McMafia: BBC manages to sell Russian mob drama to Russia

The Russian Embassy in London previously criticised the show

The BBC has sold Russian mob drama McMafia to a Russian TV station, despite the country’s authorities having previously criticised the series.

When McMafia was initially broadcast earlier this year, the Russian Embassy in London claimed the BBC was portraying “Britain as a playground for Russian gangsters” and spreading “clibchés”.

According to Variety, though, the free Russian TV-channel Pyatnitsa! (translated to Friday!) has picked up the series, which will broadcast later this year.

McMafia centres on an exiled Russian’s son named Alex Godman — played by War & Peace’s James Norton — who struggles to live an honest life due to his parent’s mafia connections. The eight-part series was created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins, the latter of whom directed all episodes.

The general director of Friday, Nikolay Kartozia, said in a statement: “I’ve been a big fan of the BBC for almost 20 years. Their news, documentaries and dramas are all of the highest quality, so now it is a great honour that BBC Studios has selected Friday as a partner. It means that we are going the right way.”

Friday broadcasts numerous BBC productions, including the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring Sherlock, and the documentaries Blue Planet 2 and Planet Earth 2.

BBC Studios’ general manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Salim Mukaddam, added: “We hope this is the beginning of a long and successful partnership between Friday and BBC Studios.”