Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV network. The series was nominated and won numerous awards, including ten BAFTA Television Awards, and two Emmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category.[2][3] The series features puppet caricatures of contemporary celebrities and public figures, including British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and the British royal family. The series was the first to caricature Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (as an elderly gin-drinker with a Beryl Reid voice).[4]
This article is about the 1984–1996 television series. For the 2020 television series, see Spitting Image (2020 TV series). For other uses, see Spitting Image (disambiguation).Spitting Image
United Kingdom
English
18
134
- Central House (1984)[1]
- Television House (1985–96)[1]
30 to 60 minutes
Spitting Image Productions for Central
26 February 1984 –
18 February 1996
One of the most-watched shows of the 1980s, Spitting Image satirised politics, entertainment, sport and British popular culture of the era. At its peak, the show was watched by 15 million people.[5] The popularity of the show saw collaborations with musicians, including Phil Collins and Sting. The series was cancelled in 1996 after viewing figures declined. ITV had plans for a new series in 2006, but these were scrapped after a dispute over the Ant & Dec puppets used to host Best Ever Spitting Image, which were created against Roger Law's wishes.[6] In 2018, Law donated his entire archive – including scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings – to the University of Cambridge.[7] In 2019, Law announced the show would be returning with a new series.[8][9] The revived series debuted on 3 October 2020 on BritBox, and featured caricatures of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump.[10]
Archive donated to Cambridge University[edit]
In 2018, Spitting Image co-creator Roger Law donated his entire archive – which includes original scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings – to Cambridge University. The collection is located in the university library, with its librarian Dr Jessica Gardner describing the collection as a "national treasure".[7] She added, "Spitting Image was anarchic, it was creative, it entered the public imagination like nothing else from that era. It is an extraordinary political and historical record. Great satire holds up a mirror, it questions and challenges."[7]