Spitting Image (2020 TV series)
Spitting Image | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Peter Fluck Roger Law Martin Lambie-Nairn |
Voices of | |
Music by | Willie Dowling |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 20 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Jeff Westbrook Richard Allen-Turner Joanna Beresford Roger Law Jon Thoday Nana Hughes (Britbox) |
Producer | Matt Stronge |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company | Avalon Television[1] |
Original release | |
Network | BritBox |
Release | 3 October 2020 2 December 2021 | –
Spitting Image is a British satirical television puppet show, based on the 1984 series of the same name created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. Similar to the original, the series features puppet caricatures of contemporary celebrities, such as Adele, James Corden, and Kanye West, as well as public figures, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, several Conservative cabinet members such as Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Priti Patel, and former US President Donald Trump.
ITV had plans for a reboot 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 Law's wishes.[2] In September 2019, Law announced the show would be returning with a new series.[3] It was confirmed in March 2020 that the show would return on BritBox.[4] Featuring 100 new puppets, the series debuted on 3 October that year.[5] It was renewed for a second series four days later.[6] The second series premiered on 11 September 2021.[7] The show was cancelled by ITV on 24 October 2022.[8]
Characters
Politicians
Many British politicians were parodied in the show. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was most prominent, portrayed as a bumbling idiot often manipulated by Chief Advisor Dominic Cummings.
Alongside Johnson was his Cabinet, which included:
- Dominic Raab, a martial arts fanatic and unable to name countries on a globe despite being Foreign Secretary.[9] Depicted as incompetent and frequently on holiday; this references real life, when Raab was abroad on holiday in Crete during the Fall of Kabul.[10]
- Priti Patel, portrayed as a vampire. Bullied the rest of the cabinet and idolised Margaret Thatcher.
- Dominic Cummings, an alien from the planet Epsilon 5 who was stranded in Durham.[11] He is able to read and control people's minds and often manipulates Johnson to get his own way, once even attempting to devour his child.[12]
- Rishi Sunak, a billionaire who is depicted as the most popular of the cabinet ministers. He referred to himself as "Dishy Rishi" and was extremely vain and arrogant,[13] expressing interest in becoming Prime Minister.[14]
- Michael Gove, depicted as disloyal to the prime minister and addicted to drugs,[15][16] shown attempting to overthrow Johnson and Cummings on multiple occasions.[13] He was often seen dancing, which referenced a video where Gove was filmed in a nightclub.
- Matt Hancock, a wimp who hid whenever confronted with an uncomfortable situation.[17]
- Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and described by Patel as "a massive egghead".[9]
- Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary.
The Opposition (Labour Party) puppets included
- Keir Starmer, dull and uncharismatic, who took on the alter ego "Fox Man", a superhero who defended people with the Crime and Courts Act 2013.[18]
- Jess Phillips, frustrated with Labour's unpopularity.[19]
Nicola Sturgeon was depicted as an independence-obsessed Scottish nationalist. She appeared at the UEFA Champions League in Braveheart-style facepaint and assaulted the Boris Johnson puppet with a headbutt whilst shouting, "Glasgow kiss!"[20] Her predecessor, Alex Salmond, was depicted as a Shrek lookalike.[21]
Royal Family
The main characters were:
- Elizabeth II: Portrayed as a maddened old lady who often used profane language and had a strong dislike of Canada.[22] She was dismissive of her children, including Charles, and disapproved of Dominic Raab, describing him as "a complete waste of space."[23]
- Charles III: As Prince of Wales he was portrayed as fed up with waiting to be king; so much so that when Elizabeth entered a coma he declared himself king.[24]
- Camilla, Queen Consort: Charles's wife.
