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22:13:00 As neither Lambie-Nairn, Fluck or Law had prior TV experience, they turned to others to actually produce the show. Fluck and Law brought in comedy writer and National Lampoon editor Tony Hendra, who they had met previously while working in America. Hendra in turn brought in John Lloyd, producer of the satirical sketch show Not The Nine O'Clock News. They were joined by Jon Blair, a documentary producer. They then hired Muppet puppeteer Louise Gold. The initial development of the show was funded by entrepreneur Clive Sinclair. At the start, in 1984 and 1985, the show wasn't doing well in the ratings, and was nearly cancelled. As there was no availability at Central's Birmingham Studio 1, the team used Studio 2 - better known as the Crossroads Motel, with only one or two episodes in the first series being recorded in Studio 1 - this explains the different studio cameras seen on screen in this series. Occasonally, episodes or individual sketches were recorded at Limehouse Studios in London's Docklands, especially if a special episode or sketch was so topical it had to be recorded there and then, with no time for the puppets to be delievered to Central's Birmingham studios. The Limehouse Studios have since been demolished. Rob Grant and Doug Naylor were brought in as head writers to try and save the show, with the informal understanding that they would be promoted to executive producers if they succeeded. By 1986, under their supervision, Spitting Image had become a popular phenomenon, even producing a Number 1 hit single (the infamous The Chicken Song), but producer John Lloyd was unaware of the writers' deal and refused their promotion. With the feeling that they wouldn't be able to progress on the show, the pair left (and later created Red Dwarf for BBC2). Several of the politicians found their characterisations offensive, although in subsequent interviews many were glad of the attention. Though an appreciation of the programme's humour required more than a passing knowledge of British politics, it aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation late on Sunday nights in the late 1980s. The American NBC network aired several prime-time specials adapted from the series in the same period.

19:58:00 Another mainstay of Spitting Image was the British Royal Family. The Queen wore a CND badge, always seemed ever so slightly mad and picked clothes from rubbish bins, Prince Philip was a blunderbuss-toting Greek-obsessed buffoon permanently in naval uniform, Prince Charles was a new-age leftist pseudo-hippie, and wife Diana was a publicity-hungry Sloane Ranger. There was also playboy Prince Andrew, horsey Princess Anne, petulant teenager Prince Edward, tipsy Princess Margaret, truffle-snuffling Fergie, and senile Queen Mother, who was generally seen with a bottle of Gordon's Gin, a copy of the Racing Post and a Beryl Reid voice; this was a running joke from a sketch in which the Royal Family's desire to conceal her Birmingham accent was the reason she was very seldom heard speaking on television.

19:57:00 Spitting Image did not restrict itself to just politicians, and managed to parody many celebrities in the public eye. The list of characters is far too numerous to mention (the Best of Spitting Image documentary purports it to be at about 900+), but many characters were to become synonymous with the show. David Coleman was a popular character, parodied for his easily-excitable demeanour and rapid speech. One sketch has him getting so excited his head explodes. News reporters were also personified with latex puppets. Alastair Burnet was the most prominent, always sycophantic towards the Royal Family and with a nose that randomly inflated. Sandy Gall was portrayed as effeminate, with a camp voice and always worrying about what coat he would wear during his next report. John Cole was virtually incomprehensible, and often had to be dragged off-screen or hit over the head when he talked for too long. Nicholas Witchell was omnipresent, always turning up during a strike to work as a scab labourer rather than a reporter. Kate Adie was portrayed as a thrill-seeker, assigned to the fictional post of BBC Head of Bravery. TV hosts were also parodied. Frank Bough was constantly stoned, while his co-host Selina Scott was thick. Terry Wogan was all-Irish ("top o' the ratings to y'!"), and Bernard Manning was an obese racist. Melvyn Bragg, rather than interviewing elevated figures of high culture, settled for television composer Ronnie Hazlehurst and the "Yorrick" skull from Hamlet. Many sketches about David Attenborough revolved around his apparent ability to talk to animals - in one sketch, he even has to go into an anteater's dressing room and convince him to come out and take part in the show. Gap-toothed Jimmy Tarbuck, who ended every sentence with "Ho-Ho!" or "Boom-boom", appeared alongside badly wigged Bruce Forsyth, who spoke every sentence as though it was a catchphrase. It was not uncommon for celebrities to hate their puppets. Film critic Barry Norman - who would open his sketches with a string of word-play links and cliches, as well as his catchphrase "and why not?" - has been quoted many times as not being a fan of his puppet, mostly because it had a large fictitious wart on its forehead. Magician Paul Daniels did not mind the numerous jokes about his toupée, it was often alive, but took offence to a sketch depicting him nuzzling his assistant Debbie McGee's breasts, which he felt was demeaning. Donald Sinden, portrayed as a 'ham' actor and constantly craving a knighthood, also hated the show. Musicians were parodied too (see Songs for more). Mick Jagger seemed perpetually high, and his colleague Keith Richards was so old and haggard that he thought he was dead. Ringo Starr was a drunkard, and Paul McCartney was always releasing albums and films that flopped instantly. Madonna changed her hairstyle and clothes with every episode, and Michael Jackson's skin turned lighter and lighter - the puppet starts off as an African-American but slowly turns Albino over the course of the show. The show also took shots at movie stars. Dustin Hoffman spoke very nasally and was parodied for his method acting - in one sketch, he manages to amalgamate all of his most famous roles into one by demanding he play "a short, divorced gay woman who's mentally retarded". Senior actors John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier were always lamenting the deaths of their friends, even lamenting their own death at times. Sylvester Stallone was portrayed as being all-brawn but no-brain, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was huge and muscle-bound, but very insecure about the size of his genitals. Frequently, the producers would have encounters with celebrities who enjoyed their puppets to such an extent, they wanted to be in on the joke. Jeffrey Archer purportedly sent tapes of his voice to the recording studio to help the impressionists get his voice right. Chris Evans, more notably, phoned up many times, asking if he can voice his own puppet and promising not to interfere with unflattering material. He was turned down.

14:29:00 SPITTING IMAGE Spitting Image on Art