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| Spitting Image | |
|---|---|
 Official logo | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Voices of | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 18 |
| No. of episodes | 134 |
| Production | |
| Production locations |
|
| Running time | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Production company | Spitting Image Productions forCentral |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 26 February 1984 (1984-02-26) – 18 February 1996 (1996-02-18) |
| Related | |
| Spitting Image (revival series) 2DTV | |
Spitting Image is a Britishsatirical televisionpuppet show, created byPeter Fluck,Roger Law andMartin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' forCentral Independent Television over 18 series which aired on theITV network. The series was nominated and won numerous awards, including tenBAFTA Television Awards, and twoEmmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category.[2][3] The series features puppetcaricatures of contemporary celebrities and public figures, including British Prime MinistersMargaret Thatcher andJohn Major and theBritish royal family. The series was the first to caricatureQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (as an elderly gin-drinker with aBeryl Reid voice).[4]
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, includingPhil Collins andSting. 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 theAnt & Dec puppets used to hostBest 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 theUniversity of Cambridge.[7] In 2019, Law announced the show would be returning with a new series.[8][9] Therevived series debuted on 3 October 2020 onBritBox, and featured caricatures ofBoris Johnson andDonald Trump.[10] It was cancelled in 2022.[11]In July 2025, the series was revived again, this time in an online format onYouTube.[12]
Martin Lambie-Nairn proposed a satirical television show with caricature puppets created byPeter Fluck andRoger Law. Fluck and Law, who had both attended theCambridge School of Art, had no previous television experience, but had, for several years, constructed plasticine caricatures to illustrate articles inThe Sunday Times magazine.[2] The idea for the series was rejected by many in the industry, who thought it would only be suitable for children, but the series was finally accepted for development and first broadcast in 1984.[13]
English comedy writer andNational Lampoon editorTony Hendra was brought in as a writer; Fluck and Law had met him while they were working in the US. Hendra brought inJohn Lloyd, producer ofNot The Nine O'Clock News. They were joined byJon Blair, a documentary producer. They then hiredMuppet puppeteerLouise Gold. Development was funded by the entrepreneurClive Sinclair.
The puppets, based on public figures, were designed by Fluck and Law, assisted by caricaturists includingDavid Stoten,Pablo Bach,Steve Bendelack andTim Watts. The episodes included musical parodies byPhilip Pope (former member ofWho Dares Wins andThe Hee Bee Gee Bees) and laterSteve Brown.
In 1984, the first episode ofSpitting Image was aired with alaugh track, apparently at the insistence of Central Television. This episode was shown to a preview audience before transmission.[14] In the early years of the show,Spitting Image was filmed and based in the enterprise zone atLondon Docklands at theLimehouse Studios, where scriptwriters convened and puppets were manufactured.[15][16] ImpressionistSteve Nallon recalls that "they were able to get away with no health and safety, so all of the building of the puppets with all the toxic waste from the foam was just in a warehouse. There were no extractor fans; it was quite Dickensian."[17] In later series,Spitting Image was recorded at Central's studios inNottingham with last minute additions being recorded at theLimehouse Studios atCanary Wharf, London.[2]
Before the first episode was broadcast, the parodies of the Royal Family were cut as a courtesy to theDuke of Edinburgh, who opened theEast Midlands Television Centre a few days later. The scenes were all reinstated in later episodes.[18]Stephen Fry has written thatDiana, Princess of Wales told him around 1991 that "They hate it of course. I absolutely adore it."[19] Avalon Television executive producerJon Thoday stated thatRonald Reagan directly contactedNBC asking for the show to be cancelled.[20]
The first episode had an audience of 7.9 million, but numbers rapidly dropped, which meant economies had to be introduced since the series cost£2.6 million to make, nearly double the price of other prime time series.[21]
The series had been originally scheduled to have 13 episodes,[18] but was cut to 12 after the series was nearly cancelled.Rob Grant andDoug Naylor were then brought in as head writers to save the show; by 1986, under their supervision,Spitting Image had become popular, producing a number one song on theUK Singles Chart ("The Chicken Song"). However, Grant and Naylor subsequently left to createRed Dwarf for BBC2.Spitting Image had a short-running dispute with theIndependent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in 1985, over the use of subliminal images.[22]
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WhenMargaret Thatcher resigned as both Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party in November 1990, her successor wasChancellor of the ExchequerJohn Major. This marked a shift in the tone of the show, with the writers moving from the Punch and Judy style to more subtle and atmospheric sketches, notably a series in which an awkward Major and wife Norma ate peas for dinner. The producers dressed Major, skin and all, in shades of grey, and invented an affair between him andVirginia Bottomley.