- William, Prince of Wales : Very charitable, politically correct and environmentally friendly; encouraged people to wash out their bean tins before putting them in the bin,[25] spent money to protect the environment, not "wasting it on space rockets like Jeff Bezos or William Shatner", and convinced Elizabeth to write a letter to Leylah Fernandez, as "you're the queen of Canada too, grandmama."[22]
- Catherine, Princess of Wales: Shown wearing elaborate and sometimes ridiculous outfits, such as a large hat fashioned from balloons (referencing Party Pieces)[24] and a dress decorated with "feathers from a swan that was savaged by a corgi."[25]
Other members who were parodied included the badly-educated Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex,[26] his wife and former actress Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who was hit with a wooden plank every time he appeared on screen.[27]
International politicians
US President Donald Trump was portrayed as a childish, gluttonous moron at odds with his constantly tired and exasperated vice president, Mike Pence. He was characterised as being unable to read, he tweeted from his bed with his sentient anus, and the colour of his complexion was credited to a coating of ketchup that covered his face.[28] Trump was also depicted as being bald and his wig being a small animal that could crawl off his head and obey his commands.[29] His wife, Melania Trump was shown as despising the role of First Lady and showed utter contempt and coldness towards her husband.[30][31]
Joe Biden was portrayed as old, forgetful and unaware that he was president.[32] He invoked the 25th Amendment to make Kamala Harris acting president whenever he went to the toilet, as "at my age that could take a while".[33]
Vladimir Putin was portrayed as a tiny megalomaniac sitting on a throne. He poisoned people for entertainment and displayed a clear disregard for human life. In one sketch, he tried to make the COVID-19 puppet Prime Minister of Russia, stating that "every five years, we switch jobs. But I am always in charge." In Spitting Image, Russia was shown as a severely underdeveloped nation which was only beginning to grasp technology from the 1930s, including tape recorders and walkie-talkies being described by Putin as "all the best Russia has to offer".[34]
Jacinda Ardern was overprotective of her country and implements a nationwide lockdown every time there was a single COVID-19 case reported in New Zealand.
Nancy Pelosi pandered to whatever minority group she met in a desperate bid to get votes as a result of being afflicted with "panderitis".[35]
Jared Kushner was a lifeless mannequin paraded around by Ivanka Trump and sarcastically described by Donald Trump as "that dynamo of energy and excitement, Jared Kushner!"[36]
Other international caricatures included Barack Obama,[32] Ivanka Trump, Mitch McConnell, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi, Scott Morrison, Xi Jinping[37] and Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Sport
England manager Gareth Southgate was overly woke, Harry Kane spoke with a prominent lisp, Phil Foden was a womaniser and Marcus Rashford was ignored and shunned by the rest of his team.[38] Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was exceedingly cheerful, optimistic and friendly, sometimes even to his disadvantage.[39][40]
Golfer Tiger Woods was also portrayed as very calm, even under circumstances that would greatly irritate others.[41]
Other sportspeople satirized on Spitting Image included fitness coach Joe Wicks, former professional footballer Micah Richards and professional tennis player Emma Raducanu.
Celebrities
Actors
Many actors were also lampooned. Tom Cruise was a scientologist unable to tell the difference between his films and real life;[42][43] Gwyneth Paltrow sold increasingly odd products;[37] Brad Pitt was overly emotional;[44] Idris Elba employed unusual interrogation tactics;[39] Olivia Colman won everything that she entered;[34] Daniel Craig was perplexed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge's lack of subtlety[45] and Kevin Hart was tiny and in the pocket of Dwayne Johnson.[46]
Musicians
A Paul McCartney character was washed-up, phony and cheap, making substandard new songs in desperation to get another hit,[47] and Adele was portrayed as a brash philanthropist with a very deep voice;[48] Billie Eilish was boring and sleepy with unintelligible speech and required subtitles to be understood;[37][49] Elton John was satirized wearing ruffles and huge, square glasses, whilst Ed Sheeran had a West Country accent and – in the trailer – had "carrots sprouting from (his) head" (an allusion to Sheeran's red hair) before this was changed at risk of offending viewers.[50] Kanye West was an egotist who declares himself "Ruler of Earth" in reference to his 2020 presidential campaign.[37]
