Saddam's doppelgangsters

Independent studies now show that far from being anti-war, the BBC actually gave more airtime to pro-war views than any other broadcaster. But just how low did the BBC current affairs television programme Panorama go?

In 2002, BBC World Affairs editor John Simpson interviewed anyone who could dish more dirt on the soon-to-be-deposed Iraqi dictator, including, it seems, one graduate from the Jack White school of photographic interpretation.

The following transcript is indicative of that barrel scraping period.

Video | Transcript

John Simpson: For years Saddam Hussein has been fooling everyone. The German forensic scientist Dieter Buhmann, armed with the latest computer technology, has analysed thousands of hours of video footage and made an extraordinary discovery.

Dr. Dieter Buhmann: On the left side is the real Mr. Saddam Hussein, on the right side is the Mr. Hussein in the year, er, 94.

Simpson: He takes careful measurements of the images of the genuine Saddam. He knows there is one double but he's surprised at what he finds.

Buhmann: I found the left one is the real Saddam Hussein in the year 1990, the second is a double and that are the other doubles.

Simpson: Are you absolutely certain that those are four different men that we are looking at there?

Buhmann: I am absolutely sure.

Simpson: It's part survival technique, part a useful convenience. Saddam can't be bothered to meet the less important foreign visitors. The Austrian far right leader Joerg Heider for instance. He thought he was meeting the real Saddam. Dieter Buhmann shows he merely met a fake.

Buhmann: This is a picture of the double, you see a lot of differences in the anatomical areas. The corner of the left eyelid is in the wrong place. The top of the nose has another form and the ear is different and altogether you can be sure that they are two different persons.

Using the same laughable formula ("Are you absolutely certain?" + "I am absolutely sure" = True) I can now reveal that US President John F. Kennedy employed no-less than seven look-alikes, partly because of the "survival technique" (say no more) and partrly because he couldn't be arsed getting his, um, ass out of bed!

Here is my proof.


Of course this isn't true. Facial features can naturally appear somewhat distorted depending on skin, lighting condition, etc. Digital compression can also impact overall image quality.

Any professional broadcasting company surely would know this?

The many faces of Saddam Hussein