Frankie Goes To Russia. Frankie Boyle. Copyright: ITN
Frankie Goes To Russia

Frankie Goes To Russia

  • TV factual
  • BBC Two
  • 2018
  • 2 episodes (1 series)

Frankie Boyle looks around Russia ahead of the 2018 World Cup.

Episode menu

Series 1, Episode 1

In Moscow, Frankie joins a specially selected, photogenic group of young people at a World Cup volunteer training course where students are being taught how to greet tourists - as well as how to survive a chemical attack.

Further details

To sell a positive image of Russia to the West requires a PR effort of gargantuan proportions. In Moscow, Frankie joins a specially selected, photogenic group of young people at a World Cup volunteer training course where students are being taught how to greet tourists - as well as how to survive a chemical attack. Frankie sees the World Cup final stadium up close, before visiting an all-female barber shop where he discovers feminism is out and hooliganism is in. He also meets Putin's biggest fan, a comic book artist who has a life-size cut out of the President and believes that although the West propagates anti-Russian propaganda, he thinks the World Cup will be a huge-success story for the country.

Frankie goes on to visit Rostov-on-Don, a city near the Ukrainian border with a reputation for football violence, and tries to track down the city's hooligans. Checking in to his hotel he discovers a welcome pack with an unusual notice saying what to do in the case of being taken hostage, but feels instantly at home because the town is twinned with Glasgow. The Rostov-on-Don Cossacks have been assigned a special role at this World Cup, policing stadiums, so Frankie's keen to spend some time with the famous sabre-wielding warriors. He experiences Cossack hospitality and on discovering a mutual love of hip hop records a World Cup Rap with a leading Cossack artist.

In Moscow for Election Day, Frankie watches as Putin is elected president for a fourth time. During Frankie's time there diplomatic relations between UK and Russia are at an all-time low - when back in the UK news breaks that a former Russian spy and his daughter are poisoned in Salisbury - allowing Frankie to observe the unfolding situation from a unique perspective.

Broadcast details

Date
Sunday 3rd June 2018
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC Two
Length
60 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Wednesday 6th June 2018 11:15pm BBC2
Friday 22nd June 2018 2:15am BBC2
Thursday 5th July 2018 11:15pm BBC2
Sunday 28th March 2021 9:00pm BBC2

Cast & crew

Cast
Frankie Boyle Host / Presenter
Writing team
Frankie Boyle Writer
Charlie Skelton Script Editor
Aiden Spackman Script Editor
Production team
Jenny Dames Director
Jenny Dames Series Producer
Bernie Kay Executive Producer
Russell Crockett Editor
Jake Martin Editor
Leigh Brzeski Editor
Marc Davies Editor
Neil Harvey Director of Photography
Jamie Balment Commissioning Editor
Emma Loach Commissioning Editor
Lexi Rose Development Producer

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