Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to appear on The Simpsons | TV News

The founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange is set to be a guest character on popular animated series The Simpsons for their 500th episode which will air on 19 February on the Fox television channel in the USA.

In the episode, the Simpsons family which consists of  Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and their pets leave their home in fictional Springfield and move an isolated area where they find themselves living next to Assange. He recorded his lines remotely from Britain where he is currently under house arrest after facing extradition to Sweden, where he has been accused of sexual assault by two women. On Wednesday he will appear before the supreme court to appeal against this.

Following creator Matt Groening hearing a rumour that Assange was interested in guest starring on the series the team approached him, but due to Assange’s legal situation the writers made sure the appearance was satirical.

The Simpsons’ executive producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly: “We asked our casting director Bonnie Pietila – who had been able to unearth Thomas Pynchon and got Tony Blair to do the show – to find Mr Assange. And she did.”

[Guardian/BBC News]