Spitting Image
Trailer
Synopsis
Every week, the most powerful politicians, celebrities and public figures in Britain — and beyond — face merciless mockery at the hands of near-lifesize latex puppets. From Margaret Thatcher to the Royal Family, no one is spared. The show ran on ITV across 18 series between 1984 and 1996, with a revival in 2020.
Context & Trivia
The latex puppets were designed by Peter Fluck and Roger Law, who had previously built three-dimensional plasticine caricatures for The Sunday Times before moving into television. Each puppet cost around £5,000 to produce, moulded in latex and made in a Docklands warehouse where, according to impressionist Steve Nallon, there were no health and safety regulations and workers handled toxic foam waste. Operating a single puppet typically required two or three puppeteers: one for the head and body, others for the hands, with eyes and additional features controlled remotely. The show's first director, Peter Harris, was chosen specifically for his prior experience on The Muppet Show.
The series was the first to caricature the Queen Mother, depicting her as a gin-drinking elderly woman voiced by Beryl Reid. Certain puppets — including those of Queen Elizabeth II and Michael Jackson — were redesigned across seasons to reflect real changes in the characters' appearances. The puppets' reach extended well beyond television: Phil Collins commissioned latex versions of Genesis members for the 'Land of Confusion' music video, and the show hit number one on the UK charts in 1986 with 'The Chicken Song'. In 2018, Roger Law donated the entire series archive — scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings — to the University of Cambridge.
Cast
Harry Enfield, Chris Barrie, Steve Coogan, Hugh Dennis, Jon Glover, Alistair McGowan, John Sessions, Enn Reitel, Martin P. Robinson, Kate Robbins, Louise Gold, Jessica Martin, Francis Wright, Michael Fenton Stevens, Jess Robinson, John DiMaggio, Matt Forde
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