Rich, Russian and Living in London

BBC

5 Jan

From multi-millionaire dissident wine merchants and uncompromising art-loving oligarchs to ‘country set’ tsarist princesses and beautiful supermodels, Rich, Russian and Living in London takes us into the lives of the uber wealthy who have made London their home. How do they see themselves, how do they see us, what does money mean to them, and who are they…really?

Who really are the super rich Russian elite who have chosen to make London their home? Why have they favoured our capital city? And why do they obsess about the English education system, polo and our monarchy?

We enter the lives of an entrepreneur chased out of Russia for his liberal views and growing bank balance and one of London’s biggest art collectors to hear their views. We tap into the life of Russia’s top supermodel. And as we follow two debutantes preparing for the glitz and glamour of the Russian ball we meet Princess Olga Romanov, now 64, and granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas’s sister, who vividly recalls her coming out as a debutante.

Debunking some of the myths about Russians in London, this film takes us further under their skin than you will have seen before. They love our capital city for its security and freedom, for them it is an English dream. But how do they see us? Why, when in London, do they still feel a need to access their Russian roots and culture, what is it that unites the Russians in London and brings them together for a fairytale night by the banks of the Thames?

RUNTIME:
58 Minutes

PRODUCER:
Olga Betko

DIRECTOR:
Polly Steele

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Brian Woods
Kate Blewett

RELEASED:
2014