MarketSpitting Image (2020 TV series)
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Spitting Image (2020 TV series)

Spitting Image is a British satirical television puppet show. It is a revival of the 1984 series of the same name created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. Similar to the original, the series features puppet caricatures of contemporary celebrities, such as Adele, James Corden, and Kanye West, as well as public figures, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, several Conservative cabinet members such as Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Priti Patel, and US President Donald Trump.

Staff
VoicesBilly West as Joe Biden, • Debra Wilson as Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, • John DiMaggio as Mike Pence, Elon Musk, Tom Cruise, Mayor Cheeseburger, and additional voices • Lobo Chan as Xi JinpingMatt Forde as Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Alex Salmond, Phil Foden, Chris Whitty and the Frantic SolePhil LaMarr as Dwayne Johnson, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Kanye West (series 1, series 2 in episode 16), RuPaul, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Tiger Woods, The Flu, Jürgen Klopp, Harry Kane (episode 14), Joe Wicks, Bill Gates, Dominic Raab, and Gary Lineker • Daniel Barker as Dominic Cummings, Prince William, and additional voices • Jason Forbes as Idris Elba, Marcus Rashford, Lewis Hamilton, and additional voices (series 1) • George Fouracres as Prince Harry (series 1) • Clare Corbett as Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Anneliese Dodds, John Healey, Nick Thomas-Symonds, and additional voices (series 1) Puppeteers • Laura Bacon (series 2) • Warrick Brownlow-PikeDave Chapman • Sheila Clark • Philip Eason (series 1) • Iestyn Evans • Joe Greco • Andy HeathBrian Herring • Matt Hutchinson • Mark Jefferis • Steven Kynman (series 1) • Rebecca Nagan • Wim Oppenheimer • Lynn Robertson Bruce (series 1) • Neil Sterenberg • Olly Taylor (series 1) • Chris Thatcher DirectorsSteve Bendelack (series 2) • Steve Connelly (series 1) • Andy De Emmony (series 1) • Adam Miller (series 2) • David Sant (series 2) Writers • Gemma Arrowsmith (series 1) • David X. Cohen (series 1) • Sophie Duker (series 1) • Matt FordeRich Fulcher (series 2) • Jason Hazely • Sarah Isaacson (series 2) • Noah James (series 1) • Travis Jay (series 1) • George Jeffrie (deceased before premiere of show, writings released posthumously) • Laura Major • F. Maxwell (series 1) • Jordan Maxwell (series 1) • Karl Minns • Al Murray • Tom Neenan (series 1) • Pierre Novellie (series 1) • Bill Odenkirk • Brona C. Titley • Nico Tatarowicz • Bert Tyler-Moore • Patric M. VerronePhil Wang (series 1) • Jeff WestbrookKeisha Zollar Caricaturists • Jean-Marc Borot • Steve Brodner (series 1) • André Carrilho • Russ Cook • Thierry Coquelet • Frank Hoppman • Sebastian KrügerJohannes LeakDavid Stoten • Adrian Teal • Tim Watts • Wilfrid Woods • Mark Reeve ==Production==
Production
In April 2017, it was reported that US broadcaster HBO was set to revive the series in light of the presidency of Donald Trump. However, no immediate official confirmation or announcement was made. In September 2019, the show was confirmed to be returning to screens twenty-three years after it originally ended, with the unveiling of the puppets of Trump, Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 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. The writers for the revival include Jeff Westbrook, Al Murray, The Windsors creators Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie, Bill Odenkirk, David X. Cohen, Jason Hazeley, Keisha Zollar, Patric Verrone, Phil Wang, and Sophie Duker. On 4 March 2020, the show was announced to be returning on the streaming service BritBox, as its first official commission. Following the death of Elizabeth II in September 2022, ITV made the decision to write off £9 million which had been spent on several remaining unaired episodes of Spitting Image; they could not be effectively edited to remove reference to Elizabeth, and it was felt highly unlikely that they would now ever be broadcast. Cancellation and revival In October 2022, it was announced that the revived series had been cancelled by ITV. However, in 2025, the show was revived under the title Spitting Image Presents: The Rest is Bulls*!t (a parody of The Rest Is series by Goalhanger Podcasts), with the first episode releasing to YouTube on 4 July 2025. The series is depicted as a vodcast—presented by Prince Harry and a dishevelled, South American-accented caricature of Paddington Bear—as the hosts interview a variety of guests and commentate on short sketches, with the format designed to take advantage of scrolling-based content platforms. StudioCanal, who own the rights to the Paddington movies, announced in October 2025 that they—alongside with the estate of creator Michael Bond—have begun legal proceedings against Avalon for design infringement regarding the use of the character. ==Episodes==
Episodes
Main series (2020–2021) Season 1 (2020) Season 2 (2021) The Rest is Bulls*!t (2025–present) Season 1 (2025) ==Reception==
Reception
The first series received mixed reviews from critics. The decision to satirise Greta Thunberg garnered criticism as she was a minor at the time. Mark Lawson of The Guardian wrote approvingly in his four-out-of-five star review that "[a]dmirers of the franchise will be relieved that the revival ... has lost none of its savagery or willingness to shock." In his three-out-of-five star review, Ralph Jones of NME lauded the series' ability to satirise timely events, "its topicality is admirable: there are several sketches here about events that occurred as little as 12 hours before the recording. This is impressive on the radio but when puppets are involved, it’s almost breathtaking." The Economist was more mixed in their analysis, calling it "pretty tame" in light of the current political atmosphere and when compared to its 1984 predecessor, writing how "[i]n an era of cynicism and conspiracy theories, the radical act would be to make a show that celebrated public life." Ed Power of The Telegraph was negative in his one-out-of-five star review pertaining to the two-part US election special, calling it "toothless" in its satire. Also writing for The Guardian, columnist Nesrine Malik similarly described the new series as a "toothless performance" and the jokes "excruciatingly obvious". ==German version==
German version
On 16 September 2021, a German version of Spitting Image called ''The Krauts' Edition'' began to air on the TV channel Sky. The German version has new puppets, including Sebastian Kurz, Jan Böhmermann, Annalena Baerbock, Karl Lauterbach, Markus Lanz, Heidi Klum, Thomas Müller, Olaf Scholz, Barbara Schöneberger, Armin Laschet, and Adolf Hitler. Puppets used in the British version such as Angela Merkel, Jurgen Klopp, and Coronavirus, also appear in this version. ==Stage show==
Stage show
A stage show titled Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image The Musical opened at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 1 February 2023 and ran until 12 March. It was written by Al Murray, Matt Forde, and Sean Foley, and directed by Foley. New puppets made for the show included Suella Braverman, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Paddington Bear, and Nigel Farage. On 23 March 2023, it was announced that the musical would be open at the Phoenix Theatre, at London's West End, from 24 May 2023. ==References==
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