The House of Saddam

BBC2 at 9:00PM this Wednesday begins broadcasting the House of Saddam, a four part dramatisation of Saddam's time in power.

The series starts in 1979, when Saddam seized the presidency, and ends in 2006 with his execution.

Israeli actor Igal Naor plays Saddam.

Naor said he was asked for blessings by ordinary Arabs, as he filmed House of Saddam in Tunisia.

"We were shooting a few walkabouts that Saddam used to do in the streets of Baghdad.

It involved hundreds of extras and a lot of ordinary Tunisians. Every time I got out of my trailer people were coming to me as if they had never heard of Saddam's death.

They acted as if I was Saddam himself, calling me by his name, asking for my blessing, and wishing me victory in the war.

I checked with the production whether someone asked them to do this. The answer was no."

Nowt so queer as folk!