Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 29, 2024, 03:33:14 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Spitting Image back on Britbox

Started by Fambo Number Mive, September 16, 2021, 01:38:43 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Blue Jam

The Greta Thunberg "HOT!" joke might have been funny if they'd done it just once and then never used the puppet ever again. Just the thing of going to all that effort for one single word. It was always going to be diminishing returns after that.

SullySullivan85

I'll give it a chance... Just please tell me they aren't doing the Marcus Rashford stuff.

Consignia

Quote from: Blue Jam on September 23, 2021, 01:24:59 PM
The Greta Thunberg "HOT!" joke might have been funny if they'd done it just once and then never used the puppet ever again. Just the thing of going to all that effort for one single word. It was always going to be diminishing returns after that.

To be fair, they've only used that joke once. The rest of the Greta appearances are a baffling soap opera were she lives with her football loving boyfriend Lee. Hardly any reference to her being a climate change activist. The writers have less than nothing to say.

king_tubby

Matt Forde is so shit he's got the shitpost left defending Jess Phillps.


SteveDave

Why does Kieth sound like Josh Widdecombe in that "sketch"?

idunnosomename

it is incredible that a political satire show can be so politically illiterate. makes Newzoids look like fucking Jonathan Swift

dissolute ocelot

Quote from: king_tubby on October 04, 2021, 01:02:16 PM
Matt Forde is so shit he's got the shitpost left defending Jess Phillps.


I keep seeing stuff about this on my twitter feed but have no idea at all what is going on and hope it stays that way. If ever there was a story that I didn't want to know anything about, it probably involves labour politicians' bodily fluids.

George Oscar Bluth II

It's genuinely one of the most confusing things I've ever seen labelled as comedy. Why is Starmer dressed as a fox? Is that a reference to something? Why is Starmer portrayed as a dripping leftie banging on about citizen's assemblies? Is the joke genuinely just that Jess Phillips is a woman and from Birmingham? And that women have 'vages' and tits?

PEOPLE GOT PAID TO WRITE THIS

Tony Yeboah

It is astonishing that Starmer/Phillips sketch got conceived, written, made and put on Twitter without anyone involved going 'What the fuck is this? Stop Immediately!' It's so misogynistic, horrible and downwright wrong it really is quite staggering. I mean, fucking hell.

Jumblegraws

I genuinely look forward to Spitting Image posting videos on their Twitter account so I can watch them get ratio'd. I might even put on alert on it. The shorter and blunter the replies, the better.

Must be pretty gutting for any writers who read them. Oh well.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

What the fuck is that Starmer/Phillips sketch supposed to be? Utterly baffling.

Jumblegraws

They've done a sketch where the Johnson cabinet sit on a select committee and grill some random plebs about the petrol crisis. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I got the impression that we're supposed to think the ministers being a select committee instead of answering to one is meant to be funny in a turning-the-tables sort of way. Reminds me of what Limmy observed about Boris Johnson often being the straight man of his sketches.

Anyway, sketch can be seen here if any hate-watchers are interested https://twitter.com/spittingimage/status/1445046745025728514?s=21

Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse

Quote from: Jumblegraws on October 05, 2021, 12:04:37 PM
They've done a sketch where the Johnson cabinet sit on a select committee and grill some random plebs about the petrol crisis. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I got the impression that we're supposed to think the ministers being a select committee instead of answering to one is meant to be funny in a turning-the-tables sort of way. Reminds me of what Limmy observed about Boris Johnson often being the straight man of his sketches.

Anyway, sketch can be seen here if any hate-watchers are interested https://twitter.com/spittingimage/status/1445046745025728514?s=21
Yeah, I see the problem, it's making fun of the stupid fucking public for panicking because they won't be able to pointlessly drive around wasting petrol and comparing a lack of fuel to a lack of chicken for some reason. You know, instead of making fun of BoJo's gobbledegook responses when questioned about the fuel shortage, or making fun of the government blaming the public for the fuel shortage.

Brundle-Fly

It's about time somebody parodied superheroes though.

Fambo Number Mive

I read somewhere Roger Law was involved with this? Is that true?

buttgammon

Quote from: George Oscar Bluth II on October 05, 2021, 10:17:03 AM
It's genuinely one of the most confusing things I've ever seen labelled as comedy. Why is Starmer dressed as a fox? Is that a reference to something? Why is Starmer portrayed as a dripping leftie banging on about citizen's assemblies? Is the joke genuinely just that Jess Phillips is a woman and from Birmingham? And that women have 'vages' and tits?

PEOPLE GOT PAID TO WRITE THIS

I had the exact same reaction/confusion. Is the gist seriously woman = tits? Surely nobody actually enjoys this stuff, right? I've previously slagged it off for being lazy, ineffective satire that lets the powerful off the hook but on a more basic level, it doesn't even work as humour.

BritishHobo

It seems to fundamentally misunderstand the Labour situation as well. Kier Starmer is surprised to learn about the idea of trying to appeal to centre voters instead of left voters? Any substance is absent in favour of shallow gags about how because of his legal background he must care more about boring regulations than stopping robbings? I don't like Starmer, but is that the first thing people think of when they think of him?

peteprodge

Quote from: George Oscar Bluth II on October 05, 2021, 10:17:03 AM
It's genuinely one of the most confusing things I've ever seen labelled as comedy. Why is Starmer dressed as a fox? Is that a reference to something?

It's a set-up from the first-series of Britbox Spitting Image, where he became a super hero fox at night time. It wasn't the greatest of running gags.

Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure in the twilight years of Central's Spitting Image, there was an ongoing trope where Trevor McDonald would break into jazz hands, which really has not aged at all well. About the same level as equating a feminist MP to "TITS, LOL!".

Jumblegraws

Quote from: buttgammon on October 05, 2021, 12:49:16 PM
I had the exact same reaction/confusion. Is the gist seriously woman = tits? Surely nobody actually enjoys this stuff, right? I've previously slagged it off for being lazy, ineffective satire that lets the powerful off the hook but on a more basic level, it doesn't even work as humour.
I know she can get sweary, but is Phillips known for talking about her own anatomy in blunt language like that? I feel like this is an attribute they've pretty much made up but I don't pay enough attention to her to know for sure. Maybe it's actually a well-done caricature, but for me it just reminded me of Bernard Manning complaining about women comedians doing routines about Tampax.

George Oscar Bluth II

I guess part of the problem is that most people won't know much about Keir Starmer, let alone Jess Phillips. So if you attempt to satirise them the satire becomes "these are people who exist, here are some of their traits".

How would you satirise Starmer? Have him earnestly saying whatever he thinks a given audience wants to hear? Could have had him attempting to convince the robber and the bloke being robbed that he's on their side, switching positions depending on who he's talking too. I dunno. I guess "I am boring" also works too.

buttgammon

Quote from: Jumblegraws on October 05, 2021, 01:13:19 PM
I know she can get sweary, but is Phillips known for talking about her own anatomy in blunt language like that? I feel like this is an attribute they've pretty much made up but I don't pay enough attention to her to know for sure. Maybe it's actually a well-done caricature, but for me it just reminded me of Bernard Manning complaining about women comedians doing routines about Tampax.

I don't know to be honest; as GOBII's post suggests, the fact that we don't know that much about her is one of the reasons why this is so bad.

Fambo Number Mive

I'd satirise him as someone who made a load of promises then ditched them when he got into power. He could promise someone that he'd go to the shops for them and get some bread and jam, and then it turns out he's spent all the money they gave them on pork scratchings in the pub because he rang a focus group to find out what to do.

Could also satirise how tough and undemocratic he is with the left versus how he barely criticises Tories.

Petey Pate

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on October 05, 2021, 12:20:34 PM
I read somewhere Roger Law was involved with this? Is that true?

He's the head of the creative team, which amazingly includes former writers for Futurama alongside the likes of Matt Forde and Rich Fulcher.  Can't believe that Billy West, John DiMaggio and Phil LaMarr are voice actors on it as well.

Jumblegraws

Quote from: buttgammon on October 05, 2021, 01:53:47 PM
I don't know to be honest; as GOBII's post suggests, the fact that we don't know that much about her is one of the reasons why this is so bad.
Tbh I think it's my problem if I don't know enough about the people SI are attempting to satirise. I'd prefer that state of affairs to their habit of making puppets of people who were flavour of the month a quarter of a year ago and then shoehorning them into sketches. But I'm pretty sure all they've done here with Phillips is equate "Brummie" with "coarse" and then extrapolated that to "suck my vag!" or whatever.

Also, I'd love if real life Starmer had the confidence and ability to cite accurately a health and safety standard in the middle of a confrontation like that. Stop flattering politicians, Spitting Image.

phantom_power

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on October 05, 2021, 01:55:24 PM
I'd satirise him as someone who made a load of promises then ditched them when he got into power. He could promise someone that he'd go to the shops for them and get some bread and jam, and then it turns out he's spent all the money they gave them on pork scratchings in the pub because he rang a focus group to find out what to do.

Could also satirise how tough and undemocratic he is with the left versus how he barely criticises Tories.

The issue is that the writers, certainly Fatt Morde, love Starmer and so probably don't want to make him look too bad. The problem is that there is nothing tangibly and identifiably good about him so they are in a bind and have to resort to this nonsense

Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse

I'd satirise Kieth by having him piss himself in fright whenever he's even slightly startled because that's the face he's constantly making.

dissolute ocelot

Quote from: George Oscar Bluth II on October 05, 2021, 01:37:15 PM
I guess part of the problem is that most people won't know much about Keir Starmer, let alone Jess Phillips. So if you attempt to satirise them the satire becomes "these are people who exist, here are some of their traits".

How would you satirise Starmer? Have him earnestly saying whatever he thinks a given audience wants to hear? Could have had him attempting to convince the robber and the bloke being robbed that he's on their side, switching positions depending on who he's talking too. I dunno. I guess "I am boring" also works too.

There's plenty of amusing satire of Starmer as a pathetic stepdad. Or if you want to be really edgy, that he's drink-driving and cheating on his wife. Maybe the Spitting Image writers prefer to invent their own traits rather than copy what other people say about celebs.

lipsink

They could've made fun of Starmer pissing about and writing a 11,500 word essay. But the writers at Spitting Image probably had the horn for that.

Fambo Number Mive

I also note Starmer describes himself in the Spitting Image sketch as "A man limited by the irrelevance of the Labour Party". I can imagine him actually saying this in real life but it adds nothing to the sketch aside from trying to make the Labour Party look rubbish.

Cuellar

I'd have the Starmer puppet machine gunning orphans, or piloting a huey that drops loads of napalm on a Vietnamese village, or presiding over a Jonestown type scenario, or as Jimmy Savile.

I mean why the fuck not, who cares. No one's watching, there's no point to any of it.