Papa Ajasco | |
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Also known as | Papa Ajasco and Company |
Genre | Comedy |
Written by | Wale Adenuga |
Starring |
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Country of origin | Nigeria |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Wale Adenuga |
Production location | Nigeria |
Running time | 40 minutes |
Production company | Wale Adenuga Production |
Original release | |
Network | WAP TV NTA AIT |
Release | 1996 present | –
Related | |
Super Story |
Papa Ajasco and Company (formerly The Ajasco Family) is a Nigerian family television sitcom created by Wale Adenuga in 1997. The show is a spin-off of a feature film of the same title produced by Wale Adenuga in 1984, which in turn is based on the comic Ikebe Super. The story revolves around the Ajasco family and their comedic interpretations to major societal issues. The main characters include womanising patriarch Papa Ajasco, his long-suffering wife Mama Ajasco, their mischievous son Bobo Ajasco, local playboy Boy Alinco, promiscuous gold-digger Miss Pepeiye, and illiterate ne'er-do-wells Pa James and Pa Jimoh. At its prime, Papa Ajasco was widely considered to be Nigeria's most watched comedy series, viewed weekly in twelve African countries.
Adenuga released Papa Ajasco movie in 1983, which was one of Golden Age Nollywood productions. He stated in an interview that the title character was motivated from the lead role in Ikebe Super. Adenuga began producing and airing the television series as The Ajasco Family on AIT in 1996 before it was renamed Papa Ajasco.[1]
Papa Ajasco television series is widely watched across families in Nigeria.[3] In 2010, it debuted in Ghana through Ghana Television and was reputed to being the "best comedy on television" in the country.[4] It also won Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award in Accra.[5] A survey conducted by Pulse Nigeria revealed that "Papa Ajasco" character was the most loved with 29.2% of the votes, closely followed by "Boy Alinco" and "Pa James".[6] Papa Ajasco is watched weekly across twenty terrestrial stations in Nigeria and in eleven African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Guinea. In 2013, several additions were made to the cast of new episodes including Femi Brainard, Niyi Johnson and Henrietta Kosoko[7][8]