IT was the ultimate satirical show of the 1980s that savagely lampooned high profile people, notably politicians. Now it seems that Spitting Image is being resurrected - in an age when so much of political life seems to be a satire in itself.
It’s been off screens for a while?
Airing on ITV from 1984, the anti-establishment show that parodied the famous was regarded as “must-see” Sunday night TV and drew around 15 million at its most popular, but when audiences fell away in 1996, it came to an end.
It was very political?
The focus was on the royal family and celebrities, but there was a heavy emphasis on politics, with the majority of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet featuring. Memorably, John Major was caricatured as so exceedingly dull, he was entirely grey. Edwina Currie, then a junior health minister, was portrayed as a Cruella de Vil or a vampire.
Ronald Reagan?
He was a bumbling fool obsessed with his “nukes”, while Mikhail Gorbachev had the birthmark on his forehead marked out in the shape of hammer and sickle.
Mrs Thatcher liked the show?
A weekly target of the programme, her puppet was voiced by a man and was often seen shaving. Ms Currie revealed that the Prime Minister “loved Spitting Image” because “she realised very quickly that their image of her as the best man in the cabinet was one to pursue…She was very pleased with it”.
Some well known names voiced the puppets?
Steve Coogan was often the voice of John Major, Harry Enfield was Denis Thatcher, Outnumbered actor Hugh Dennis was Norman Lamont, Cold Feet’s John Thomson was Jeremy Paxman.
Now it’s returning?
One of the original creators, caricaturist Roger Law, revealed to the BBC’s Front Row that a pilot has been filmed for US TV, with producers in advanced discussions with global networks to broadcast further episodes of the programme.
Law said he wanted to revive the series as a "public service satire" in a response to political chaos of today
“It’s pretty chaotic out there”, he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s better than shouting at the television set, isn’t it? So I thought, let’s give it a go.”
Who are the new ‘targets’?
The Duchess of Sussex’s puppet sports a sparkly top with the word "Princess" emblazoned on the front, while US rapper Kanye West features, as does Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who appears in S&M garb.
Donald Trump surely has a starring role?
Law, who has been developing the return of the show for the last couple of years, said the US President is hard to satire "because he's a satire in himself”.
But he added: “I have heard other satirists say that he's unsatirisable because he's a satire in himself. Well actually, with puppets you can go much, much further, because actors won't do that for you.”
And they do?
The pilot features Trump’s orange puppet composing his Tweets with his derriere.
MAUREEN SUGDEN
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