Other musicians parodied on the show included Grimes, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift.[46]
Staff
Voices
- Billy West as Joe Biden,[51] Mitch McConnell, Mark Zuckerberg, Rudy Giuliani, and William Shatner
- Debra Stephenson as Elizabeth II[51]
- Debra Wilson as Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris,[51] Oprah Winfrey, Nicki Minaj, Leondra Kruger, and additional voices
- Guz Khan as Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi (series 1)[51]
- Indira Varma as Priti Patel
- Jess Robinson as Olivia Colman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Meghan Markle, Adele, Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Angela Merkel, Nancy Pelosi, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Jacinda Ardern, Greta Thunberg, Billie Eilish, Grimes, Nicola Sturgeon, Jess Philips, Chrissy Teigen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Emma Raducanu, Ariana Grande, Alex Scott, Jameela Jamil, Carrie Johnson, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Liz Truss, and additional voices[52][51][53][54]
- John DiMaggio as Mike Pence, Elon Musk, Tom Cruise, Mayor Cheeseburger, and additional voices[51]
- Lewis MacLeod as Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Michael Gove, Richard Branson, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, David Attenborough, Matt Hancock, Brad Pitt, James Corden, Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin, David Furnish, Scott Morrison, Pope Francis, Coronavirus, Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, Gareth Southgate, Paul McCartney and Harry Kane (episode 15-present)[55][51][56]
- Lobo Chan as Xi Jinping
- Matt Forde as Donald Trump,[57] Boris Johnson,[57] Keir Starmer,[58] Alex Salmond, Phil Foden, Chris Whitty and the Frantic Sole[59]
- Phil LaMarr as Dwayne Johnson, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Kanye West (series 1, series 2 in episode 16), RuPaul, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Tiger Woods, The Flu,[51] Lin-Manuel Miranda, Santa Claus, and additional voices
- Luke Kempner as Piers Morgan,[60] Jurgen Klopp, Harry Kane (episode 14), Joe Wicks, Bill Gates, Dominic Raab, and Gary Lineker
- Daniel Barker as Dominic Cummings, Prince William, and additional voices[61]
- Jason Forbes as Idris Elba, Marcus Rashford, Lewis Hamilton, and additional voices (series 1)[62]
- George Fouracres as Prince Harry (series 1)
- Clare Corbett as Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Anneliese Dodds, John Healey, Nick Thomas-Symonds, and additional voices (series 1)[51]
- Eshaan Akbar as Rishi Sunak (series 2), Narendra Modi (series 2), and additional voices
- Dane Baptiste as Marcus Rashford (series 2), Trevor McDonald, Kanye West (series 2), Prince Harry (series 2), and Micah Richards (series 2)
- Tom Stourton
- Steve Nallon as The Spirit of Margaret Thatcher[51]
- Esmonde Cole as Idris Elba (episode 16), Marcus Rashford (episode 16), Micah Richards (episode 16)[63]
- Jordan Maxwell
Puppeteers
- Laura Bacon (series 2)
- Warrick Brownlow-Pike
- Dave Chapman
- Sheila Clark
- Philip Eason (series 1)
- Iestyn Evans
- Joe Greco
- Andy Heath
- Brian Herring
- Matt Hutchinson
- Mark Jefferis
- Steven Kynman (series 1)
- Rebecca Nagan
- Wim Oppenheimer
- Lynn Robertson Bruce (series 1)
- Neil Sterenberg
- Olly Taylor (series 1)
- Chris Thatcher
Directors
- Steve Bendelack (series 2)
- Steve Connelly (series 1)
- Andy De Emmony (series 1)
- Adam Miller (series 2)
- David Sant (series 2)
Writers
- Gemma Arrowsmith (series 1)
- David X. Cohen (series 1)
- Sophie Duker (series 1)
- Matt Forde
- Rich Fulcher (series 2)
- Jason Hazely
- Sarah Isaacson (series 2)
- Noah James (series 1)
- Travis Jay (series 1)
- George Jeffrie (deceased before premiere of show, writings released posthumously)[64]
- Laura Major
- F. Maxwell (series 1)
- Jordan Maxwell (series 1)
- Karl Minns
- Al Murray
- Tom Neenan (series 1)
- Pierre Novellie (series 1)
- Bill Odenkirk
- Brona C. Titley
- Nico Tatarowicz
- Bert Tyler-Moore
- Patric M. Verrone
- Phil Wang (series 1)
- Jeff Westbrook
- Keisha Zollar
Caricaturists
- Jean-Marc Borot
- Steve Brodner (series 1)
- André Carrilho
- Russ Cook
- Thierry Coquelet
- Frank Hoppman
- Sebastian Krüger
- Johannes Leak
- David Stoten
- Adrian Teal
- Tim Watts
- Wilfrid Woods
- Mark Reeve
Production
In April 2017, it was reported that US broadcaster HBO was set to revive the series in light of the presidency of Donald Trump. However, no immediate official confirmation or announcement was made.[65] In September 2019, the show was confirmed to be returning to screens twenty-three years after it originally ended, with the unveiling of the puppets of Trump, Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.[66] Roger Law stated that the pilot for the new series had been filmed and that talks were in progress with US networks to take the show to a larger, global audience.[3] According to Law, the revival is set to have a global appeal through a "uniquely British eye".[4] Originally NBC was set to distribute the series stateside, however they backed out weeks before its initial broadcast. Executive producer Jon Thoday cited their "nervousness" with the series' content as the reason for their departure.[67]
