''Baltish'' is a black humour TV show produced by

MTV Lietuva MTV Lithuania & Latvia was a twenty-four-hour music and entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel was originally formed in September 2006 at Lithuania, at January 2009 it got re-formed to double channel including both Li ...

. It was aired from November 2007 to January 2008 (10 episodes) by the

music channel Music television is a type of television programming which focuses predominantly on playing music videos from recording artists, usually on dedicated television channels broadcasting on satellite, cable, or Streaming Platforms. Music television ...

, MTV Latvija and

MTV Eesti MTV Eesti was a twenty-four-hour music and entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks Europe. The channel began on 4 September 2006 at 22:00 Eastern European Summer Time, EEST. The channel was available in Estonia. History *In 2006, MTV Ne ...

. It is created by the Lithuanian entrepreneurs Algis Ramanauskas and Rimas Šapauskas, best known for their performances in the

Radioshow Radioshow is а cult Lithuanian black comedy radio and TV show hosted by Algis Ramanauskas-Greitai and Rimas Šapauskas. It is also the name of their humorous rock band. Radioshow has started at radio station Radiocentras in 1992. Later it has mov ...

, as well as other Lithuanian performers and

stage actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

s.Baltijos šalims - „Baltish“ šou
The presenter of the show is Polish-Lithuanian singer Karina Krysko from the

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

69 Danguje.Karina Krysko - juodojo humoro kūrėjų kompanijoje
/ref>

Setting

The show takes place in the fictitious post-Soviet country Baltish that corresponds to the modern territories of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

and Estonia and reflects the worst sides of their societies:

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, xenophobia, sexism,

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

and sentiments to the Soviet past. The cultures of the three Baltic states have both similarities and differences, and the creators of the show tried the humor to be understandable for all of them, by avoiding political topics and focusing of social ones. The show is performed in "Baltish language" a kind of "

broken English Broken English is a name for a non-standard, non-traditionally spoken or alternatively-written version of the English language. These forms of English are sometimes considered as a pidgin if they have derived in a context where more than one ...

", i.e. the English language with heavy Eastern European accent and some ingredients of the Russian language. The name "Baltish" is a somewhat corrupt derivative from the geo-political term "

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...

". In fact, the name of the show is the contraction of the initial idea for the name of the language: "Baltish English" (a pun on "British English") after the Lithuanian MTV channel insisted on the use of English for the show to make it understandable in the three Baltic states.

Characters

The main character Budulis was created by Rimas Šapauskas in 1996 and used in his earlier TV performances.Iš Airijos į „Dviračio šou“ grįžta Budulis
/ref> Budilis has since become a Lithuanian archetype of violent, rude, and uneducated provincial youngster inclined to criminal behaviour. He is recognizable by a blackened mouth and a

track suit A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with front zipper. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly for athletes to wear over competition clothing (such as running shirt and shorts ...

worn on a permanent basis. This caricaturization has acquired a cult status in Lithuanian culture and "budulis" is sometimes used in place of a common noun defining that type of a person. The red outfitted devil named Molotov von Ribbentrop is another popular character. His name is constructed from the surnames of Vyacheslav Molotov and

Joachim von Ribbentrop Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945. Ribbentrop first came to Adolf Hitler's not ...

, signatories of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which secret protocol constituted a legal basis for the

occupation of the Baltic states The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were invaded and occupied in June 1940 by the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Stalin and auspices of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that had been signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet ...

. The devil is hilarious due to its looks as it is being acted by a woman as well as for its odd speech. It is usually armed with a trident and has no penis, which is therefore replaced by a black

strap-on dildo A strap-on dildo (also strap-on) is a dildo designed to be worn, usually with a harness, during sexual activity. Harnesses and dildos are made in a wide variety of styles, with variations in how the harness fits the wearer, how the dildo attach ...

in several series. Česlovas also acted by Rimas Šapauskas is another character familiar from earlier TV and radio projects, including Radioshow, Orbita and Ragai. He is discernible from curly grey hair and wears glasses. He owns a cabaret which hosts funny performances and contests between representatives of the "Baltish regions" in which Lithuania sometimes prevails or there is no clear winner. The characters act is stupid ways of

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

. Algis Ramanauskas said: "The worldview of the characters is a jumble of stereotypes formed by communism and post-communism. Xenophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, homophobia, sentiments towards the Soviet past are in every character's mind, because every character in the show "Baltish" is an incorrigible idiot".

Notes

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 11360586 Satirical television shows MTV Fictional European countries Lithuanian television shows Fictional languages