.13.3The Guardian - Representation

3Component 1: Section B

3.1Video Games

3.1.1Video Games

3.2Video Games - Fortnite

3.2.1Fortnite (2017) - Media Industries

3.2.2Fornite (2017) - Audience

3.3Film

3.3.1The Big Six

3.3.2Technology

3.3.3End of Topic Test - Video Games & Films

3.4Radio

3.4.1The Radio Industry

3.4.2Categories of Radio Station

3.4.3Technology & Radio Audiences

3.4.4Theories

3.4.5End of Topic Test - Radio

3.5Radio - The Archers

3.5.1Production

3.5.2Media Industries

3.5.3Media Contexts

3.5.4Audiences 1

3.5.5Audiences 2

3.6(2027 Exams) Radio - Desert Island Discs

3.6.1Media Industries

3.6.2Audiences

3.6.3Media Contexts

4Component 2: Section A

4.1Television

4.1.1The Television Industry

4.1.2Types of Broadcasting

4.1.3Media Language & TV

4.1.4Representation & Audiences

4.1.5Theories

4.2Sitcom

4.2.1Sitcoms

4.2.2Friends

4.2.3Friends 2

4.2.4End of Topic Test - Sitcoms & Friends

4.3Sitcom - Modern Family

4.3.1Media Language

4.3.2Representation

4.3.3Media Industries

4.3.4Audiences

4.3.5Media Contexts

4.4Sitcom - Man Like Mobeen

4.4.1Media Language

4.4.2Representations

4.4.3Media Industries

4.5(2026 Exams) Luther

4.5.1Context

4.5.2Media Language

4.5.3Representation

4.5.4Audience

4.5.5Industry

4.6The Sweeney

4.6.1Context

4.6.2Media Language

4.6.3Representation

4.6.4Audience

4.6.5Industry

5Component 2: Section B

5.1Music Video

5.1.1Music Videos

5.1.2The Music Industry

5.2Lizzo - 'Good as Hell'

5.2.1Context

5.2.2'Good as Hell'

5.2.3Media Language

5.2.4Representation

5.2.5Audience

5.2.6Industry

5.3Taylor Swift - 'The Man'

5.3.1Taylor Swift

5.3.2Media Language

5.3.3Representation

5.3.4Audiences

5.3.5Media Industries

5.3.6Media Contexts

5.4Stormzy - 'Superheroes'

5.4.1Stormzy

5.4.2Media Language

5.4.3Representation

5.4.4Audiences

5.4.5Media Industries

5.4.6Media Contexts

5.5Justin Bieber - 'Intentions'

5.5.1Justin Bieber

5.5.2Media Language

5.5.3Representation

5.5.4Audiences

5.5.5Media Industries

5.5.6Media Contexts

5.6TLC - 'Waterfalls'

5.6.1TLC

5.6.2Media Language

5.6.3Representation

5.6.4Media Contexts

5.7Duran Duran - 'Rio'

5.7.1Duran Duran

5.7.2Media Language

5.7.3Representation

5.7.4Media Contexts

5.8Online Media - Lizzo

5.8.1Media Language

5.8.2Representation

5.8.3Audiences

5.8.4Media Contexts & Industries

5.9Online Media - Taylor Swift

5.9.1Media Language

5.9.2Representation

5.9.3Audiences

5.9.4Media Contexts & Industries

5.10Online Media - Stormzy

5.10.1Media Language

5.10.2Representation

5.10.3Audience

5.10.4Media Context & Industries

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Media Contexts

Representations