Spitting Image is coming back to TV soon - here's what to expect

Famous for its caricatures of public figures from the 1980s and '90s, satirical puppet show Spitting Image is coming back after 24 years away from TV screens.

The once controversial programme will be launched on the BritBox streaming service in autumn. This time around, political figures such as Donald Trump and Prince Harry will be in the firing line.

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Co-creator, Roger Law, is on board as executive producer. He said, "I've refused to resuscitate Spitting Image for years but when my pension ran out and my palm was crossed with silver what could an old man do?

"The new Spitting Image will be global through a uniquely British eye, it will be more outrageous, audacious and salacious than the previous incarnation."

Donald Trump, Prince Harry and Boris Johnson as puppets

The new series will mimic global figures, such as Vladamir Putin and Bernie Sanders, as well as politicians closer to home, from Boris Johnson to Dominic Cummings.

Celebrities like Adele, Kim Kardashian, Jurgen Klopp and young activist Great Thunberg will also be transformed from public figures to satirical puppets.

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In a statement, the makers of the programme said, "With the world getting smaller and more turbulent, the time couldn't be more appropriate for an iconic British satirical take on global events."

ITV director of television Kevin Lygo said he was "thrilled" to be able to provide the chance for "British creativity to truly run wild". This will be the first BBC commission for the ITV-run BritBox streaming service.

An anarchic legacy

Those who remember the original Spitting Image know that nobody in the public eye was safe from ridicule. At its height, the show pulled in 15 million viewer,s and was nominated for nine BAFTAs (winning four), and four Emmys.

The programme's most famous caricature was of former UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and her successor, John Major.

The series was axed in 1996, due to declining audience numbers, but it has been given a new lease of life during a similarly confusing political time.