Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become known around the world as a charismatic and defiant leader and key figure in determining the course of the current crisis in his country. But before being elected Ukraine’s president in a landslide victory in 2019, he was an actor and comedian, providing the voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukraine, winning the country's version of Strictly Come Dancing and starring and producing satirical series, Servant of the People, the latter a poignant precursor to his real-life election victory.

Servant of the People, to be broadcast on Channel 4 this Sunday, sees Zelenskyy play a high school teacher who accidentally becomes Ukrainian President after a video of him condemning government corruption goes viral on social media. From its first broadcast in 2015, it was hugely popular and became a record breaker for Ukrainian broadcaster, 1+1, racking up three series and a feature film. 

Following the series’ success and popularity with the Ukrainian public and in a climate of voter dissatisfaction, Zelenskyy ran for and won a landslide victory in the 2019 presidential election, with a campaign promising an end to the corruption that his fictional character in Servant of the People, also fights against. 

Servant of The People won the Gold Remi Award for Television Comedy at the 2016 WorldFest in Houston. It won a Silver Award at the World Media Festival in Hamburg and was a finalist at the Seoul International Drama Awards in 2016. 

Servant of the People is produced by Studio Kvartal 95 for Channel 1+1, distributed by Eccho Rights.

A documentary profile – Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took On Putin will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday 6th March at 6.45pm, followed by three episodes of Servant of The People at 10:35pm. Series 1 and 2 of Servant of the People will be available in full on All 4 at a later date.