Oscar winner Benigni strips on Italy evening news

ROME - Oscar winner Roberto Benigni treated Italians watching Saturday's prime time news show to an impromptu strip tease to mark the release of his new film "The Tiger and the Snow" about the war in Iraq.

Benigni, whose poignant Holocaust film "Life is Beautiful" won the 1998 Oscar for best foreign film, left the newscaster on Italy's most watched evening news programme open-mouthed when he began unbuttoning his shirt during an interview.

A laughing Benigni removed his shirt and draped it over the newscaster's shoulders.

Benigni brought a fresh touch to the often stuffy Oscars ceremony when he climbed on the back of his seat and applauded the audience after he was told he had won the Oscar. He went on to also win best actor.

Benigni is also a vociferous critic of media tycoon Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and he led a crowd of thousands in Rome on Friday in protest at the centre-right government's decision to cut state arts funding by 35 per cent.

Prior to removing his shirt, Benigni had already hijacked the opening credits of the 8pm news, jumping behind the newscaster and announcing: "Berlusconi has resigned".

- REUTERS