Spitting Image

branie · 18-04-2013 10:46am #1

Anyone here ever watch this puppet satire show whis brilliantly parodied Margaret Tatcher?

darkdubh · 18-04-2013 1:44pm

Yes.It was a great show.On a slightly related note another retro memory about Thatcher popped into my head.I remember in the mid 80's the wax museum in Dublin was broken into and some of the exhibits vandalised.They showed a report on the RTE news and the vandals had taken a sword which was a prop for one of the figures and hacked Thatchers face off then embedded the sword in her forehead.

Hematocyte · 18-04-2013 2:13pm

Yeah, I used to watch it. It was usually the last thing we got to see on Sunday night before TV off and school the next day.

I don't think I really understood the issues that were being satarised but I found the show entertaining nonetheless. Also ironically because of this show I was much more familiar with British (and to a lesser extent US and Soviet) politicians at the time than I was of the Irish ones.

I see it ran from 84-96. I was surprised it lasted that long. I think I stopped watching fairly soon after Thatcher got the boot. Say what you like about the real woman, but she was a great character on the show.

When John Major took over as PM the show tried to overplay him as a really dull character (changing his skin to grey and having him be involved in lethargic conversations with the wife while eating peas). It just cost the show a lot of its manic energy I think and pretty soon I stopped watching.

r3nu4l · 18-04-2013 8:18pm

Hematocyte wrote: »

When John Major took over as PM the show tried to overplay him as a really dull character (changing his skin to grey and having him be involved in lethargic conversations with the wife while eating peas). It just cost the show a lot of its manic energy I think and pretty soon I stopped watching.

I totally agree with this. the show went from Maggie's lunatic power-tripping chaos to scenes of a grey john Major with protracted silences or only the sound of a clock ticking while he fumbled with the peas on his plate. It really slowed it down.

It was a great show and I was familiar enough with some of the politics to get a laugh out of it but the subtleties of some scenes were doubtless lost on me.

L1011 · 18-04-2013 9:39pm

Some people are just too dull to satire effectively, other than make them even more so.

And they'd already burnt one way with Steve Davis.

GotTheTshirt · 18-04-2013 9:49pm

Zebra3 · 19-04-2013 2:24am

#1 in the charts for weeks as well. :pac:

Koloman · 19-04-2013 8:43pm

Who could forget "The Presidents brain is missing" series of sketches about Ronald Reagan?

I also remember them taking the mickey out of English born players wanting to play for the Irish football team. It must of been around 1994 when England failed to qualify for the world cup. It was a sketch that had Paul Gascoigne harassing Jack Charlton to prove he was Irish enough by having a pint of Guinness, having an Irish wolfhound etc... Very funny.

Spitting image was hilarious and cut close to the bone many times. Probably would not get made today.

BBDBB · 19-04-2013 8:52pm

it wasnt all about the politics

some of the way the other "celebs" of the day were lampooned was equally brilliant

The news reader, Sir Alastair Burnett", David Coleman and the Royal Family were really cleverly observed and stretched

lord lucan · 20-04-2013 4:13pm

Who could forget this class video?!

I feel old,half of the characters portrayed in the video are now dead.

armchair fusilier · 20-04-2013 8:30pm

First thing that came to mind - "and what about the vegetables"...."Oh, they'll have the same as me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyU8qmzGsEg

Brian Lighthouse · 21-04-2013 8:37pm

I was trying to find a clip of two pensioners in their front room during the winter, when a man walks in with boxes of ice-cream. The man states that due to cutbacks in the fuel allowance the house is cold enough to store his ice-cream.

Would any of you know the series/episode number?
I`ve searched all possible youtube clips but haven`t found it.

It was a great show.