Wilayat Batikh – show set, Baghdad

Comedy sets have a particular job: they need a sense of humour without stealing the joke. For Wilayat Batikh, a popular entertainment show produced in Baghdad, VIPRO gave the set a personality of its own, then made sure it steps back when the hosts take over.

A set with a sense of humour

The signature piece is the host desk: a sculpted, spinning-top form with a glass top and the show’s 3D logo bursting from its side, sunk into a lit recess in the floor over a reflective base. Behind it, an oversized retro television stands as a prop, a wink at the medium itself. Warm timber floors, colourful panels and local patterns keep the room friendly rather than slick.

A zone for every segment

• A sofa and armchair on a circular riser, in front of a glazed frame onto a river and a bridge at night.
• Standing positions with bar stools in front of a large screen for graphics, social media and themed visuals.
• An open central area for performance and audience interaction.

Colour-changing light moves the room between loud and intimate, so one floor handles many kinds of segment without rebuilding.