The show added animated sketches from 1989 and again from 1994 (with short, animated segments before 1989). For the 1992 Election Special, a studio audience was used; this format was revisited for two episodes in late 1993. A spoofQuestion Time took questions from the audience. The 1992 show was fronted by a puppetRobin Day, a puppetJeremy Paxman filling the role in the episodes broadcast on 14 November 1993 and 12 December 1993.
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Thatcher: Oh dear. We're never going to win the next election now! We need some way of winning votes!
Howe: I suggest aquick war in early '87. That should get some votes.
Thatcher: Geoffrey, you're a complete imbecile. We can't have a quick war just to win votes! Though, now that you mention it, look into it, will you?
Many British politicians in parliament during Margaret Thatcher's tenure were parodied.[7] By far the most prominent was Thatcher herself, portrayed as an abusive, tyrannical, cigar-chomping cross-dresser (she wore suits, shaved, used the urinals, and was addressed by her Cabinet as "Sir").[23]
In the first series, Thatcher sought advice from her enraptured neighbour Herr Jeremy Von Wilcox (who is actually an elderlyAdolf Hitler, living at 9 Downing Street) about the unions and the unemployed. In the third episode, Mr. Wilcox/Hitler compares the trade unions with theSoviet Union and advisesnot to attack in winter. In that same episode, regarding unemployment, he says that people out of work should be put in the army, and tells Thatcher that he thinks theSS (meaningSAS) are a "great bunch of guys".
Alongside Thatcher were her Cabinet, which included:
Thatcher's Cabinet were often depicted as bickering schoolchildren, with Thatcher acting as teacher. In one skit she treats her Cabinet to a meal at a restaurant. The waitress asks: "Would you like to order, sir?" Thatcher responds: "Yes. I will have the steak" Waitress: "And what about the Vegetables?" Thatcher: "Oh, they'll [The Cabinet] have the same as me".[26]
Thatcher's successorJohn Major was portrayed as a dull, boring grey character who enjoyed a meal of peas with his wifeNorma and was constantly mocked byHumphrey, theDowning Street cat. Before Thatcher's resignation, Major had been portrayed as wearing a leopard print suit and swinging in on a trapeze, referencing his background as the son of a circus acrobat (which he would frequently remind everyone about). Upon his appointment to Prime Minister, Major was initially portrayed as a robot with a spinning antenna on his head (it was explained in a sketch that Thatcher used it to control Major, standing behind Thatcher in the crowd of sycophantic cabinet members, eager to repeat whatever the Thatcher puppet screeched).
TheOpposition (Labour Party) politicians included:
Arthur Scargill, who was a member of the Labour Party until 1997, appeared as head of theNational Union of Mineworkers, and was portrayed as a big-nosed egotist who was ignorant about mining.
In 1994, a puppet ofTony Blair made his appearance. He was originally a public school boy, wearing grey shorts, blazer and cap. His catchphrase was "I'M THE LEADER" in reference to his attempt to lead the Labour Party. When Blair did become Labour leader, the puppet changed and he was portrayed with his grin replaced with an even bigger smile if he said something of importance. The deputy leader,John Prescott, was portrayed as a fat bumbling assistant, along with a squeaky voicedRobin Cook, and an enormous bespectacledJack Straw.
