AP Interview: Egypt’s top political satirist prepares return, not planning to censor jokes

CAIRO – Egypt’s wildly popular television satirist says he and his team are preparing to return to air to poke fun at politics in a country still beset by turmoil following a July military coup.

Private broadcaster CBC suspended Bassem Youssef’s show last autumn after the season’s first episode, which was highly critical of the military and the nationalist fervour gripping the nation following the popularly backed overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

But Youssef, often compared to U.S. comedian Jon Stewart, told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that he and his team “never self-censor.”

Youssef said: “It’s not what we say about the government or don’t say, it is how to make people laugh and have a good time. In times like these this is a huge challenge.”