The Xyz Show

A  look at the award-winning ‘ XYZ Show’ , its crew members and founders, the show’s early days, the struggles they went through and finally, the triumph.

Everyone thought the guys behind The XYZ Show were crazy. And for the longest time, viewers and media practitioners alike anticipated seeing those behind the hilarious political satire show being bulldozed to court.
If anything, it was the opposite, the politicians it so brutally satirises are glued to their screens every time the show airs.
Whether it is Martha Karua being the spoiler, or Uhuru and Ruto being the pranksters of the class as they are perceived to be in real life, XYZ is always cleverly treading on thin ice.
For their courage, the show’s creators have been awarded Best Television Series at the first-ever Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards in Lagos, Nigeria. It is not the Oscars, but we are finally recognising our own in a grander way than has been done before.
Seth McFarlane’s Family Guy and American Dad satire are similar to XYZ  in that they attack, in a not so direct way, the moral, social, and political ills that have become so entrenched in society, that we often do not recognise them unless they are pointed out to us.

So, what do you need to do to get your very own puppet?
A former writer for the show, Kwamchetsi Makokha, says that usually, “characters volunteered themselves by their outrageousness”.
He gives the example of former Bumula MP Wakoli Bifwoli and others because they were regular actors on the Kenyan political and social scene. There were also generic characters, he says, like Mwaniki, the stereotypical Kikuyu shopkeeper on Kirinyaga Road.

Did anyone ever sue?
Silly question, we know, but we had to ask.
“It would take a very foolish person to sue for a caricature. What would the case be — that one should not have been made fun of?” was Makokha’s response.
The co-founder and producer of the show, Marie Lora-Mungai, explains there is a lot you can do with puppets without running into trouble.
They might not have sued, but some were not pleased. Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka is said to have been upset about being shown in a shirt that was green on one side and red on the other — to caricature his perceived indecision on the constitution referendum campaign.
Former Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno complained at the end of the first season about XYZ caricaturing Raila. First Lady Lucy Kibaki reportedly loved the show, as did former Gichugu MP Martha Karua.

So let us face it, the show is on now, it is a hit, it is an award winner, you love it now. But what did creator Gado have to go through?
The Backstory
The XYZ Show was launched in May 2009 by co-producers Gado and Marie Lora-Mungai.
While on a study trip to Paris in 2003, Gado visited the set of Les Guignols de l’info, or the “News Puppets”, a a popular French spoof newscast featuring latex puppets.
To Gado, it was immediately obvious that the same concept would not only be a huge success in Kenya, but could also have an important social impact by exposing, with humour, the rampant corruption and mismanagement of the country.
Back in Kenya, Gado tried to sell the idea to several local TV stations, but many had trouble understanding the concept. In 2005, Gado sent sculptor Gerald Olewe to France for a month.
There, Olewe was trained by the team of experts who create the French puppets and he learned how to work with sophisticated materials such as foaming latex. He came back with a puppet of President Mwai Kibaki in his luggage.
Two more years of struggle went by until in July 2007 when Gado scrapped together a few thousand shillings and got a little money from the French embassy to produce a pilot for the show. With the pilot in hand, Gado embarked on a new round of visits to the TV stations. He hit a new wall, or rather two. One, the show was political and controversial. Two, it was expensive and no one wanted to pay for it.
In November 2007, Gado met Marie Lora-Mungai, who was then a foreign correspondent for AFP TV and Reuters TV. He showed her the XYZ pilot. Straight away, Marie thought that the show absolutely needed to be on the air — and she knew she could help.
The next month, all hell broke loose in Kenya. At that time, it became even more obvious that Kenya needed a show such as XYZ that could provide a platform to tackle difficult topics with humour and perspective.
Marie suggested a complete change in strategy to put XYZ on the air: if the show was too expensive for local stations, they should then appeal to international donors for funding. She and Gado embarked on a year-long journey into Nairobi’s NGO and foreign embassies world, pitching XYZ relentlessly.
Several courageous and enthusiastic donors came through with some money and in May 2009, the first episode of The XYZ Show was finally aired.

So what happens when they cannot quite find the right voice for a character?
XYZ director Brian Kyallo Msafiri had this to say:
“Whenever we can’t get the perfect voice, we try to explore further the character’s characteristics — body movement, facial reactions, favourite words, hobbies, so as to generate a character closest to the subject we are trying to mimic.”
Also, it appears there might be a job opening at the show.
“We have not been able to find someone who can mimic Uhuru Kenyatta, and we are calling on Kenyans who believe they can do it to get in touch with us,” he Kyallo appealed.
Gado and Marie’s humble comments after the show’s win were:
“We would like to thank our audience for supporting us… the entire crew of XYZ, the Buni Media team, and Kenyans for their support.”

Below is a list of the people who play various roles on the xyz show
DOREEN KARUA
Plays: Martha Karua 
Day job: Owner, 512 Agency
Have you met Martha?  Yes, I can say now we are friends. We first met in 2011 when she had come to The XYZ show set to see her puppet and meet the voice behind it. She always laughs when she sees me. I attended some of her events during the campaign. People think she’s my mom.
How are you similar to Martha?  I’m strong-minded but have room for negotiation, I’m a go-getter and we both love politics; I was a student leader (secretary social welfare, KUSA 2007) at Kenyatta University. I also gave her a hand with her campaign.
TONY MBOYO
Plays: Uhuru Kenyatta 
Day job: I work here; I also double as a puppeteer.
Describe Uhuru’s voice: His voice, like mine, is not so deep; a bit husky. At the beginning his voice had a bit of arrogance and anger. Now it’s more civil, more composed. More stately, if you will.
PAUL MUNG’ALA MBUVI
Plays: Mike Mbuvi “Sonko”
Day job: Kenyatta University student, studying biochemistry.
Any relation to Sonko? None. Why him: I’m in his voice range. But I also work at honing this skill by watching loads of YouTube videos, looking out for body language. He speaks differently in rallies to, say, the way he does in press conferences or at small gatherings. I’ve nailed him about 50 per cent, and I want to improve that.
NICK ODHIAMBO
Plays: Jeff Koinange
Day job: Presenter, Radio Africa
Why Jeff Koinange?  He’s easy to imitate because he exaggerates things. He pokes fun at people. He says “Oh, my” a lot. I suspect that he does all these things to stay awake during interviews. It helps that my voice is as deep as his.
DENNIS MUTUKU
Plays: Raila Odinga
Day job: Radio Presenter, Musya FM, Royal Media.
What’s a Kamba doing imitating Agwambo? I have been doing him since high school days. I was always that guy in class who would imitate any teacher. Raila is an interesting character because his speeches are never dull; they are punctuated with stories and imagery.