TheSDP–Liberal Alliance was portrayed by the election-losing,populist, arrogant and undecidedDavid Owen, with whining, bedwettingDavid Steel in his pocket. They were soon replaced byPaddy Ashdown, whose "equidistance" from the larger parties was satirised by his frequent appearance at the side of the screen during unrelated sketches, saying: "I am neither in this sketch nor not in it, but somewhere in-between". This running gag was used when Ashdown's extramarital affair was revealed, and his puppet commented that "I didn't touch her on the left leg, or the right leg, but somewhere in-between." Former Liberal MPCyril Smith also made a few appearances as a morbidly obese giant.
In the first series, Former Prime MinistersHarold Wilson,James Callaghan,Harold Macmillan andAlec Douglas-Home were depicted as living in a highly restrictive retirement home named Exchequers, where they were frequently abused byQueen Victoria. Wilson constantly attempted escape, whilst Callaghan took delight in tormenting him.Edward Heath was also said to have resided there, but he was not seen on screen; later, he would appear as a naked piano player.
The main characters were:
Other members who were parodied include nymphomaniacPrince Andrew, envious and heavily freckledSarah, Duchess of York, grumpyPrincess Anne, poorly informedPrince Edward,Panzer-drivingPrincess Michael of Kent, and always-tipsyPrincess Margaret.
Spitting Image lampooned US PresidentRonald Reagan as a bumbling,nuke-obsessed fool in comparison with his advisorsEdwin Meese andCaspar Weinberger. Next to his bed were red buttons labelled 'Nuke' and 'Nurse'. His wifeNancy was the butt ofcosmetic surgery jokes.
Mikhail Gorbachev's forehead birthmark was shaped like ahammer and sickle. All other Russians looked likeLeonid Brezhnev, often said "da" ("yes") and talked about potatoes. In Russia it was snowing even indoors and the Soviet television had extremely low-tech visual effects.
Yitzhak Shamir often appeared wearing a hard hat with the Star of David on it, holding a brick and referring to building a "legitimate Israeli settlement" (referring to the practice of building houses on the occupied West Bank for Israeli people).
François Mitterrand was wearing a beret and a garlic wreath, his successorJacques Chirac was depicted as being obsessed and callous with nuclear weapons.P. W. Botha was shown as a racist cleverly disguising his views (once he had a badge "anti-anti-apartheid"). Some appearances were also made byIdi Amin,Robert Mugabe,Ferdinand andImelda Marcos,Ruhollah Khomeini,Saddam Hussein andMuammar Gaddafi. Khomeini appear to parody Iranian law and policy.
Khomeini and Botha along with the more recurring Reagan, Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, and Gorbachev appear in theSpitting Image video game.
Other international caricatures includedRichard Nixon andHenry Kissinger;George H. W. Bush andDan Quayle;Bill Clinton andHillary Clinton,Konstantin Chernenko,Raisa Gorbachova andBoris Yeltsin.
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England managerBobby Robson was a senile worrier nicknamed 'Rubbisho'.Emlyn Hughes was portrayed with a high pitched and annoying voice. England midfielderPaul Gascoigne appeared, frequently crying – a parody of the1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany, in which he famously cried after being booked, which would have ruled him out of the final had England won the game.
Ian Botham was a violent drug addict, whileMike Gatting spoke with a high voice.Lester Piggott had to be subtitled. Boxing characters includedFrank Bruno with his trademark laugh and catchphrase "where's'Arry?", andChris Eubank, with his lisp. Snooker playerSteve Davis was boring, upset because he had no nickname, but thought himself interesting.
