To mark Earth Day on Thursday 22nd April, Channel 4 will be releasing a unique TikTok parody, which appears to star Swedish environmental activist, Greta Thunberg.

In this comedic deepfake, performed by impressionist Katia Kvinge and written by Stu Richards and Alasdair Beckett-King, Greta turns to the world of TikTok, where she will be throwing shapes to an original song titled ‘Man Like Greta’. Whilst humorous in approach, this captivating content aims to deliver an urgent and important message about the impact of climate change in the lead up to Earth Day, as well as looking to increase our audiences’ awareness of deepfake technology and how it can be used.

After launching on TikTok, ‘Man Like Greta’ will be followed a ‘How To Tutorial’, which will demonstrate to avid TikTok’ers how to get involved and take on the iconic dance.

Laura Marks, Digital Commissioner at Channel 4 said: “What better way to mark Earth Day than by tapping into TikTok and reimagining how Greta might approach it. ‘Man like Greta’ is an affectionate parody of our favourite climate change activist, we love Greta and her sense of humour, so maybe Greta will even have a go herself!”

Impressionist Katia Kvinge said: “We all know Greta is a brilliant activist but she's also shown a great sense of humour in how she’s dealt with various politicians and obstacles in her own witty, dry way and it was my pleasure to play her.”

About the deepfake:

Rockerdale Studios’ team created the film’s deepfake of Greta Thunberg by using various AI (artificial intelligence) software that’s fed with reference images of a subject; in this case Greta Thunberg. It creates a digital version of their face which can be layered on top of footage of someone else, making it look as though they said and did what was in that performance. No video footage of Greta Thunberg is manipulated and everything you see and hear was performed by impressionist Katia Kvinge.

On Channel 4 and across social and All 4 there will be a wide range of eco tips shared to mark Earth Day, that viewers can easily try at home to become more sustainable. 

Watch Katia Kvinge as Greta Thunberg here.