Splitting Image

Revived satire show divides early critics

The revival of Spitting Image has divided critics - with early reviews falling into either the two-star or four-star camps.

Right-wing newspapers seem to take most umbrage with the satirical puppet show, which lands on streaming service BritBox from midday.

In a two-star review in the Daily Mail, Jan Moir praises the puppets as ‘marvels of boneless spite’ but thought the script featured a ‘grim level of schoolboy satire and jokes’

But primarily she complains that it spends much more time attacking the Conservatives who have been in power for the last decade than Labour. ‘Politically, the entire show is about as balanced as a three-legged elephant on a tightrope,’ she writes, acknowledging: ‘That’s not a very funny gag either.’

The Daily Telegraph also awarded two stars with the reviewer Anita Singh noting: ‘While some of the puppets are good, the jokes are often weak. Of course, we may have false memory syndrome regarding the original series.’

The Times also acknowledged that the ‘puppets and the grotesquery that goes with them can come to the rescue when the impressions or the punchlines are not 100 per cent there’ – but was kinder in its verdict, giving four stars.

Dominic Maxwell wrote: ‘Boasting more hits than misses, this opening salvo suggests that Spitting Image still has some fire lurking in its belly.’

And in the Guardian Mark Lawson wrote a four-star review and commented that the revival ‘has lost none of its savagery or willingness to shock’.

Here are a couple of the skits from today’s show - including an up-to-the-minute sketch about Donald Trump being diagnosed with Covid.

Donald Trump visits the CDC to find out what's taking them so long on this Coronavirus vaccine.#SpittingImage #TrumpHasCOVID #TrumpCOVID pic.twitter.com/AsFTmXq9MB
— Spitting Image (@SpittingImage) October 2, 2020

Michael Gove drops in to Mistress Priti Patel's Boudoir.

The first episode of #SpittingImage will be available to stream on @BritBox_UK tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/MIMTJgijol
— Spitting Image (@SpittingImage) October 2, 2020