Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnibus | 20190524 | The Puppet Master gets to the bewildering heart of contemporary Russia by exploring the fortunes of a secretive, complicated and controversial man called Vladislav Surkov. Reporter Gabriel Gatehouse speaks fluent Russian and has access to a vast cache of leaked emails from Surkov's Kremlin office. Using these, plus archive and sources gained over a decade of covering Russia and its wars, Gatehouse goes in search of the man pulling the strings. The journey is by turns dramatic, surprising and surreal, ranging from the battlefield to the theatre and the Kremlin itself. The destination? The post-truth world we inhabit today.
Exploring the fortunes of a secretive and controversial man called Vladislav Surkov. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the man who made the post-truth world: Vladislav Surkov. | |
| 01 | Snipers | 20190325 | The Puppet Master is a series that gets to the bewildering heart of contemporary Russia by exploring the fortunes of a secretive, complicated and controversial man called Vladislav Surkov. Reporter Gabriel Gatehouse speaks fluent Russian and has access to a vast cache of leaked emails from Surkov's Kremlin office. Using these, plus archive and sources gained over a decade of covering Russia and its wars, Gatehouse goes in search of the man pulling the strings. The journey is by turns dramatic, surprising and surreal, ranging from the battlefield to the theatre and the Kremlin itself. The destination? The post-truth world we inhabit today. From deadly chaos a mysterious figure emerges. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the man who made the post-truth world: Vladislav Surkov. |
| 02 | Ascension | 20190326 | This is the story of the most powerful man you've never heard of. He can spot an ex-spy with presidential potential and help turn him into a world leader. He creates opposition movements out of thin air. He's got a nation's news directors on speed dial. Billionaires seek his advice. He's even got his own little war. He's at the heart of the standoff between East and West. Some even credit him with pioneering the concept of post-truth politics. Yet few even know his name. He is Vladislav Surkov. And in this episode, Gabriel Gatehouse charts his rise from small-town Russia to the heights of power in the Kremlin. The man from nowhere slides up the greasy pole. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the man who made the post-truth world: Vladislav Surkov. |
| 03 | Impresario | 20190327 | All the world - or at least all of Russia - is a stage. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the man who made the post-truth world: Vladislav Surkov. |
| 04 | Unravelling | 20190328 | Loyalties are tested as street power grows. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the man who made the post-truth world: Vladislav Surkov. |
| 05 | Enemies | 20190329 | A fight for survival and a message for the West. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the man who made the post-truth world: Vladislav Surkov. |