Shocking Russian TV with three Liberian plays (4,3,8)
I believe the answer is:
ivan the terrible
'shocking russian' is the definition.
'tv with three liberian plays' is the wordplay.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'plays' is an anagram indicator.
'three'+'liberian'='threeliberian'
'tv' put after 'threeliberian' is 'threeliberiantv'.
'threeliberiantv' is an anagram of 'IVAN THE TERRIBLE'.
(Other definitions for ivan the terrible that I've seen before include "Dictator" , "despot" , "Russian leader" , "Cruel tyrant" , "Old ruler" .)