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British reporter Mazher Mahmood is the subject of Fake Sheikh, a highly anticipated documentary series that is set to release on Amazon Prime Video in September 2023. The documentary series will reportedly follow the rise and fall of News UK reporter Mazher Mahmood who became popular due to a series of sting operations on high-profile personalities in the UK.
Back in 2016, the journalist Mazher Mahmood's case—also referred to as "the Fake Sheikh"—came to light after he was accused of perverting the course of justice. The three-episode Amazon Prime Video Original documentary series is slated for release on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
All About Mazher Mahmood: The Fake Sheikh
Mahmood was born to Pakistani immigrant parents in the UK on 22 March 1963. He grew up in Small Heath, Birmingham. He gained employment as a journalist for the first time at the age of 18, when he reported the sale of pirated videos and exposed members of his family for doing so.
He was hired by the News of the World for two weeks and then he began working for the Sunday People as a freelancer. According to Mahmood, he first adopted the 'sheikh' disguise in 1984 when he invited prostitutes to a hotel room in an effort to uncover a vice ring at the Metropole Hotel at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, with fellow journalist Roger Insall.
In 1991 Mazher Mahmood joined News of the World and turned into a specialist, undertaking sting operations to uncover and expose celebrity scams and misdoings.
Mahmood targeted sting operations on several people including Sophie, Countess of Wessex; David Mellor, the former Secretary of State for National Heritage; and Tim Yeo, the former Environment Minister, among others. He exposed a number of controversial news such as betting in sports, terrorism stings, and even drug busts.
When discussing the reporter with Deadline, Singhal, one of the documentary's executive producers, said:
"All it took was a cheap Arab costume, a Rolex and a manicure and somehow the charismatic Mahmood took everyone in – from celebrities to sports stars, even the royals."
However, his methods have also been criticized as being unorthodox and even illegal. Mazher Mahmood's downfall occurred when he was convicted of tampering with evidence in the singer Tulisa Contostavlos' discredited drug trial.
The self-proclaimed "king of the sting" and investigative journalist, along with his driver Alan Smith, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. Mahmood was charged with tampering with a police statement during the 2014 drug conviction of Tulisa Contostavlos, a singer and former judge of the British edition of the X Factor TV talent competition.
Initially, Tulisa was accused of aiding in the delivery of £820 worth of cocaine to the undercover reporter impersonating Bollywood director Samir Khan. The trial was later dismissed by Judge Alistair McCreath because he thought there were "strong grounds" to think Mahmood had "lied" during a hearing before the trial.
Mahmood allegedly plotted with his driver Alan Smith to change a statement Smith made to police about how Contostavlos had spoken out against narcotics when he was driving her home. On October 21, 2016, Mahmoud and Smith were given 12-month and 15-month suspended sentences, respectively.
Stay tuned for the release of Fake Sheikh on Amazon Prime Video on September 26, 2023.