The writers for the revival include Jeff Westbrook, Al Murray, The Windsors creators Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie, Bill Odenkirk, David X. Cohen, Jason Hazeley, Keisha Zollar, Patric Verrone, Phil Wang, and Sophie Duker.[68]
On 4 March 2020, the show was announced to be returning on the streaming service BritBox, as its first official commission.[4] The show premiered on the service on 3 October 2020, featuring the voice talents of Billy West, Debra Stephenson, Debra Wilson, Guz Khan, Indira Varma, Jess Robinson, John DiMaggio, Lewis MacLeod, Lobo Chan, Matt Forde, and Phil LaMarr.
In an interview from July 2021, Law said that the second series would go massively over-budget like Boris Johnson's policies with full support from BritBox. He also said that the series would not be adding many new political figures, instead adding several footballers.[69]
Episodes
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 10 | 3 October 2020 | 28 November 2020 | |
2 | 10 | 11 September 2021 | 2 December 2021 |
Season 1 (2020)
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Andy De Emmony, Steve Connelly | Gemma Arrowsmith, David X. Cohen, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Tom Neenan, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Phil Wang, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 3 October 2020 |
2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Andy De Emmony, Steve Connelly | David X. Cohen, Sophie Duker, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 10 October 2020 |
3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Andy De Emmony, Steve Connelly | David X. Cohen, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Noah James, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Jordan Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Phil Wang, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 17 October 2020 |
4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Andy De Emmony, Steve Connelly | Gemma Arrowsmith, David X. Cohen, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Laura Major, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Brona C. Titley, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 24 October 2020 |
5 | 5 | "US Election Special (Part 1)" | Andy De Emmony, Steve Connelly | David X. Cohen, Sophie Duker, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Brona C. Titley, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 31 October 2020[a] |
6 | 6 | "US Election Special (Part 2)" | Andy De Emmony, Steve Connelly | David X. Cohen, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Bill Odenkirk, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 31 October 2020 |
7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Steve Connelly, Andy De Emmony | David X. Cohen, Sophie Duker, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Pierre Novellie, Bill Odenkirk, Brona C. Titley, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 7 November 2020 |
8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Steve Connelly, Andy De Emmony | Gemma Arrowsmith, David X. Cohen, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, George Jeffrie, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Tom Neenan, Bill Odenkirk, Brona C. Titley, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 14 November 2020 |
9 | 9 | "Episode 9" | Steve Connelly, Andy De Emmony | David X. Cohen, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Travis Jay, George Jeffrie, Laura Major, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Brona C. Titley, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 21 November 2020 |
10 | 10 | "Episode 10" | Steve Connelly, Andy De Emmony | David X. Cohen, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, George Jeffrie, Laura Major, F. Maxwell, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Brona C. Titley, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 28 November 2020 |
Season 2 (2021)
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Steve Bendelack, Adam Miller | Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Sarah Morgan, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Matt Stronge, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook | 11 September 2021 |
12 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Adam Miller, Steve Bendelack, David Sant | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Rich Fulcher, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Bill Odenkirk, Elizabeth V. Suggs, Nico Tatarwicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook | 18 September 2021 |