News reporters were also depicted:Alastair Burnet was sycophantic towards the Royal Family and with a nose that inflated;Sandy Gall was effeminate, always worrying what coat he would wear;John Cole was incomprehensible and had to be dragged off-screen when he talked for too long;Nicholas Witchell was always turning up during a strike to work rather than report;Kate Adie was a thrill-seeker, andBBC Head of Bravery. Presenters were also seen:Jeremy Paxman appeared as uninterested and self-loving, andTrevor McDonald frequently lamented his lot after being paired withRonnie Corbett as newscasters, with the latter always getting the punchlines.William Rees-Mogg was portrayed as a censorship-crazy person with eyes that would frequently pop out of the socket.
David Coleman had a very loud ear prompter and sometimes did not know what he was commentating on;Frank Bough was portrayed as being a drug user;Bruce Forsyth spoke every sentence as though it was acatchphrase. Celebrity chefKeith Floyd was always getting drunk on wine, while film criticBarry Norman was not a fan of his puppet, because it had an inexplicablewart on its forehead, which he did not have.[25]Paul Daniels did not mind jokes about histoupée, but took offence to a sketch depicting him nuzzling his assistantDebbie McGee's breasts.[25][29]
Comedians were satirised:Billy Connolly was portrayed as a jester;Jimmy Tarbuck was said to use old jokes and always take part in theRoyal Variety Performance;Bernard Manning was an obese racist; andBen Elton was always shown with a microphone.
Writer and MPJeffrey Archer appeared as an annoying, self-commenting writer whose books were not read by anyone.Kenneth Williams was depicted with a large nose and big teeth, andHarry Secombe was depicted as overly religious.Alan Bennett was shown at home as watchingSpitting Image on TV.Esther Rantzen always had a permanent grin and was frequently carrying anonion (reflecting a concurrent running joke inPrivate Eye suggesting insincere theatrical tears), whilstCilla Black had large teeth and a thickScouse accent.
AMick Jagger character seemed perpetually high, andKeith Richards so old and haggard that he thought he was dead.Ringo Starr was a drunkard, andPaul McCartney was always releasing albums and films that flopped.Madonna changed her hair and clothes with every episode, andMichael Jackson's skin turned lighter.Kylie Minogue was depicted as a vain robot;Luciano Pavarotti was hugely overweight and ate everything he saw;Matt andLuke Goss of the bandBros were depicted as children wanting to grow up.
ActorDustin Hoffman spoke nasally and was parodied for hismethod acting;John Gielgud andLaurence Olivier lamented their friends, and even their own death.James Bond actorRoger Moore was depicted "with a wooden delivery" – only his eyebrows moved; Moore quipped, "My acting range has always been something between the two extremes of 'raises left eyebrow' and 'raises right eyebrow'."[30]Arnold Schwarzenegger was muscle-bound but insecure about the size of his genitals;Donald Sinden was parodied as also trying to become the greatest Shakespearian actor and get a knighthood.Clint Eastwood was frequently portrayed as an uncompromising tough guy, andSylvester Stallone nearly always appeared dressed up asJohn Rambo.
ArchbishopRobert Runcie,Mary Whitehouse andCliff Richard were portrayed as Christian censors.Ian Paisley was always shouting and dressed in black. BishopDavid Jenkins was depicted as not believing in anything.Pope John Paul II was a banjo-playingwomaniser who spoke with a hip urban African-American accent.
Media mogulsRobert Maxwell andRupert Murdoch were also on the show, the latter depicted as an extremelyflatulent individual encouraging obscenity in his mass media.
Lord Lucan appeared in various background roles often as a bartender.
The first single fromSpitting Image, released in 1984, was a rework of theCrystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron".[31] TheSpitting Image version, "Da Do Run Ron", was a spoof election campaign song forRonald Reagan, featuringNancy Reagan listing reasons to elect her husband. The cover of the single featured Reagan as a biker with Nancy riding pillion.
The B-side of this single was titled "Just A Prince Who Can't Say No" and poked fun at the sexual indiscretions ofPrince Andrew. The TV version of this song (featured in the second episode) was heavily censored by Central Television on broadcast but presented uncut on vinyl.[32] In the television series he was shown surrounded by various famous women includingJoan Collins,Mary Whitehouse andLinda McCartney.
