Ambassadors (TV series)
British embassy staff navigate diplomacy in fictional Tazbekistan.
Ambassadors is a three-episode British comedy-drama television serial that aired on BBC Two in 2013. The series follows the employees of the British embassy in the fictional Central Asian nation of Tazbekistan.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy-drama
- Writer
- James Wood; Rupert Walters
- Director
- Jeremy Webb
- Composer
- Daniel Pemberton
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Russian
- "Tazbek"
- Episodes
- 3
- Executive producers
- Kenton Allen
- Luke Alkin
- Matthew Justice
- David Mitchell
- Robert Webb
- Chris Sussman
Facts from the source article.
Production
The limited serial was commissioned on 23 August 2012 by Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two, and Cheryl Taylor, controller of BBC comedy commissioning. Production began in January 2013. Robert Webb described the series as 'Yes, Prime Minister meets Spooks at a bad disco', while David Mitchell called it 'credible, hopefully funny at times, but serious at times'. Filming took place partly in Bursa, western Turkey, chosen by AZ Celtic Films for its diversity and proximity to Istanbul, the 'hub of the film industry'. The Turkish military and the local airport assisted with filming, which required two days at the airport. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office permitted the cast to hold a read-through in one of its grandest rooms. Co-writer James Wood noted that stories told by diplomats were closely reflected in the series, and that 200 pages of research were compiled after a week spent in Kazakhstan with the ambassador there. The title sequence was created by Joe Berger and Pascal Wyse. Throughout the series the Union Flag appears upside-down in the title sequence, outside the embassy, and on the ambassador's Land Rover, a signal that the position flying it is in distress.
Reception
Overnight figures showed the first episode attracted 1.21 million viewers on BBC Two, a 5.4% audience share during its original broadcast. The second episode received a 4.5% share. Alison Graham of the Radio Times described it as 'a drama with a light touch, rather than an out-and-out comedy', calling it 'engaging, even winning'. The Daily Telegraph's Jake Wallis Simons wrote that David Mitchell and Robert Webb 'brought the thing alive', with Mitchell's character portrayed as 'a wonderfully explosive and strait-laced character' who was '100 per cent buffoon'. In The Independent, Ellen E. Jones considered the series inferior to Peep Show but found Webb 'a particular pleasure to watch' as a 'competent, practical employee'. The Guardian's Sam Wollaston said it was 'more of a drama with jokes than jokes strung together with some kind of story', adding that 'Ambassadors didn't blow me away, but it grew on me as it went along'.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Ambassadors (TV series) first air?
Ambassadors first aired on 23 October 2013.
When did Ambassadors (TV series) end?
Ambassadors last aired on 6 November 2013.
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