Idiots Assemble… Spitting Image to save the world in Birmingham
A theatre production of the puppet show will take to the stage in the city where the original TV series was recorded
Rehearsals began on Monday (19 December) for the World Premiere of Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World which opens at Birmingham Rep on 1 February, and runs until 11 March 2023.
With a creative team that includes original Spitting Image co-creator, Roger Law, alongside a comedy tour de force writing team of Al Murray, Matt Forde and Sean Foley, Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World promises to be the unmissable, laugh-out-loud show to kick-start 2023.
World famous celebrities will be thrown together as Tom Cruise is tasked by King Charles with saving Great Britain. Greta Thunberg duets with Stormzy as Putin and Xi watch on from their premium seats in the stalls. Have they just come out for a night on the town? Or will they wipe out all of civilisation? A show simultaneously inspired and appalled by real events.
Sean Foley:
‘Trying to develop a satirical comedy based on the shifting politics of today has been the original fool’s errand: we’ve already thrown away 3 entire scripts – and several famous puppets aren’t even going to make their stage debuts anymore… But the sheer joy of casting Tom Cruise alongside King Charles, Greta Thunberg, RuPaul and Meghan Markle has made up for it. To be premiering this theatrical extravaganza in Birmingham, the home of the original ground-breaking television series, is a wonderful thrill.’
‘It’s a who’s who of the good, the bad and the ugly’ commented Al Murray. ‘I know Marvel like to say it, but our show is the greatest cross over event of all time. Where else could you get Michael Gove, Tom Cruise, Sir Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, Daniel Craig, Fiona Bruce and Paddington Bear on a single stage?’
The puppeteers are Will Palmer, Tom Quinn, Katie Bradley, Rayo Patel, Paula Brett, Jojo Lin, Kaidan Dawkins, Chand Martinez, Pena Liyambo, Faye Weerasinghe, Bertie Harris and Helen Parke. Voice-over artists will be announced in January 2023.
Matt Forde:
‘We are living through an insane, abnormal, infuriating period, so the timing of this show couldn’t be better. It’s vital that we see our leaders lampooned with cutting satire and yes, whacked over the head with a big stick.’
The BAFTA and Emmy award-winning satirical Spitting Image television series originally ran for 18 series, the iconic show was produced by Central Television from 1984 to 1996, airing across the ITV network and was watched by over 15 million viewers.
The puppets were created at creators Peter Fluck and Roger Law’s workshop in London with the on-screen talent transported by truck to Central TV in Birmingham every week. During its initial run, it struck controversy from the off by featuring caricatures of the Royal Family. Notably some royalists were incredibly unimpressed by The Queen Mother sounding like Beryl Reid and in 1992, ITV received 341 complaints about a depiction of God in the show.
Other personalities who became big on Spitting Image included former PM Margaret Thatcher who was depicted as an insane dictator, comedian and magician Paul Daniels who was portrayed as a cheesy has-been with a spinning wig and dubious Jimmy Savile was, seemingly accurately, deemed mentally unbalanced and locked in an asylum.
It recently made a popular return to TV on BritBox, where across official social media channels, Spitting Image content has been hugely popular with over 200 million views globally. Three one-off specials for ITV have also seen huge success on terrestrial television: with a 4.4 million audience achieving ITV’s highest Saturday night ratings at that time in four years.
Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World, Live on Stage is presented by Avalon and Birmingham Rep.