In 1986, theSpitting Image puppets released "The Chicken Song", a parody of "Agadoo" byBlack Lace – one of several parodies to have featured in the programme, mimicking novelty records and holiday songs with a repetitive tunes and nonsensical lyrics. Ironically, The Chicken Song hit number 1 in theUK Singles Chart for 3 weeks from 17 May 1986 – 3 June 1986.[2] VH1 US named it as one of the worst number 1 nominations.
The other songs released bySpitting Image were "I've Never Met a Nice South African" (which was on the B-Side of "The Chicken Song" and was a savage indictment of theapartheid-ridden country), "We're Scared Of Bob" (a parody of "We Are The World") and "Hello You Must Be Going" (which mockedPhil Collins's divorce ballads and was on the 12" release of The Chicken Song), "Santa Claus Is on the Dole" (backed with "The Atheist Tabernacle Choir"), "The Christmas Singles" and "Cry Gazza Cry" (based on footballerPaul Gascoigne's tears in the 1990 World Cup).
"The Chicken Song" was by far the most successful of all of their music and not-so-subtle references were made to it in subsequent sketches in the show itself. In 1986, a compilation LP "Spit In Your Ear" was produced, featuring some of their sketches over time along with a few of their songs, followed in 1990 by "20 Great Golden Gobs", a songs-only collection from the 1986–1990 series.
In 1986, theSpitting Image team experienced some real musical success when they created the video for "Land of Confusion" byGenesis, a song which implied that Thatcher and Reagan were about to bring the world to a nuclear war.Phil Collins saw a disfigured version of himself on the show and contacted the show's producers with the idea to produce the video. Three new puppets were created depicting all members of Genesis (including a less exaggerated version of Collins), which also appear on the sleeve of the 45 (and later CD) single. The video was depicted as a nightmare Reagan was having, which left him completely immersed in sweat from worrying. It won aGrammy Award forBest Concept Music Video in 1987.[33]
The end of the 1987 election featured a young boy, dressed as a city banker, singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", a parody of the filmCabaret, when a member of theHitler Youth starts singing the same song. In a series 5 episode, Labour leaderNeil Kinnock is portrayed singing a self-parody to the tune "My eyes are fully open" fromGilbert and Sullivan'sRuddigore, supported by members of his shadow cabinet.[34]
In one instanceSting was persuaded to sing a re-worded version of "Every Breath You Take", titled "Every Bomb You Make" (series 1, episode 12), to accompany a video showing theSpitting Image puppets of world leaders and political figures of the day, usually with the figure matching the altered lyrics
Every bomb you make
Every job you take
Every heart you break
Every Irish wake
I'll be watching you
Every wall you build
Every one you've killed
Every grave you've filled
all the blood you've spilled
I'll be watching you[2]
The video ended with thegrim reaper appearing in front of a sunset. This version was due to be resurrected by Sting at theLive 8 concert, and the parody lyrics were cleared with their writers Quentin Reynolds and James Glen, but plans were abandoned at the last minute.[citation needed]
The closing music for series 8 episode 3 featured an ensemble of characters performing "We All Hate Jeremy Beadle", in reference to the light entertainment hostof that name. In series 9 episode 4, the show ended with "Why Can't Life Be Like Hello?", sung byJune Brown (who was commonly known as theEastEnders characterDot Cotton).[35] The song pastichesHello magazine, in satire of post-Big Bang UKconsumerist culture.
