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Putin does not watch caricatures of himself, Kremlin says of BBC show
MOSCOW, May 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Vladimir Putin is unlikely to watch a new
BBC comedy chat show hosted by a cartoon version of the Russian leader as he
“does not look at caricatures” of himself, the Kremlin said Thursday.
The British broadcaster on Wednesday announced a new semi-scripted show
called “Tonight with Vladimir Putin”, set to be aired on BBC Two channel next
month.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Putin “does not
read the books written about him and does not look at caricatures.”
“He does not want to resemble them in any way,” he said.
The star of the show will be a 3D digital cartoon version of Putin, created
using motion-capture technology.
This will enable him to walk around and sit behind a desk “interviewing
real human guests in front of a studio audience, all in real-time,” the
British broadcaster said in a statement.
“Everybody’s favourite bear-wrestling global strongman Vladimir Putin has
finally achieved his ultimate goal — a chat show on the BBC,” it said.
“Forget global politics, landing two pilot episodes on BBC Two of his soon
to be world-famous chat show marks the ultimate victory for Vlad, leader of
the free world.”
The short pilot episodes will each feature two guests, the broadcaster
said, with British spin doctor Alastair Campbell set to appear in the first
episode.
A preview of the show showed a 3D image of Putin in front of Buckingham
Palace.
“Greetings, people of the United Kingdom,” the cartoon says in a simulated
Russian accent.
In one of the shows, the fictional Russian president is shown trying to get
his head around feminism — in another he thanks Campbell “for his part in
making such a mess of things,” the BBC said.
Britain and Russia are at loggerheads following the poisoning of former
Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the city of Salisbury last year.
Putin has honed an image of a steely man-of-action. While he enjoys telling
sometimes coarse jokes at public events, he apparently is less keen on
laughing at himself.
Shortly after he came to power in 2000, a Russian television channel was
forced to axe a popular satirical show called “Kukly,” or puppets, that
included a Putin character. The Russian leader was thought to be irked by his
depiction in the programme.
BSS/AFP/RY/16:25 hrs