Spitting Image (1984)

Genre

satirical television series

Country

United Kingdom

Length

18 seasons, 133 episodes

Rated

15

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 28 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This British television series uses rubber puppet caricatures to mock politicians, royalty, and celebrities. It makes jokes about current events and pop culture from the time.

satiricalirreverentwittysharpfast-pacedboldplayfulunpredictable

What happens

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. 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). 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. 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. In 2018, Law donated his entire archive – including scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings – to the University of Cambridge. In 2019, Law announced the show would be returning with a new series. The revived series debuted on 3 October 2020 on BritBox, and featured caricatures of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. It was cancelled in 2022. In July 2025, the series was revived again, this time in an online format on YouTube. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Alas Smith and Jones (1984)
• Spitting Image: The Rest Is Bulls*!t (2025)
• Rubbery Figures
• The Laughter Show (1984)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
• Spitting Image (2020)
• Uborka
• Out of Control (1984)