There were no extractor fans it was quite Dickensian." In later series, Spitting Image was recorded at Central's studios in Nottingham with last minute additions being recorded at the Limehouse Studios at Canary Wharf, London. Impressionist Steve Nallon recalls that "they were able to get away with no health and safety, so all of the building of the puppets with all the toxic waste from the foam was just in a warehouse. In the early years of the show, Spitting Image was filmed and based in the enterprise zone at London Docklands at the Limehouse Studios, where scriptwriters convened and puppets were manufactured. This episode was shown to a preview audience before transmission. In 1984, the first episode of Spitting Image was aired with a laugh track, apparently at the insistence of Central Television. The episodes included musical parodies by Philip Pope (former member of Who Dares Wins and The Hee Bee Gee Bees) and later Steve Brown. The puppets, based on public figures, were designed by Fluck and Law, assisted by caricaturists including David Stoten, Pablo Bach, Steve Bendelack and Tim Watts. Development was funded by the entrepreneur Clive Sinclair. They then hired Muppet puppeteer Louise Gold. They were joined by Jon Blair, a documentary producer. Hendra brought in John Lloyd, producer of Not The Nine O'Clock News. Įnglish comedy writer and National Lampoon editor Tony Hendra, was brought in as a writer Fluck and Law had met him while they were working in the US. The idea for the series was rejected by many in the industry, who thought it would only be suitable for children, but the series was finally accepted for development and first broadcast in 1984. Fluck and Law, who had both attended the Cambridge School of Art, had no previous television experience, but had, for several years, constructed plasticine caricatures to illustrate articles in The Sunday Times magazine. Martin Lambie-Nairn proposed a satirical television show featuring caricature puppets created by Peter Fluck and Roger Law. Puppet of Margaret Thatcher on display in Grantham Museum (she was born in Grantham). The revived series debuted on 3 October 2020 on BritBox, and featured caricatures of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. In 2019, Law announced the show would be returning with a new series.
In 2018, Law donated his entire archive – including scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings – to the University of Cambridge.
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. The series was cancelled in 1996 after viewing figures declined. The popularity of the show saw collaborations with musicians, including Phil Collins and Sting. At its peak, the show was watched by 15 million people. One of the most-watched shows of the 1980s, Spitting Image satirised politics, entertainment, sport and British popular culture of the era. The series was the first to caricature Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (as an elderly gin-drinker with a Beryl Reid voice).
The series features puppet caricatures of contemporary celebrities and public figures, including British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and other politicians, Ronald Reagan, and the British royal family. The series was nominated and won numerous awards, including ten BAFTA Television Awards, and two Emmy Awards in 19 in the Popular Arts Category. 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. Spitting Image is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn.