'Rashash': Saudi Arabian drama series about real-life criminal to debut this month

The eight-part series will focus on the true story of the notorious Rashash and the Saudi police's efforts to catch him

Yagoub Al Farhan stars as the titular character in 'Rashash'. Courtesy MBC Studios

Nayef Al Dhufairi plays young police officer Fahd in 'Rashash'. Courtesy MBC Studios

Yagoub Al Farhan in a scene from 'Rashash'. Courtesy MBC Studios

'Rashash' will release a new episode every Thursday on Shahid VIP. Courtesy MBC Studios

The episodes of the eight-part series are all subtitled in English. Courtesy MBC Studios

One of Saudi Arabia's biggest dramas produced by MBC Studios is coming to Shahid VIP.

Rashash, an eight-part series featuring an all-Saudi cast, will follow the true story of a notorious Saudi Arabian criminal in the 1980s.

The show, which will premiere on January 21, was created by British television screenwriter Tony Jordan (EastEnders, Hustle and Life on Mars) and written with Sheikha Suha Al Khalifa (Let's Go Home) and Richard Bellamy.

The Shahid Original series tells the story of a convicted murderer and drug trafficker who was finally caught by police in the late 1980s. It will centre on a young police officer named Fahd who makes it his mission to catch and stop Rashash.

"Evil has a name, and that name is Rashash," the show's tagline states.

Yaaqoub Al Farhan stars in the titular role, with Nayef Al Dhufairi as Fahd, the young police officer chasing after him. Khalid Yaslam, Fayez Bin Jurays, Hakeem Jomah, Abdullah Al Barrack, Ibrahim Al Hajjaj, Ayman Al Mutahhir and Sumaya Rida also make up the ensemble cast.

New 60-minute episodes will be released every Thursday and feature English subtitles. This is the first time the story of the case has ever been adapted. The initial script was written in English and then translated into Arabic with the finalised script in Saudi Arabian dialect.

The show also received production support from twofour54 Abu Dhabi.

'Rashash' airs every Thursday, starting from January 21 on Shahid VIP. More information is at shahid.net