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
Official logo
Genre
Adult puppeteering
Political satire
Black comedy
Created by
Peter Fluck
Roger Law
Martin Lambie-Nairn
Voices of
Chris Barrie
Harry Enfield
Jon Glover
Louise Gold
Steve Nallon
Kate Robbins
John Sessions
and others.
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language
English
No. of series
18
No. of episodes
134
Production
Production locations
Central House (1984)[1]
Television House (1985–96)[1]
Running time
30 to 60 minutes
Production company
Spitting Image Productions for Central
Original release
Network
ITV
Release
26 February 1984 (1984-02-26) – 18 February 1996 (1996-02-18)
Related
Spitting Image (revival series)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)
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]
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]
^ abBentley, David (3 July 2013). "TV programmes made in Birmingham: Spitting Image". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
^Cite error: The named reference 30 Facts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"British TV scoops Emmys". The Times. London. 26 November 1986. p. 11.
^"Spitting Image creator John Lloyd: 'Television lacks satire'" Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2015
^"Spitting Image" Archived 18 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2015
^"Ant and Dec stunt ends 'Spitting Image' return". Digital Spy. 17 November 2006. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007.
^"Spitting Image archives donated to Cambridge University". BBC. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
^"Spitting Image show plots return to TV after 23 years". BBC. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^"Spitting Image to return on BritBox, 24 years after the TV show ended". BBC. 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.
spitting with every word because of his lisp (on 'Best Ever SpittingImage', Hattersley praised his puppet for 'putting the spit into SpittingImage')...
The SpittingImage: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam is a 1998 book by Vietnam veteran and sociology professor Jerry Lembcke. The book is an analysis...
(with Peter Fluck), creators of the popular satirical TV puppet show SpittingImage. Roger Law was a pioneer in bringing political caricatures from newspapers...
performing arts union Equity. As an impressionist, Dennis did voices for SpittingImage and appeared with Punt as resident support comics on two TV series hosted...
'N' Roll Football with fellow Nottingham Forest fan Matt Dyson. On SpittingImage, Forde voices Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and Keir Starmer. Forde wrote...
history of art at Downing College, Cambridge. Naylor was head writer for SpittingImage,[citation needed] and has written for many TV and radio programmes,...
embarked on a world tour in support of the album. The band released SpittingImage in 2017, which enjoyed rave reviews but relatively poor commercial success...
a novelty song by the British satirical comedy television programme SpittingImage (series 3, episode 6). The nonsensical lyrics were written by Rob Grant...
2015 and 8 October 2016. The programme operated in a similar format to SpittingImage, in its use of puppets and comedic impersonations of celebrities across...
Son Of Cliché, Wrinkles for Radio 4 and television programmes such as SpittingImage, The 10 Percenters, and various projects for Jasper Carrott. The 'Grant...
voice actress, most notably for nine years with the satirical show SpittingImage. Robbins is the older sister of fellow actress Amy Robbins, sculptor...
and Ball Show, A Kick Up The Eighties, Three of A Kind, Comic Relief, SpittingImage and they wrote the singles, Father Christmas is on the Dole which charted...
games, including Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, Baby Shark's Big Show!, SpittingImage, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Wolfenstein, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,...
from the British puppet show SpittingImage. But Nicholson quickly points out he created his puppets before SpittingImage was shown in Australia". Nicholson...
and parodied in popular culture. In 1988, he was parodied on ITV's SpittingImage where he was portrayed as a drunk who went "completely off the rails...
him write material for the BBC's Not the Nine O'Clock News and ITV's SpittingImage. In 2007, Curtis received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement...
Scream Street. In December 2020, Stephenson voiced several characters on SpittingImage for the Britbox streaming service. She also voiced deepfake version...
using IP telephony Spit hood, restraint device SpittingImage (disambiguation) Spitz (disambiguation) The Spit (disambiguation) The Spits, a Seattle-based...
his career in the 1980s as a voice actor on the satirical puppet show SpittingImage and providing voice-overs for television advertisements. Coogan grew...
(2016), Tracey Ullman's Show (2017), Murder in Successville (2017), SpittingImage (2020–2021), The Last Leg (2021) and Deep Fake Neighbour Wars (2023)...
(December 2, 2022). "JFK Jr.'s Nephew Jack Schlossberg Looks Like the SpittingImage of Him During Recent Meeting With Prince William". SheKnows. Retrieved...