Ambassadors is a comedy-drama show, produced by the BBC2, that offers an insight into the workings of the British embassy in the fictional country of Tazbekistan. Although fictional, Tazbekistan comes very close to the existing Central Asian countries. It’s drowning in corruption, human rights abuses, gender inequality, drugs, it relies on foreign investors, and its politics are tightly related to patronage networks built around the president, who, similarly to Kazahstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev and Turkmenistan’s Saparmurat Niyazov, has ruled for 20 years.
The three episodes follow the lives of the British embassy employees, mostly those of Keith Davis (David Mitchell) – the British ambassador, and Neil Tilly (Robert Webb) - the Deputy Head …show more content…
Despite making a big deal out of his escape at first, it turned out that the government let him escape just to get rid of him. Similarly to the case of the Uzbek mufti Muhammad Sodik Muhammad Yusuf , Zarifi was too popular for them to deal with him in a more “popular” and severe fashion.
The third episode’s title hints on what it is going to be about. “The Tazbek Spring” starts with a black out, gunfire, and explosions on the streets of the capital as the army suppress an anti-government rebellion. As the rebellion intensifies, the government decides to blow up the heart of it, Atbayeva, again in a much Central Asian fashion. The handling of the situation reminds of the Andijan uprising in Uzbekistan, when the Uzbek military opened fire on a mass of people who were protesting poor living conditions and corrupt government.
The episode also introduces a new character, Fergana Karzai – the President’s daughter, who is a UNESCO ambassador, national football manager, model, pop-star, wine producer, charity patron, and a member of Parliament. She reminds of president Karimov’s daughter – Gulnara Karimova, who is a representative of Uzbekistan to the United Nations, has founded and supervised several NGOs, and is also a
The three episodes follow the lives of the British embassy employees, mostly those of Keith Davis (David Mitchell) – the British ambassador, and Neil Tilly (Robert Webb) - the Deputy Head …show more content…
Despite making a big deal out of his escape at first, it turned out that the government let him escape just to get rid of him. Similarly to the case of the Uzbek mufti Muhammad Sodik Muhammad Yusuf , Zarifi was too popular for them to deal with him in a more “popular” and severe fashion.
The third episode’s title hints on what it is going to be about. “The Tazbek Spring” starts with a black out, gunfire, and explosions on the streets of the capital as the army suppress an anti-government rebellion. As the rebellion intensifies, the government decides to blow up the heart of it, Atbayeva, again in a much Central Asian fashion. The handling of the situation reminds of the Andijan uprising in Uzbekistan, when the Uzbek military opened fire on a mass of people who were protesting poor living conditions and corrupt government.
The episode also introduces a new character, Fergana Karzai – the President’s daughter, who is a UNESCO ambassador, national football manager, model, pop-star, wine producer, charity patron, and a member of Parliament. She reminds of president Karimov’s daughter – Gulnara Karimova, who is a representative of Uzbekistan to the United Nations, has founded and supervised several NGOs, and is also a