‘Enjoy the moment:’ why 'Guy in Dubai' is the show we need at the moment


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Paris Norriss has set himself many challenges over the past two years.

Learning how to pearl dive, racing electric cars, wakeboarding and zip-lining over Downtown Dubai – the self-described adventurer is always looking for his next thrill.

However, when it came to flying solo in a paramotor, the Englishman more than met his match. “The thing with that is it requires absolute dedication,” he recalls. “So when you make your run to take off, you absolutely have to go for it.”

Norriss’s leap of faith took him as high as 150 metres over a pristine strip of Ras Al Khaimah beach. He says the pinnacle was the easy part; his eventual landing half an hour later, he admits, was not the smoothest.

"Oh, I just crashed," he tells The National. "When I was doing it, I was thinking this is how the Wright brothers felt on their first flight. Their plane didn't even have any wheels because they hadn't yet thought about landing."

This is one of the many experiences and anecdotes you will find in Norriss's programme Guy in Dubai. Available in the region on OSN Streaming and on Amazon Prime in the UK, the lifestyle show follows Norriss as he indulges in a series of activities – both thrilling and cultural – across Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

All 18 episodes of 2018's debut season run for between five and 13 minutes, with the second batch landing online next month.

Live your best life

While the concept isn't a new one, what makes the show worth watching is its subtle inspirational theme. With each episode beginning with Norriss thinking of a new experience to conquer and ending with the task achieved, Guy in Dubai is as much a challenge to its host as the audience.

“I am asking people to be more adventurous in life and basically enjoy the moment,” Norriss says. “I am not talking about doing super-physical things, it is about changing that sort of thinking that says: 'I will work for 30 years, retire and then live the life I want'.

"Instead, try some of those things now. Sign up for that diving course or learn a new skill. Why wait?”

This is a mindset, Norriss says, that has taken on extra resonance during the pandemic. “When we had the [curfew], we all realised what was important,” he says.

“As well as friends and family, we really began asking ourselves if we are living our lives to the fullest, and how we perhaps didn’t take advantage of certain opportunities, like being able to go to the mountains or the sea.

"Now that we are slowly going back out again, I am seeing people doing more of these things.”

While Norriss is a solid host, he had no television experience prior to the programme. Not only that, Guy in Dubai is his first foray into television production.

So how did he get on to Amazon and OSN?

Follow the money but do what you love

Norriss’s unorthodox route into the television industry is instructive.

A serial entrepreneur with as many successes as failures, Norriss recalls how the concept for Guy in Dubai came to him in 2014 as a result of some soul searching.

“I was doing all sorts of random ventures from an e-commerce portal to a tech business and a leadership development company, and what struck me when some of these things went wrong was how it has always been focused on creating wealth and getting that pot of gold in the end,” he says.

"And I came to a thought of: 'You know what? What about creating a business that allows you to do what you love to do?' So I asked myself what do I love doing? And I realised that I want to be an adventurer. I want to climb mountains, race power boats and do these things. So, I was like, 'OK, maybe I could create a television show around that'. I realised that in Dubai I can do many of these things."

So Norriss set to work with a small crew, and by 2018, had produced four pilot episodes. Word of his exploits reached the boardrooms of OSN through Norriss’s extensive network of business contacts and before long a deal was struck.

That is the short and sweet version of the story, Norriss admits.

“At the same time, there have been a lot of rejections and meetings that went absolutely nowhere,” he says. “So I think really what it boils down to, and this I learned from the world of entrepreneurship, is the importance of persistence. You need to keep going and eventually things will happen.”

Another key business lesson Norriss took on his latest venture is to follow the money. It was for this reason that he refused to screen his show on social media sites or YouTube. A streaming platform, he surmised, would be the most attractive option for potential investors.

“The money follows the viewership and you've somehow got to get the viewership,” he says.

“So if I could just convince an OSN or Amazon or a TV station that they need my show, then I have guaranteed viewership, which can get me the sponsorship, which gives me the money to then go produce the show and be even more creative. You need to begin with distribution and then work your way back from there.”

Guy in Abu Dhabi?

With cultural authorities in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Saudi Arabia keen for local spin-offs of the show, Norriss plans to amend the name of his series in the future.

"I realised that by calling the show Guy in Dubai I kind of shot myself in the foot," he says with a laugh.

"So I think what will happen is eventually, it will be called Guy in Arabia, with Dubai and other places being a specific season."

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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World%20Cup%202023%20ticket%20sales
%3Cp%3EAugust%2025%20%E2%80%93%20Non-India%20warm-up%20matches%20and%20all%20non-India%20event%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2030%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Guwahati%20and%20Trivandrum%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2031%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Chennai%2C%20Delhi%20and%20Pune%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%201%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Dharamsala%2C%20Lucknow%20and%20Mumbai%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%202%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Bengaluru%20and%20Kolkata%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%203%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Ahmedabad%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%2015%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%20and%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Gully Boy

Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi​​​​​​​
Rating: 4/5 stars

Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BORDERLANDS

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Eli Roth

Rating: 0/5

Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

MATCH INFO

RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')

Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)

Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Favourite music: Classical

Hobbies: Reading and writing

 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Racecard:

6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres

7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m

7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m

8.15pm: Meydan Trophy | Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m

8.50pm: Balanchine | Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

While you're here
Racecard

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m

Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Quentin%20Tarantino%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Uma%20Thurman%2C%20David%20Carradine%20and%20Michael%20Madsen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2019 Asian Cup final

Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Monster Hunter: World

Capcom

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Look%20Both%20Ways
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Wanuri%20Kahiu%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Lili%20Reinhart%2C%20Danny%20Ramirez%2C%20David%20Corenswet%2C%20Luke%20Wilson%2C%20Nia%20Long%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000

Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm

Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm

Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km

BLACK%20ADAM
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jaume%20Collet-Serra%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dwayne%20Johnson%2C%20Sarah%20Shahi%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Pierce%20Brosnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A