Oddballs
Bend It Like Beckham becomes first Western film to air on North Korean TV
Brand Beckham definitely has cracked the Asian market now!
North Korea treated its citizens to a Boxing Day TV screening of Bend It Like Beckham.
Martin Uden, the British ambassador to South Korea, claimed on Twitter that it was the "1st ever Western-made film to air on TV" in North Korea. He also claimed that the broadcast had been organised by the British Embassy.
During the film, a message was displayed saying it was being shown to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Britain and North Korea. We knew Becks was a great diplomat, but this is impressive even for him.
The 2002 film did not escape unscathed though. Around eight minutes were edited out, but it is not clear what failed to make the cut.
The film follows a young British Indian woman trying to convince her parents that she should be allowed to follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham. The film's themes of interracial relationships, homosexuality and religion are likely to have caused a bit of a stir in North Korea.
david beckham football funny north korea
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