SBS has never been short of wild and weird series from all corners of the globe, but new British comedy series Count Abdulla might be one for the books.
Written by Kaamil Shah and directed by Asim Abbasi, the six-part comedy/horror hybrid stars fresh face Arian Nik as the eponymous Abdulla Khan, a British Muslim doctor who still lives with his mum and is dealing with all the challenges that come part and parcel of navigating the modern world as dutiful Muslim living in North London.
His life gets more complicated than he ever dreamed of when he has a run in with Cathy (Jaime Winstone), a vampire with a taste for Halal blood. Suddenly our hero, Abs, is not just a doctor, son, friend, and Muslim – he’s also a creature of the night – which brings with it some thorny theological conundrums.
Darkly, deftly hilarious, Count Abdulla is also an insightful look at British Muslim life, grounding its more outré elements in recognisable, lived experience. Critics have lavished praise on it, and strong word of mouth has won it legions of fans around the world.
Nik, talking to us from his London home, is well-pleased by the response, but admits it was “The biggest relief I think I've felt in my career so far. Entering the realm of vampires and also connecting it to a cultural community that we're all familiar with, I was a bit trepidatious stepping towards it, but the representation it’s offered has really ignited not only the Muslim community but the horror community and just people who like a good comedy. I slept so well the week after the show came out in the UK, I can't tell you.”
It's the first lead role for the 28-year-old actor, whose largest previous part was as part of the ensemble in British sitcom So Awkward. Which meant going through four rounds of nerve-wracking auditions before landing the gig.
Jaime Winstone and Arian Nik in ‘Count Abdulla’. Source: SBS / Adam Lawrence
As it turns out, the Leeds-born Nik is a fan of the genre, citing “elevated horror” directors such as Ari Aster and Jordan Peele as some of his favourites – although he also admits to being “a total sucker for Buffy” and devouring Netflix’s Midnight Mass in preparation for Count Abdulla – another vampire series with a Muslim character in the main cast, as it turns out.
“I love horror and I do love vampires,” he says. “But I've never seen a Muslim vampire before. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, I guess, is a Muslim vampire, ‘cause it's set in Iran, but her faith and the faith of the other Muslims isn't something that is explored in how it's linked to vampirism. I thought what Count Abdulla did really brilliantly was tie the faith with the folklore that we're familiar with.”
Bushra (NINA WADIA) & Abdulla (ARIAN NIK) Credit: Adam Lawrence
“I was brought up Muslim and I was brought up by a single mum for the first five or six years of my life, so there was a lot of Abdulla that I could connect with. He's an outsider, and then he becomes the ultimate outsider as soon as he gets bitten by Kathy, and I think we can all to some degree relate to being outsiders, right?
“There's so much pressure, but I actually I tried not to think about the show as a whole. The thing I tried to do was just focus and hone in on Abdulla's journey throughout and rooting that in as much truth as I could.”
Kathy (JAIME WINSTONE) & Abdulla (ARIAN NIK) Credit: Adam Lawrence
But there’s still fun to be had on set playing opposite such a big personality as British acting royalty Jaime Winstone, daughter of the legendary Ray Winstone, who brings a ferocious energy to the role of Kathy. Meeting her for the first time, he assures us, was a trip.
“When I was offered the part they brought me in to chemistry read with her. I remember walking in, and Jaime was wearing these like high waisted biker pants with these like boots and an animal print top over the shoulder, bright red lipstick on, and she goes “Orright, babes, I’m Jaime!” I was like, “Oh my. God, you are Jaime!”
Count Abdulla season 1 is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