Other musical parodies featuredMick Jagger,Michael Jackson,David Bowie,Kylie Minogue,The Monkees,Pulp,Brett Anderson ofSuede,Pet Shop Boys,R.E.M.,Björk,East 17,Elvis Presley,Oasis,ZZ Top,Prince andBarbra Streisand.[2]
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Spitting Image launched the careers of and featured many then-unknown British comedians and actors, includingHugh Dennis,Steve Coogan andHarry Enfield.[36]
The voices were provided by British impressionists including:
The writers,Mark Burton,John O'Farrell, Pete Sinclair, Stuart Silver, and Ray Harris quit the show in 1993 and in 1995, and with viewing figures in decline, production was cancelled. The final series was initially planned for broadcast in autumn 1995[38] but was subsequently broadcast in January and February 1996, with the final episode featuring "The Last Prophecies of Spitting Image" in which Labour moved intoNumber 10. A few years later, most of the puppets were sold at an auction hosted bySotheby's,[39] including a puppet ofOsama bin Laden never used in the series.[40]
During 2004, the idea of the series coming back started to appear after John Lloyd held talks with ITV executives about the show's return. John Lloyd also held talks with a number of people who voiced theSpitting Image puppets, including John Sessions, Harry Enfield and Rory Bremner, with all responding positively.[citation needed]
Lloyd said: "There's enormous enthusiasm from ITV to do it. We're just trying to work out how it would be affordable. The budget is about to go off to ITV. Everybody seems to have residual affection forSpitting Image. It could be scrappy and uneven, but it's rather like a newspaper. You don't expect it to be brilliant every time, but there's something delicious in every edition."[41]
By early 2006,ITV were producing a documentary celebrating the series and if the audience figures were good a full series might have been produced.[42] On 25 June 2006, ITV transmittedBest Ever Spitting Image[43] as a one-off special ofSpitting Image which took a nostalgic look back at the programme's highlights. This special actually prevented ITV directly resurrecting the famous satire as they had planned, because it featured new puppets ofAnt & Dec – a move which was against the wishes of Roger Law, who owns the rights to theSpitting Image brand.[6][44]
Spitting Image, as ITV's primary satirical programme, was succeeded by2DTV, a cartoon format that had five series between 2001 and 2004. In 2008ITV created a CGI version to caricature and lampoon the famous, calledHeadcases,[45] but it only aired for one series. Satirical puppets finally returned to ITV in 2015, inNewzoids.[citation needed]
In 2018,Spitting Image co-creator Roger Law donated his entire archive – which includes original scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings – toCambridge 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]
All episodes and specials were broadcast on Sunday, usually at 10 pm. The programme was also picked up overseas. It aired on Canada'sCBC Television on Sunday nights in the late 1980s. The American networkNBC aired several prime-time specials in the same period. Austrian public broadcasterORF broadcastSpitting Image in English with German subtitles late on Friday nights in approximately four-week intervals in the late 1980s and early 1990s, introducing it to the German-speaking world (where foreign programming is usually dubbed into German).Spitting Image was also briefly shown in France on the private TV channelM6 in English with French subtitles. The show was also aired in New Zealand onTVNZ in the 1980s.
| Series | Year | Dates | No. episodes | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 1984 | 26 February – 17 June | 12 episodes | Mostly 10 pm |
| Series 2 | 1985 | 6 January – 24 March | 11 episodes | Mostly 10 pm |
| Series 3 | 1986 | 6 January – 2 November | 17 episodes | Mostly 10 pm |
| Series 4 | 1987 | 1 November – 6 December | 6 episodes | Mostly 10 pm |
| Series 5 | 1988 | 6 November – 11 December | 6 episodes | Mostly 10 pm |
| Series 6 | 1989 | 11 June – 9 July | 5 episodes | Mostly 9.30 pm |
| Series 7 | 1989 | 12 November – 17 December | 6 episodes | Mostly 10.05 pm |
| Series 8 | 1990 | 13 May – 24 June | 6 episodes | Mostly 10.05 pm |
