[Closed] Spitting Image

Yup a most excellent program.

Popping back home after a few beers sitting down and grinning like a cat, most excellent.

Won't happen again though.

The piggy journalists!

Too many Thatcher goodies to choose from _ the cabinet being referred to as vegetables, Kinnock being referred to a tiny willied cretin, and john major with peas...

grrr doing this on a phone...

A lot of it went over my head as I was a bit too young but the puppets were fantastic.

Ace 1 of 7. Its still funny noe.

I have three things to say:
1 - Hello;
3 - What happened to two?, and
2 - Ohh, there you are.

Name the puppets 😉

Neil Kinnock shouting across the House of Commons, his nose wobbling with fury: "Does the Right Honorable Lady know that she makes me PUKE!!"

Prince Andrew 🙂

And probably Fergie popping up from between his knees.

Think it was actually:

[i]a) Hello,
c) What happened to 'b'
and b) Ah, there it is.[/i]

[double post]

I occasionally work with South Africans, guess what song I have stuck in my head when ever I speak to them?

Thanks spitting image!

I liked the bit where she was taking a piss in the urinals.. Brilliant.

Cecil Parkinson arguing with his cock very funny.

At the time Spitting Image provided the only effective opposition to the Tories, albeit through satire, as the then Labour Leader Neil Kinnock was too busy publicly denouncing members of his own party, or opposing the miners in their struggles, than to effectively oppose the Tories.

My personal favourite was Norman Tebbit portrayed as an Waffen-SS tank commander. Spitting Image's extremely biting and ridiculing of the then Tory government seems to have been tolerated partly because it was shown on ITV, bearing in mind the constant criticism the BBC receives if it offends the sitting government I suspect it would have been considered too politically partisan to be shown by them. It wasn't allowed to be broadcast during election campaign periods (only when the polls had shut) which suggests that it was considered not to be sufficiently evenhanded and politically balanced.

Chris Barrie, aka Arnold Rimmer used to do a lot of the voices for Spitting Image.

Really?!!

didnt know Private Eyes Ian Hislop was a writer too.

Chris Barrie, aka Arnold Rimmer used to do a lot of the voices for Spitting Image.

As did Steve Coogan.

Can anyone imagine itv doing anything like it now?

Owen and Steel - probably took any credibility that Steel had away.

It wasn't allowed to be broadcast during election campaign periods (only when the polls had shut) which suggests that it was considered not to be sufficiently evenhanded and politically balanced.

Neither was Mike Yarwood - I guess because politics coverage during the election needs to be straight down the line.

Roy Hattersley constantly spitting and drooling when he spoke was hilarious!!!

I occasionally work with South Africans, guess what song I have stuck in my head when ever I speak to them?

ditto, although socialise with rather than worked with.

Funnily enough they were all thoroughly nice people. 2 White, 1 50/50 Black-White.

Was my favourite programme when at school. Would never have happened for the subsequent decade, or indeed any time since (actually I think they did a 1-off ep a few years back?).

Can't decide on favourite character, but the ep when God appeared was one I most looked forward too. These days they'd prolly fubar and p*** off Islam.

I still have a copy of the Spitting Image annual.

The one with the Tory Map of the World (google it - it's online). And the South African crossword (all the black squares on one side, all the white squares on the other), oh and the Welsh scrabble conversion kit to stick on your existing set (L1, L1, L1 , L1, ...)

The Two Davids. Paul Daniels - One Man and His Wig. USA for Africa song - We're Scared of Bob (Geldof).
The opening titles where Kinnocks puppet strings are cut as he falls on the beach.... loads more. Utterly brilliant programme.

i remember they had john major and half the tory cabinet doing the clash 'should i stay or should i go'
it regularly made me ill laughing.
as noted above, i doubt it would happen now.

Superb programme.

the Macdonalds spoof of Ian Macgregor....

[the indifference at Macgregors]

just superb....

in a mockup of a macdolnalds... firing miners...

I remember the SI election '87 special that started just after the polls had closed. Thatch and her cabinet doing a parody of 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me'...

It might not happen on terrestrial tv again; if only there was another medium that could be used...

I liked when the cabinet had to put yoghurt pots on their heads to be recognised.

But the one that always stuck in my head was when death came calling for Gary Lineker when he was in bed. Gary woke up and said 'fair enough' and then his wife woke up and agreed with him, said he'd had a good innings so death got pissed off and left.

Thurman Merman - Member
Prince Andrew

And probably Fergie popping up from between his knees.

Think it was actually:

a) Hello,
c) What happened to 'b'
and b) Ah, there it is.

"Throw a chicken in the air, stick a deckchair up your nose
Buy a jumbo jet, and then bury all your clothes!..."

Great stuff 🙂

I was talking about whos left of the spitting image puppets to a mate on Monday after hearing of Maggies death 🙁

was a superb programme

So much to have a go at though]

I always remember Baker as aslug tbh and he did look slimy in real life

I think Tories just seem to have more "charachters" as give woudl be a nice one to do

Were labour [ GB and Blair aside] not just a bit bland??

I think Kenneth Baker as a slug was my favorite

[img] [/img]

The writing of it was genius!

Hold a chicken in the air
Stick a deckchair up your nose...

I loved spitting image and it was so true about it being how I learnt about politics as a kid. They really should bring it back, maybe they could do a tribute to Maggie with a funeral and usher in a new era of spitting image.

David Owen and David Steele

We need a new leader, so we'll decide who it is by taking one word from my name and one word from your name....

😉

They really should bring it back, maybe they could do a tribute to Maggie with a funeral and usher in a new era of spitting image.

Thats a great idea. It seems that we're almost being ordered to be deferential and respectful to the hideous old hag. What we need instead is to see a move in the opposite direction, and see us being equally as deferential and respectful to the present lot as this....

[img] [/img]

It has come back a couple of times- but the magic was gone

It taught me a lot about politics as a kid too - I remember my mum saying to me "you're only saying that because of spitting image" when I became a bolshy teen and started arguing with her about politics.

She was probably right - and I don't think that's a bad thing. Comedy is a great vehicle for education (see horrible histories)

I love the fact that puppets of famous people would turn up as supporting characters in other sketches - like Freddie Mercury as a barman in the South Africa one above

Reagan with his staff.

Larry Speaks - because he was a spokeman (this was true)
and then all of his staff were called Larry + jobtitle

It was brilliant because there were no limits to who they would attack.

Someone once said that it was the only time when the youth of Britain could name every member of the cabinet. It was a great vehicle to politicise young people, but it was a programme of its time and should remain there. W

hat we need is something of this time to do likewise.

It has come back a couple of times- but the magic was gone

In economic policy I'm as mad as any hatter
But I'll never be elected
So it really doesn't matter

Spot on.

I liked how John Major was always in black & white...

[img] ?type=articlePortrait[/img]

The Presidents brain is missing !!

I love the fact that puppets of famous people would turn up as supporting characters in other sketches - like Freddie Mercury as a barman in the South Africa one above

I think that was actually Lord Lucan. He routinely popped up in the background of sketches as the in joke as to where he disappeared to.