By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The first unscripted African Original, LOL: Last One Laughing Naija, by Prime Video has been announced to be due for launch on July 14.
A release sent to The DEFENDER shows that the launch will be hosted by Nigeria’s king of comedy, Basketmouth.
This online newspaper reports that the unique, unpredictable, six-part series of unscripted comedy follows the successful adaptation of Prime Video’s global smash-hit comedy franchise currently produced in over 20 countries and territories worldwide including Canada, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa — hosted by Trevor Noah and launching early next year.
Featuring a stellar cast including Okey Bakassi, Acapella, Mr Funny aka Sabinus, KieKie, Buchi, Dat Warri Girl, Taaooma, Senator, IGoSave, and Gandoki, the series will see Basketmouth pit 10 of Nigeria’s best comedy and entertainment stars against one another in a celebrity showdown where anything can happen.
“Our audiences are going to love seeing a series full of incredible Nigerian humour and comedic talent with this A-List line up of comedians, who will test each other’s limits in the pursuit of laughter in LOL: Last One Laughing Naija,” Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, head of Nigerian Originals, Prime Video, said.
“We’re proud to be bringing Prime Video customers a genre most loved and consumed by Nigerian audiences around the world,” she added.
On his own, Ned Mitchell, head of African and Middle East Originals, Prime Video, said “LOL: Last One Laughing Naija is a global hit for Prime Video, and that’s why we’re excited to bring its very own version to customers in Nigeria.”
Speaking further, he stated: “As the first unscripted African Original to launch on Prime Video, LOL: Last One Laughing Naija continues to set the tone and standard of the authentic Nigerian stories and genres we want to share with our audiences at home and abroad, and our commitment to the local TV and film industry.”
The six-part series will follow the group of comedians as they compete to be the Last One Laughing. For six hours, there is only one rule: if you laugh, you lose. The last comedian to remain straight-faced will be the winner, and will be able to donate 40M NGN to a local charity of their choice. The top comedic line up will bring every comedy trick they have to make each other laugh while resisting the urge to laugh themselves.
The series is produced by Amazon Studios in collaboration with Nigeria’s LiveSpot360 Productions and will be available on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
The six-part series will launch with two episodes streaming back-to-back each week over a three-week period from July 14-28. The series will be available on Dolby Atmos for customers with compatible setups for an enhanced viewing and audio experience.
It is the latest project from Amazon Prime Video following the success of projects like Gangs of Lagos and Brotherhood by Jáde Osiberu along with others like Breath of Life, King of Thieves; Hey, You!; and Palava! as well as TV serials, Beyond the Veil and Grind.