| Series 9 | 1990 | 11 November – 16 December | 6 episodes[46] | Mostly 10.05 pm |
| Series 10 | 1991 | 14 April – 19 May | 6 episodes | Mostly 10.05 pm |
| Series 11 | 1991 | 10 November – 15 December | 6 episodes | Mostly 10.05 pm |
| Series 12 | 1992 | 12 April – 17 May | 6 episodes | Mostly 10.05 pm |
| Series 13 | 1992 | 4 October – 8 November | 6 episodes | 10.05 pm |
| Series 14 | 1993 | 16 May – 20 June | 6 episodes | 10.45 pm |
| Series 15 | 1993 | 7 November – 12 December | 6 episodes | 10pm |
| Series 16 | 1994 | 1 May – 12 June | 7 episodes | 10pm |
| Series 17 | 1994 | 6 November – 18 December | 7 episodes | 10pm |
| Series 18 | 1996 | 14 January – 18 February | 6 episodes | Mostly 11.15 pm |
| Title | Year | Date | Times | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down and Out in the White House | 1986 | 14 September | 9.45 pm | 45 minutes |
| The Spitting Image 1987 Movie Awards | 1987 | Saturday 4 April | 10.45 pm | 30 minutes |
| Election Special | 1987 | Thursday 11 June | 10pm | 45 minutes |
| A Non-Denominational Spitting Image Holiday Special | 1987 | 27 December | 10pm | 30 minutes |
| The Ronnie and Nancy Show | 1988 | 17 April | 9.30 pm | 30 minutes |
| Bumbledown – The Life and Times of Ronald Reagan | 1988 | Saturday 29 October | 10.15 pm | 45 minutes |
| The Sound of Maggie | 1989 | Saturday 6 May | 10.10 pm | 45 minutes |
| Election Special | 1992 | Wednesday 8 April | 10.40 pm | 30 minutes |
| Spitting Back | 1993 | 16 July | 10.45 pm | 30 minutes(?) |
| The Spitting Image Pantomime | 1993 | 26 December | 10pm | 30 minutes |
| Ye Olde Spitting Image | 1995 | 1 January | 10.45 pm | 30 minutes |
| Best Ever Spitting Image | 2006 | 25 June | 10pm | 47 minutes |
| Spitting Image at 30 | 2014 | 25 February | 9 pm | 45 minutes |
From November 1996Spitting Image Series 1–11 were onUK Gold until September 1998. Edited episodes from Series 1–3 and 7 were onGranada Plus from 2001 to 2003.
In February 2008,Comedy Central Extra started showing regular repeats ofSpitting Image from 9 pm on Tuesday evenings, with a whole weekend's worth of evenings devoted to the first two series. It reappeared in a late night slot in November 2010, through to 18 December 2010 and has not been aired since then. From 2001 to 2004 the ITV series2DTV had a similar style, but using computer animation instead of puppets.
In an attempt to crack the American market, there were some attempts to produce aUS version of the show. A 45-minute 'made for market' show by the originalSpitting Image team, titledSpitting Image: Down and Out in the White House was produced in 1986 by Central for theNBC network. NBC did not give this high priority. During the late summer, when viewership was traditionally low and the networks aired reruns of the previous season, NBC broke the special into two half-hour episodes and slotted them into its schedule on 30 August and 6 September of that year, following reruns ofThe Golden Girls.
Introduced byDavid Frost, it departed from the sketch-based format in favour of an overall storyline involving the upcoming (at that time) Presidential election. The plot involved a conspiracy to replace Ronald Reagan with a double (actually actorDustin Hoffman in disguise). This plan was hatched by the Famous Corporation, a cabal of the ultra-rich headed byJohnny Carson's foilEd McMahon (in the show, Carson was his ineffectual left-hand man) who met in a secret cavern hollowed out behind the façade of Mount Rushmore. Eventually, their plot foiled, the famous corporation activated their escape pod – Abraham Lincoln's nose – and left Earth for another planet, but (in a homage to the beginning of theStar Wars movies) were destroyed during a collision with 'a nonsensical prologue in gigantic lettering'.
The show did not achieve high ratings. It did, however, receive great praise from critics and it was followed by several more television specials:The Ronnie & Nancy Show (also satirising the Reagans),The 1987 Movie Awards (sending up theAcademy Awards),Bumbledown: The Life and Times of Ronald Reagan (a quasi-documentary about the President), andThe Sound of Maggie (satirising Thatcher and parodying several musicals such asOliver!,West Side Story and many others).
