What makes thousands of people watch his programs, laugh at his jokes and wonder at his knowledge every day? Is it an inborn, delicate optimism or did he, during his years of living in London, skillfully adopt the Brits’ ability for refined self irony? It’s not simply talent, work ethic or a lucky star, but the entire lifestyle of Seva Novgorodtsev… When he told me: “Strangely, thanks to the BBC, when I moved here I became not a second-class Englishman but a first-rate Russian.” I ventured that he had become a Russian legend in London, and Seva thought for a long time, and then – very much in his own style, thoughtfully yet confidently pronounced the words “I am a small historical force…”

Tell us how fate brought you to London and why it brought you there and not somewhere else?

Like everyone in the mid-70s, I went “somewhere.” More accurately, I left somewhere. It was important to get out of the Soviet Union. At first we landed in Austria, then in Italy, where by accident we ran into someone who knew of my jazz work and pressed me to appear on the BBC. I passed an examination of general knowledge: translation, speaking voice, wrote something of my own – did the minimum, basically, got through the interviews and received a contract to work. But since we had left the Soviet Union without passports (at that time, we were required to give up our citizenship, moreover they charged us 500 rubles a person for it), I had no documents whatsoever on me. The Italians had to provide me with a temporary passport, which took over a year… In that time, I found myself in yet another interesting situation: I got to know one gentleman and out of the goodness of my heart and simply from nothing else to do, I became a helper in some Christian activities. In the end, he christened me and I came to London already a member of the church and started work at the BBC. I hadn’t planned this at all. Fate worked it all out for me.

How much has London changed since you arrived?

Above all else, it’s become more international. People from completely different countries have started pouring into London. These are dynamic, educated people who have something to say. Thus, the public has become an interesting potpourri, and a huge amount of ideas are flying around. In London, you can stay yourself, and it won’t bother anyone that you are not English or something. This is because there are not so many true natives around any more. They themselves understand that they have an extravagantly varied public to interact with. For me, any country is its people, more than anything else. And how the people behave leaves a mark on my opinion. Many of my friends consider the English a bit boring and flat, and at the same time they are subtle and never pry clumsily into your affairs. It’s comfortable living with them. The concept of friendship as understood by Russians practically doesn’t exist here. You’re more often finding yourself politely parting with Englishmen. But there are acquaintances at work, old friends, and that’s enough for me because life demands so much every day that you hardly have time to look around.

Has the London social scene also changed?

When I arrived, there were not many Russians here, maybe two dozen. And basically, everything revolved around the BBC, which collected people from different countries who knew English, but were not journalists. One could enter the BBC without a pass, just like that, to have a cup of tea. It was a kind of center of gravity. Since then, Heaven knows what has happened! Russian speakers have multiplied to the point that… You’ve got to watch when you’re walking so as not to bump into them. According to the old tradition, Russians still don’t embrace one another abroad. But I hope to live to see us – like Americans – starting up conversations with one another as soon as we hear our native language.

Where do you feel most comfortable in London, in which places?

Everywhere here is stratified according to class and group principles. Coming to London, you have to find your scene, get to know people with whom you feel close and compatible, and then they will take you to the appropriate places – clubs, restaurants, etc. When I have time, I usually go to the country. London is surrounded by the M-25 beltway, and inside of that, in the south, we recently found a place like “the lost world” that the highways don’t reach. There are little villages, farms, green fields, paths for tourists – legally, each farmer is required to leave a footpath on his property. To go somewhere nearby when the weather is nice and walk 7-10 kilometers along a footpath is the best!

Tell us a little bit about your work in radio, if only for the past few years…

The history of my conversation broadcasts began in 1987. Gorbachev had just begun his anti-alcohol campaign and closed the wineries, but from the beginning we drank wine on the air and had free talks around the table. At that time, over a thousand well-known and extraordinary people came through the show. Of course, it’s hard to single one out, as there were many luminaries, from Bukovsky and Suvorov to Adzhubei and the daughter of the People’s Commissar Litvinov. A ton of the most interesting people… That show closed in 2005, unfortunately, but people still remember it and listen to reruns. While working on it, I got to know almost all of our great musicians, all of our rock classics. If I miss anything, it’s the company of musicians. All those years touring taught me something, after all. There is a musical brotherhood that’s hard to understand from the outside, an internal familial relationship.

Which interesting people have you been interacting with recently?

The show used to air once a week. Now it’s daily, and interesting people file in continuously. There is a certain artist, for example. Sergei Pavlenko, a classical, traditional artist who is having a great deal of commercial success here. He paints portraits and twice won the competition to paint Queen Elizabeth. Say, a large corporation in the city approaches Her Highness with a request to have a full length portrait. The Queen agrees, and a competition is announced. Pavlenko won a competition that included dozens of other artists, and having won, he was given the right to meet Her Highness. There were four sessions, and she posed in a heavy velvet mantle. They chose a heroic pose for her, on the staircase. He told me with unconcealed respect and even a hint of awe how this almost 80 year-old woman stood for an hour and ten minutes for four sessions! She spoke with him about a few things – innocent, everyday topics – and asked about life in Russia. I know from my stepdaughter, who worked a bit as an artist’s model, that it’s extremely difficult work! After 20 minutes your arms and legs go to sleep – life is hard! And here I understood the nature of royal reserve. “That’s one thing!” the artist told me, “But you should see her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. He’s made of stone. You set him up, and he’ll remain frozen not just for an hour and ten minutes, but for as long as you want!”

How is life for you after becoming a Cavalier of the Order of the British Empire?

In principle, there haven’t been any life changes. Only sometimes if you need to sign someone’s request for a passport, you just write the secret letters, and as a rule, there are no refusals. But here it’s not good form to show it off, so you just go about your business as a regular citizen and don’t show anyone. Sometimes on a special occasion, you’ll get out your medals…

Would you advise people to move to London now?

It seems to me that emigration as a lifelong project is outdated. But you should definitely travel! Maybe it’s worth going to London to study, try it out for a period of time. England is a great country and leads the world in many fields, mainly in the field of ideas. The people are very highly developed and very pleasant, that’s why I’d always recommend England.

By the way, regarding the people: before we part, can you say a few words about your book “Be Careful, People!”

I did not sit down to write a book. It simply happened that for work I had to write a column every day and I have this old habit of thinking up something new each day to entertain my colleague behind the microphone, otherwise things get boring. Over five years, so much accumulated that I understood: those times are gone, but this has to be published. It turned out quite high spirited and funny, and some people like it. On the Internet, the book is in the top 100 in the country, around 74th place, I think. I hope it will climb even higher. I define it as an anti-fascist book. I have never fought against anything, I have a different concept: if you interact with people and change their nature, then the political system will fall into place. In the end, everything depends on people.