Politics lecturer consults for new OU/BBC series “The Zelensky Story”

How did a comic actor who played a fictional president in a hit TV series become the actual president of his country? With unique access, Volodymyr Zelensky, his wife Olena, and insiders outline his extraordinary story in remarkably personal interviews in new OU/BBC three-part series The Zelensky Story, broadcasting from 4 September on BBCTwo at 21:00. 

Academic consultant for the series Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody (Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies) specialises in communication, misinformation, and security, particularly concerning Russia.  She said “it was a great privilege to be involved in this programme, which is based on first-hand access to Zelensky and the people who have known him throughout his life.” 

The series uncovers incredible revelations. First Lady Olena Zelenska reveals that Volodymyr didn’t tell her that he had decided to run for president in real life, recalling how she discovered the news while watching TV, and that she had a faint hope that her husband would not win the election. During his interview, he looks directly down the lens and apologises to her.

The first episode outlines the very different impacts on Zelensky and Vladimir Putin of the collapse of the USSR, with rarely seen footage of Putin in the early 1990s describing it as a “tragedy”. Alongside archive footage of a young Zelensky performing, his wife, childhood friends and former colleagues describe how Zelensky became a famous comedian in both Ukraine and Russia, winning Ukraine’s Dancing with the Stars, and becoming the voice of Paddington Bear.

In 2014, the Maidan Revolution sparked a political awakening in Zelensky, speaking out against the corrupt Ukrainian president and addressing Putin directly on live TV. Zelensky went on to produce and star in Servant of the People, a hit TV show about an ordinary Ukrainian who becomes president of his country.

Using in-depth interviews with Zelensky, his wife Olena Zelenska, and their closest advisors, the series puts the viewer inside the room. After the high of his election victory, Zelensky was forced to face political reality, grappling with what it really means to be the leader of a country - from his infamous phone call with Donald Trump to his only meeting with Vladimir Putin in Paris, the former comedian had a brutal initiation into the ruthless world of power politics. As Putin became increasingly belligerent, Zelensky was under considerable pressure. Would he be up to the job? Was Ukraine prepared for war?

The concluding episode opens with the first hours of the Russian invasion, with Olena describing how she and their children left Kyiv, saying “We didn’t know if we’d ever see him again.” Zelensky’s capacity to communicate with his people helped spark a fierce fightback, using skills he’d honed as an entertainer. In what one interviewee calls “the most powerful short video of our times”, Zelensky told the world he would stay in Ukraine to lead the resistance against Russia.

When the West was slow to send support, Zelensky took matters into his own hands, speaking to people and parliaments around the world to secure sustained help. The Ukrainians succeeded in fighting Russia out of the Kyiv region, yet the longer the war goes on, the harder it becomes for the Ukrainian President. Zelensky reveals the challenges of leading a country at war, and the ultimate difficulty of having to send people to their probable deaths. 

Dr Chatterje-Doody said “I am hoping that the programme will help audiences find out more not just about the man himself, but also the largest country in Europe.  There’s a temptation to think about Ukraine in relation to Russia, but the Ukrainians are a proud people with their own history and traditions.”

“For me, the most exciting part of my involvement was having an opportunity to create an online interactive resource to accompany the series. It introduces twelve people from historical times to the present day, whose stories help to tell the story of Ukraine as a country.” 

Explore further material around the series, including the interactive that showcases fascinating and influential figures whose stories have shaped Ukraine, on OU Connect.

Copyright: Leo Fawkes for 72 Films Ltd