Spitting Image revisited

[dr_christian_troy]

With mentions of sketches from the series in the "Frightening moments in comedy" thread, and a pilot of a new series currently being circulated amongst networks, I thought it might be a good time to discuss the show.

There was a time I wanted to write a book on it - an oral history called Rubber Thingies - but before I even began it was overwhelming to discover just how many people were involved with the series over the years. Thankfully there are an abundance of scripts, letters, reviews and much more now archived in the library at the University of Cambridge.

I was six years old when I went to the Spitting Image Museum in Covent Garden, where I got a photo of myself with Ronald Reagan. I could have gone for Thatcher but I was too scared. Then there were the three compilation VHS tapes which introduced me to the series retrospectively, before taping The South Bank Show special and immersing myself to the (debatably flailing) 90s era.

Maybe I'll see if I anyone fancies a group rewatch seeing as most of the first twelve series are on YouTube, but what are your memories of the series? Aside from the obvious "vegetables" sketch repeatedly used to reference the series in news segments, are there any particular sketches that stand out for you? Any particular musical moments?

[Ambient Sheep]

It's tricky, after 30+ years, to remember many specific ones, but here's a couple that've stuck in my mind:


The one where a fireside meeting is convened to reveal Orson Welles' message from beyond the grave: the secret of how he lived his life (trying not to spoiler it here).

In particular, the Jack Nicholson puppet in that sketch had one of my friends laughing so hard he nearly lost control of his bodily functions.

Sadly I can't find a clip of it within a reasonable timeframe.


And for sheer "lol, wut?"-ness, closing an edition with a song called "RS-232 Interface Lead" as long ago as 1985 was... strange.  Me and my nerdy friends loved it but I can't imagine too many other people understood quite how funny it was at the time.  Three years later, maybe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDlj0jBtYmQ

One of the YouTube comments explains why:

David Brunnen
This production was a tribute by the Spitting Image script-writing team to the UK's first email system Telecom Gold.  When introduced in the early 1980's (pre-PC and pre-Internet) a basic terminal/keyboard connected to a dial-up modem via an RS232 interface lead.   The service played a vital role in enabling the scriptwriters to assemble each week's production whilst working from many locations.  The video reflects the hassle new users experienced when grappling with the 'new' technology...

[Pauline Walnuts]

It's a serial cable. They were pretty common well, forever.

[Satchmo Distel]

Excellent in 1984-85 I think it ran out of steam by the end of 1986.

[Ambient Sheep]

It's a serial cable.

Gosh, really?

They were pretty common well, forever.

All I can say is that if, in 1985, you'd asked one of my non-nerdy friends, or the average person in my workplace who wasn't either a member of R&D or one of the better test engineers, what an RS-232 Interface lead was, you'd've got a very blank look.

Even if the computer in front of them was plugged into their printer by one of them (although Centronics/parallel was more common back then), they wouldn't have known what they were called.

My recollection is that the terminology was little-known back then amongst the general public (especially anyone over the age of about 25), hence my surprise at its prominent reference in one of ITV's top-billed shows, that's all.

[NJ Uncut]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turds

I happen to think these claymations are accomplished in a number of ways! (One, fortunately, is parody)

[Catalogue Trousers]

'Sconny's gone...'
'Dear, dear Sconny.'

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

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Loved the version of 'Go Now,' by the Moody Blues, when Thatcher resigned.

[Gulftastic]

I'm on my phone so can't post a YouTube video but Ronnie Hazelhurst's Requiem is never far from my mind.

ETA now I'm back home, here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13c4eJZtWiY

[Autopsy Turvey]

I seem to remember, after the song faded out, the continuity announcer saying something like "Well, that's quite enough of the RS-232 Interface Lead...", which was the first (and only) thing a continuity announcer said that tickled me.

Spit In Your Ear was one of those tapes I just played over and over again aged 10, and I still think it's as close to a sharply focused best of as you can hope to find. These of course are the ones that stand up without the visuals, which I suppose is the clincher. These include the naming of Prince Harry ("How about Bing? We haven't had a Bing in the family for ages"), the Pope panicking that Jesus has returned ("Sell the Popemobile and get me a Renault 4, I want him to think I've been suffering"), Larry & Johnny remember the dead, the Hazelhurst Requiem, the Trendy Kinnock skit ("I think black people are lovely"), Donald Sinden hustling the Queen for a knighthood, Steve 'Interesting' Davis, the Spock Does Shakespeare business, and some of the best song parodies (Phil Collins, Prince, ZZ Top, The Who). Also always loved Bernard Levin and Jonathan Miller Talking Bollocks, long before I had any idea what so much as a single word of it meant.

Can anyone else recall one week when Spitting Image was for some reason not shown, in its place, was the episode of Ray Bradbury Theatre where William Shatner drops his son off at a playground and walks away while the boy is attacked by feral children. That was not such a fun Sunday night.

[JesusAndYourBush]

the Trendy Kinnock skit ("I think black people are lovely")

I did a "remix" of that sketch with a school friend...
https://soundcloud.com/noodle2000/deleted-overtones-03-vote-for

[Autopsy Turvey]

Can anyone else recall one week when Spitting Image was for some reason not shown, in its place, was the episode of Ray Bradbury Theatre where William Shatner drops his son off at a playground and walks away while the boy is attacked by feral children. That was not such a fun Sunday night.

Just remembered a fun addendum: when the announcer said "We're unable to bring you the scheduled edition of Spitting Image this week" I started to say "Oh for Christ's sake" but then realised that was a bit strong, and my dad was present, so I stopped after the "Ch-" of Christ, so it just sounded like I said "Oh fuck", which got a much worse reaction.

[zip o lightning]

One of my favourite songs (from late era Spitting Image) even though I don't agree with the sentiment:

https://youtu.be/J3aAHnP2-x8

When it was first broadcast, the punchline of the chorus made me laugh so hard - it's so out of the blue (though the youtube title will sadly spoil it a little). Even now it's kind of amazing how much venom there is in the delivery of the vocals; with the benefit of history it sounds even crueler.