Michel Ashi, producer and news director, considers his pranks the dolphins in a sea of comedy.

What was the first prank you ever pulled?
I used to always pull pranks on my friends like Joumana Fakhry, who became program manager for MTV. The channel wanted a candid camera show and she told them that I was always messing around. At the time I was working as a news director on MTV and did a pilot they liked. That’s how it all started.

Is pulling pranks on people must be more difficult now that people know you?
A lot of people know me, of course, but there’s a lot that don’t know me yet. They either don’t watch TV or they don’t watch the local channels, and when I do my prank I’m usually disguised.

You’ve always concentrated on regular citizens. Have you ever considered targeting celebrities?
One season I only did it with celebrities, before MTV was stopped back in 2003. Celebrities such as Haifa, Ragheb Alama… I was on the phone pretending to be a fan while they were in the studio, asking weird questions. But of course I never tried to pull a prank by, for example, trashing a car. I’m afraid its owner will get upset or  have a heart attack. I always think before targeting a person; if she’s a woman and might be pregnant, I don’t try with her. If she’s with her kid and there’s something scary, I don’t do it. And with older people, maybe I’ll open a funny conversation but won’t try to hurt or scare them.

Which prank do you always think about as being particularly successful or funny?
I did a funny one with an Armenian guy who was fishing. I went there telling him that those are my fish, you cannot do this to them. I feed them, I’ve been raising them and I was wondering why they were disappearing. When the prank ended he asked when he would see himself. I told him next Wednesday, on Thursday. So the prank went on as he also got confused between Wednesday night and Thursday.

Has a prank ever gone wrong?
Only one time, when I was near a hospital and pretended to be in a wheelchair and that I had to stay in the sun. My sister was with me but she had to get the car, so she asked a random person to watch out for me for a few minutes. While she was gone I pretended to be in pain and asked for people to sing for me for relief. They did, and suddenly I could walk – they were so scared. One woman started running but then tripped and fell. Thank god nothing serious happened to her!

If your pranks were an animal, what would they be?
A dolphin. It’s a peaceful and harmless creature, interesting and attractive. You enjoy it and it helps you whenever you need help.

What future pranks are you planning?
I’m starting a new season but I still don’t know on which channel. I have many offers and I’ll choose the best one!