13 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Steve Bendelack, Adam Miller | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, George Jeffrie, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tartowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 25 September 2021 |
14 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Adam Miller, Steve Bendelack, David Sant | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Sarah Morgan, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Elizabeth V. Suggs, Matt Stronge, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 2 October 2021 |
15 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Steve Bendelack, Adam Miller | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 9 October 2021 |
16 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Adam Miller, Steve Bendelack, David Sant | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Rich Fulcher, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Sarah Morgan, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 16 October 2021 |
17 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Steve Bendelack, Adam Miller, David Sant | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Rich Fulcher, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Sarah Morgan, Tom Neenan, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook | 22 October 2021 |
18 | 8 | "Halloween Special" | Adam Miller, Steve Bendelack, David Sant | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Sarah Morgan, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert Tyler-Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 30 October 2021[b] |
19 | 9 | "Episode 9" | Steve Bendelack, Adam Miller | Catherine Brinkworth, Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Sarah Isaacson, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Tom Neenan, Megan Neuringer, Bill Odenkirk, Matt Stronge, Nico Tatarowicz, Bert-Tyler Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook, Keisha Zollar | 6 November 2021 |
20 | 10 | "Spitting Image: Christmas Special 2021" | Steve Bendelack, Adam Miller | Matt Forde, Jason Hazeley, Laura Major, Karl Minns, Al Murray, Sarah Morgan, Nico Tatarowicz, Brona C. Titley, Bert-Tyler Moore, Patric M. Verrone, Jeff Westbrook | 2 December 2021[c] |
Reception
The series received mixed reviews from critics. The decision to satirise Greta Thunberg garnered criticism as she was a minor at the time.[72]
Mark Lawson of The Guardian wrote approvingly in his four-out-of-five star review that "[a]dmirers of the franchise will be relieved that the revival ... has lost none of its savagery or willingness to shock."[73] Also writing for The Guardian, columnist Nesrine Malik described the new series as a "toothless performance" and the jokes "excruciatingly obvious".[74]
In his three-out-of-five star review, Ralph Jones of NME lauded the series' ability to satirise timely events, "its topicality is admirable: there are several sketches here about events that occurred as little as 12 hours before the recording. This is impressive on the radio but when puppets are involved, it’s almost breathtaking."[75]
The Economist was more mixed in their analysis, calling it "pretty tame" in light of the current political atmosphere and when compared to its 1984 predecessor, writing how "[i]n an era of cynicism and conspiracy theories, the radical act would be to make a show that celebrated public life."[76] Ed Power of The Telegraph was negative in his one-out-of-five star review pertaining to the two-part US election special, calling it "toothless" in its satire.[77]
German version
On 16 September 2021, a German version of Spitting Image called "The Krauts' Edition", began to air on the TV channel Sky. The German version has new puppets, including Sebastian Kurz, Jan Böhmermann, Annalena Baerbock, Karl Lauterbach, Markus Lanz, Heidi Klum, Thomas Müller, Olaf Scholz, Barbara Schöneberger, Armin Laschet, and Adolf Hitler. Puppets used in the British version such as Angela Merkel, Jurgen Klopp, and COVID-19, also appear in this version.[78][79]
Stage show
A stage show titled Idiots Assemble (subtitled Spitting Image Saves The World) will open at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 1 February 2023 and run until 12 March. It will be written by Al Murray, Matt Forde, and Sean Foley, directed by Foley, and featuring characters such as Boris Johnson, Tom Cruise, Michael Gove, Adele, Tyson Fury, Harry & Meghan, Stormzy, Beyoncé, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping and more.[80]
References
- ^ "Spitting Image Lands On Britbox UK From 3rd October". Avalon. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "Ant and Dec stunt ends 'Spitting Image' return". Digital Spy. 17 November 2006. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007.