In September 2019, the show was confirmed to be returning 23 years after it originally ended, with the unveiling of the puppets ofGreta Thunberg,Donald Trump,Vladimir Putin,Mark Zuckerberg,Prince Harry andMeghan Markle.[47] 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,[8] and that the revival is set to have a global appeal through a "uniquely British eye".[9] Among the writers for the revival will beJeff Westbrook ofFuturama (who also serves as executive producer),Al Murray,The Windsors creatorsBert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie,Bill Odenkirk,David X. Cohen,Jason Hazeley,Keisha Zollar,Patric Verrone,Phil Wang, andSophie Duker.[48]
On 4 March 2020, the show was announced to be returning on the streaming serviceBritBox, as its first official commission.[9] The show premiered on the service on 3 October 2020, featuring the voices ofBilly West,Debra Stephenson,Debra Wilson,Guz Khan,Indira Varma,Jess Robinson,John DiMaggio,Lewis MacLeod,Lobo Chan,Matt Forde, andPhil LaMarr. It was cancelled on 24 October 2022.[11]
The programme was first released on video in 1986 in a series of three collections, each a compilation of material from the first two series:Spit – With Polish!,A Floppy Mass Of Blubber &Rubber Thingies. All carried a 15 certificate and were reissued in 1988, also as a box set. 1989 saw the release by Central Video of two complete specials,Bumbledown: The Life & Times Of Ronald Reagan andThe Sound Of Maggie and was also released in the US by BFS Video. Next was a video containing a collection of the music videos from the programme, titled "The Klassik Music Video Vol 1", released in 1991 by Central Video under The Video Collection Ltd (VCI or 2entertain); there was never a Volume 2.
"Is Nothing Sacred?" was released in 1992 by Surprise Video, compiling material from 1990 to 1991. The free booklet was written byStewart Lee andRichard Herring.Havin' It Off: The Bonker's Guide was released in 1993. In 1996FA to Fairplay was released on VHS, later reissued on DVD in 2005. Made specially for video, it provided an alternative look at the 1996 Europeanfootball championship held in England.
The Ronald Reagan song "Da Do Run Ron" featured in a straight to video release calledRockin' Ronnie (1986), an otherwise unrelated compilation of movie clips released by ATI Video.
The first 12 series including An 11-disc set (containing the first seven series broadcast 1984–89) have been released by Network Distributing under licence byITV Studios, so far. Series 1–7 individual releases are now deleted.[49] DVD releases do not include any of the specials made.
| DVD | Discs | Year | Ep. # | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 2 | |||||
| Complete Series 1 | 2 | 1984 | 12 | 28 January 2008[50] | |
| Complete Series 2 | 2 | 1985 | 11 | 28 July 2008[51] | |
| Complete Series 3 | 3 | 1986 | 17 | 29 September 2008[52] | |
| Complete Series 4 | 1 | 1987 | 6 | 3 November 2008[53] | |
| Complete Series 5 | 1 | 1988 | 6 | 23 March 2009[54] | |
| Complete Series 6 | 1 | 1989 | 5 | 11 May 2009[55] | |
| Complete Series 7 | 1 | 1989 | 6 | 17 August 2009[56] | |
| Complete Series 8 | 1 | 1990 | 6 | 19 October 2009[57] | |
| Complete Series 9 | 1 | 1990 | 6 | 8 July 2013[58] | |
| Complete Series 10 | 1 | 1991 | 6 | 14 October 2013[59] | |
| Complete Series 11 | 1 | 1991 | 6 | 1 June 2015[60] | |
| Complete Series 12 | 1 | 1992 | 6 | 17 April 2016[61] | |
| Complete Series 1–7 | 11 | 1984–1989 | 64 | 2 November 2009[62] | |
The show was adapted into a video game:Spitting Image and acomic magazine.
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