Channel 4 film to explore the rise of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky

Channel 4 will also air a Ukrainian satire which stars and was produced by Mr Zelensky before his presidency.

A documentary charting the rise of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky from comedian and actor to a wartime leader will air on Channel 4 this weekend.

The 30-minute current affairs special, titled Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took On Putin, will explore his beliefs, policies and the man behind a series of social media and TV appearances which have rallied his nation in the fight against Russia.

A satirical Ukrainian TV series, Servant Of The People, will also be shown after the documentary. It stars Mr Zelensky from his time as an actor and is a poignant precursor to his real-life election victory.

Mr Zelensky, 44, has become known around the world as a key figure in his country’s response to the invasion by Russia, but before his election to the presidency in 2019 he was better known in the entertainment world as a TV satirist and comedian.

He also created the production company Kvartal 95, which produced Servant Of The People, in which he played a high school teacher who accidentally becomes president after a video of him condemning government corruption goes viral on social media.

Boris Johnson with Mr Zelensky at a news conference in Kyiv (Peter Nicholls/PA)

The programme began airing in 2015 on Ukrainian channel 1+1 and became hugely popular, racking up three series and a feature film.

After the show was a hit with the Ukrainian public, Mr Zelensky ran for and won a large majority in the 2019 presidential election.

He also provided the voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian dubbing of the 2014 and 2017 films, and won the country’s version of Dancing With The Stars in 2006.

Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer, said: “We know from the huge audiences coming to our comprehensive news coverage of the war in Ukraine that our viewers have a real thirst to understand the conflict and the individuals who are shaping it.

“In the space of a few weeks, Volodymyr Zelensky has become one of the most admired and speculated about men in the world, and broadcasting our current affairs special, Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took On Putin, and Servant Of The People across Sunday night will give viewers access to deep insight into how he shot to political prominence, the foundations of his popular appeal and his intuitive grasp of how to exploit both traditional and social media.

“The battle in Ukraine is as much an information war as a military one and these two programmes will show that Zelensky was a formidable information warrior long before he was a war leader.”

Zelensky: The Man Who Took On Putin will air on Channel 4 at 6.45pm on Sunday, followed by three episodes of Servant Of The People at 10.35pm.

Series one and two of Servant Of The People will be available in full on All 4 at a later date.

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