- ^ a b "Spitting Image show plots return to TV after 23 years". BBC News. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "Spitting Image to return on BritBox, 24 years after the TV show ended". BBC News. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Cremona, Patrick (11 September 2020). "Spitting Image revival to debut on BritBox next month with 100 new puppets including Boris Johnson and Donald Trump". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ Katner, Jake (7 October 2020). "'Spitting Image' Renewed For Second Season By BritBox". Deadline. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Spitting Image Returns: Series 2 | Spitting Image". YouTube. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ Sherwin, Adam (24 October 2022). "Spitting Image has been cancelled by ITV, despite national need for political satire, says star". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Boris Johnson Reshuffles The Cabinet | Spitting Image". YouTube. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Where did Dominic Raab go on Holiday as the Taliban took over Afghanistan?". The Independent. 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "The Boris & Cummings Love Story is Over | Spitting Image". YouTube. 13 November 2020.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
requires|archive-url=
(help) - ^ "Boris Johnson Prepares to Address the Nation | Spitting Image". YouTube. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Goodbye Dominic Cummings | Spitting Image". YouTube. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Rishi is Too Dishy for this Job | Spitting Image". YouTube. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "The Tories Raise Taxes | Spitting Image | Streaming Now on Brit Box". YouTube. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Michael Gove Enjoys Bonfire Night | Spitting Image on BritBox". YouTube. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Matt Hancock Keeps Crying | Spitting Image". YouTube. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Keir Starmer's Secret Revealed | Spitting Image". YouTube. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Keir Starmer gets a lesson from Jess Phillips on how to be a leader | Spitting Image". YouTube. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Nicola Spitting Image". YouTube. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ Davidson, Peter (10 September 2021). "Alex Salmond recreated as Shrek by Spitting Image in new series". Daily Record. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b "The Queen And Piers Morgan Congratulate Emma Raducanu | Spitting Image". YouTube. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Dominic Raab Meets The Queen | Spitting Image on BritBox". YouTube. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Succession: The Royal Family (Part One) | Spitting Image". YouTube. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ a b "A Fight Breaks Out at the Earthshot Prize | Spitting Image". YouTube. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Trump Investigates Election Voter Fraud | Spitting Image". YouTube. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Spitting Image 2020 - Prince Andrew Getting Smacked Compilation". YouTube. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Trump's Arsehole Tweets From Bed | Spitting Image". YouTube. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Donald Trump's Election Masterstroke | Spitting Image". YouTube. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Donald Trump Electrocuted in Bed | Spitting Image". YouTube. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Merry Christmas from the Trumps | Spitting Image". YouTube. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Joe Biden's Victory Breakfast with Adele | Spitting Image". YouTube. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Total Attack of the heart - BY SPITTING IMAGE". YouTube. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Putin's most evil moments | Spitting Image". Facebook. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Nancy Pelosi Can't Stop Pandering | Spitting Image". YouTube. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "The Dynamo, Jared Kushner | Spitting Image". 10 January 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Spitting Image Official Trailer | There's Something Funny About These People..." YouTube. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "England Plan Their Next Campaign | Spitting Image". YouTube. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Good Klopp Bad Cop | Spitting Image". YouTube. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Jürgen Klopp Likes Losing | Spitting Image". YouTube. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "James Corden's Karaoke with Tiger Woods | Spitting Image". YouTube. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Tom Cruise Helps Out with the UK's Lorry Drive Shortage | Spitting Image". YouTube. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
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Notes
External links
- Spitting Image at IMDb
- Spitting Image on YouTube
- Spitting Image at British Comedy Guide
- All the new Spitting Image puppets, ranked from least to most nightmarish, 2020 GQ article with picture-gallery
- Spitting Image
- 2020 British television series debuts
- 2021 British television series endings
- 2020s British black comedy television series
- 2020s British satirical television series
- 2020s British political television series
- 2020s British television sketch shows
- 2020 United States presidential election in popular culture
- BritBox original programming
- British television series revived after cancellation
- Political satirical television series
- British satirical television series
- British television shows featuring puppetry
- Cultural depictions of the British Royal Family
- Cultural depictions of politicians
- Cultural depictions of sportspeople
- Cultural depictions of actors
- Cultural depictions of presenters
- Cultural depictions of pop musicians
- Cultural depictions of religious leaders
- Cultural depictions of Boris Johnson
- Cultural depictions of Donald Trump
- Cultural depictions of Joe Biden
- Cultural depictions of Vladimir Putin