Lives Less Ordinary - Bringing the Muppets to Moscow

Download Bringing the Muppets to Moscow

Natasha Lance Rogoff’s daunting task of making Sesame Street in post-Soviet Russia.

In the early 90s, American journalist Natasha Lance Rogoff was covering the collapse of the Soviet Union – until the Muppets came calling, and she was tasked with bringing Sesame Street to Moscow. After decades of communism a new Russia was emerging, but could it embrace a US TV show?

Creating Ulitsa Sezam was a daunting challenge for Natasha. She would have to overcome a huge culture clash and, along the way, face mobsters with shark tanks, bankruptcy, and the kidnapping of Elmo. Natasha has written a book called Muppets in Moscow: The unexpected crazy true story of making Sesame Street in Russia.

Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Editor: Munazza Khan

Published on Sunday, 26th March 2023.

Available Podcasts from Lives Less Ordinary

Subscribe to Lives Less Ordinary

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Lives Less Ordinary webpage.