Spitting Image reboot 'faces dilemma over black puppets'

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 8d

ITV's director of television reveals that he has held discussions about the portrayal of black players in the upcoming Spitting Image reboot.

ITV's director of television Kevin Lygo has revealed that he has held discussions about how to portray black celebrities in the upcoming reboot of Spitting Image.

The satirical show was infamous in the 1980s and '90s for lambasting the politicians and celebrities of the day with exaggerated puppet portrayals.

The BBC and ITV's streaming service BritBox has revived the show for a new series, with the likes of Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Kanye West, RuPaul, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Beyonce all in the firing line.

"I had a curious meeting with Spitting Image," Lygo told a ScreenSkills session. "The producers called me and said we need a conversation. We discussed with the writer and the producers about how to portray black people as viciously caricatured puppets. What's OK, what's not OK?

"Should only a black actor voice a black character? So if you've got Kanye West as a puppet, does it, should it, must it be a black person? Should only black writers write for black puppets?

"Some of the answers are unclear, it's difficult, everybody is trying their best. Just having a conversation is what's good here. We've got to get this out in the open and ask everybody and anybody that we can. That would certainly not have happened years ago."

The new series is due to debut on BritBox later this year.