Hassan Al-Muhannadi

Hassan Ahmed Al-Muhannadi is a Qatari broadcaster specialising in heritage programmes and one of the best-known presenters to have worked at Qatar Television, Al Dawri and Al Kass, Doha Channel and Al Rayyan Television. A chance opening brought him to television, where he challenged family and social expectations and created cultural and heritage programmes whose influence extended beyond Qatar. He also built a close family of six children.

He was born in 1957 in Al Thakhira, north of Al Khor, an almost isolated town whose people and extended families formed a closely connected community. Life there was simple, and recreation centred on the sea, family visits, majlis gatherings and cultural and intellectual conversation. As a curious child drawn to knowledge, literature and poetry, his greatest wishes were to own a radio and a watch. The first came true in 1968. The radio became his companion and a window on the wider world through cultural programmes and broadcasts from Kuwait, Bahrain and the BBC; villagers sometimes gathered around the small set to hear the news. He acquired a watch in 1969 and spent his days accompanying the muezzin.

He had a vivid imagination and sometimes pictured himself before a camera, recording tapes and pretending to present radio programmes. As he grew older, his interests and skills developed, and he experimented with simple directing projects that combined Khalifa’s music with words of poetry he had written.

He attended Al Thakhira School and Al Khor School and excelled in every subject except mathematics. He also showed a strong ability to express himself, but circumstances forced him to leave formal education and enter military service.

During his years in the police, he completed numerous military training courses in Qatar and abroad. Although he initially held no academic qualification, his strong performance encouraged him to return to education and complete secondary school. He also advanced through the ranks, reaching major in 2000.

Success in military service did not diminish his literary interests or his passion for writing; he continued to read novels, poetry and literature. A first major turning point came in 1991, when he presented the operetta project “One Goal” to Abdulaziz Nasser. His artistic work subsequently continued with Nasser and many other Qatari artists.

In 2000, a chance meeting brought him together with Talal bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah, who was preparing to join television and asked Al-Muhannadi to work with him as a reporter. Al-Muhannadi initially declined because he doubted that he could make a distinctive contribution. Together, however, they devised a programme entitled “Something from the Past”. Fearing both failure and his family’s reaction to a move away from military service, Al-Muhannadi stipulated that he would remain off camera in the first episodes. The programme’s success surprised him, and a congratulatory call from a prominent political figure reinforced the positive public response. More than two hundred episodes were recorded, giving him extensive experience.

In 2001, he worked on the series “Eyal Al-Dheeb”, checking its dialect. During the same period, he devised a popular Ramadan quiz programme and began developing it with a colleague, including writing lyrics for the opening song. Finding a presenter proved difficult because its traditional questions required a command of specialist vocabulary. A few days before Ramadan, Talal suggested that Al-Muhannadi present the programme himself and allow his own personality to emerge. With no presenting experience and little preparation time, he initially regarded the proposal as a serious risk. After careful thought, he accepted. “Al-Liwan” proved highly successful, and he continued to present it for many years.

He received strong support from the public and officials. One particularly important call came from the Kuwaiti historian and programme presenter Saif Marzouq Al-Shamlan, who told him that he was proud to see Al-Muhannadi continuing the broadcasting path he himself had begun in Kuwait in the 1930s. The encouragement strengthened Al-Muhannadi’s confidence and determination.

Al-Muhannadi continued to develop steadily as a broadcaster, presenting programmes that became part of Qatar Television’s legacy. Among them was “Kashat”, a highly successful reality-television programme that ran for five seasons on Al Rayyan Television.

He also presented “Al-Barwaz”, interviewing prominent figures in Qatar, including ministers, ambassadors and senior ministry officials. His career included songs and other artistic collaborations with performers from across the Arab world. A chance encounter also introduced him to the late singer Zikra Mohammed when she visited Sawt Al-Khaleej Radio. Further collaborators included Issa Al-Kubaisi, Fahad Al-Kubaisi, Ali Abdul-Sattar, Asmaa Al-Munawar, Nasser Saleh, Abdullah Al-Ruwaished and Abdul Karim Abdul Qadir.

While undertaking military training in Egypt, he searched for the homes of composer Baligh Hamdi and singer Umm Kulthum. He used every opportunity to find new novels, particularly those of Naguib Mahfouz, whom he hoped to meet. By frequenting places where the Egyptian writer was known to sit, he eventually encountered him one day among a group of people.

During his trip to Germany, he lived in the city of Marburg. He used to travel every Saturday to Frankfurt by train to buy all the Arabic newspapers and magazines. The Chargé d’Affairs at the Qatari embassy would also send him some copies because he knew of his cultural interests.

One of the most important turning points in his career was his move from the military into media, fulfilling an ambition he had held since childhood.

He regards the public’s affection as his greatest achievement alongside his broadcasting legacy. Its extent became clear during a period of ill health that required surgery at a hospital in Amman. He had not expected the volume of calls he received, from the office of His Highness the Amir and the Amiri Diwan to members of the public.

His move from military service into broadcasting surprised his family, and at first he told only his brother, His Excellency Hamad bin Ahmed Al-Muhannadi, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers. His brother took part by telephone in the first programme he prepared, helping him establish confidence in the new field before he explained the decision to the rest of the family.

Talal Al-Attiyah’s support helped remove many obstacles from Al-Muhannadi’s early path in television. The work itself nevertheless remained demanding, requiring sustained preparation, concentration and long hours.