The Sally Keeshan Show

The Jane Fisher Show is a British-American satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. Show is the host named Jane Fisher The series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV network. The series was nominated and won numerous awards during its run including ten BAFTA Television Awards, one for editing in 1989 and two Emmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category.

The series features puppet caricatures of celebrities prominent during the 1980s and 1990s, including British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and other politicians, US president Ronald Reagan, and the British Royal Family; the series was the first to caricature Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (as an elderly gin-drinker with a Beryl Reid voice).

One of the most-watched shows of the 1980s and early 1990s, the series satirised politics, entertainment, sport and British culture of the era, and at its peak it was watched by 15 million people.[3] The series was cancelled in 2004, after viewing figures declined. ITV had plans for a new series in 2006, but these were scrapped after a dispute over the Ant & Dec puppets used to host Best Ever Spitting Image, which were created against Roger Law's wishes.[4] In 2018, Law donated his entire archive – including original scripts, puppet moulds, drawings and recordings – to Cambridge University.

History
Martin Lambie-Nairn proposed a satirical television show featuring caricature puppets created by Peter Fluck and Roger Law. Fluck and Law, who had both attended the Cambridge School of Art, had no previous television experience, but had, for several years, constructed plasticine caricatures in order to illustrate articles in The Sunday Times Magazine.

The idea for the series was rejected by many in the industry, who thought it would only be suitable for children, but the series was finally accepted for development and first broadcast in 1984.[6]

English comedy writer and National Lampoon editor Tony Hendra, was brought in as a writer; Fluck and Law had met him while they were working in the US. Hendra brought in John Lloyd, producer of Not The Nine O'Clock News. They were joined by Jon Blair, a documentary producer. They then hired Muppet puppeteer Louise Gold. Development was funded by Clive Sinclair.

The puppets, based on public figures, were designed by Fluck and Law, assisted by caricaturists that included David Stoten, Pablo Bach, Steve Bendelack and Tim Watts. The episodes included musical parodies by Philip Pope (former member of Who Dares Wins and The Hee Bee Gee Bees) and later Steve Brown.

The first episode of Spitting Image, in 1984, aired with a laugh track, apparently at the insistence of Central Television. This episode was shown to a preview audience before transmission.[7]

In the early years of the show, Spitting Image was filmed and based in the enterprise zone at London Docklands at the Limehouse Studios, where scriptwriters convened and puppets were manufactured.[8][9] Impressionist Steve Nallon recalls that "they were able to get away with no health and safety, so all of the building of the puppets with all the toxic waste from the foam was just in a warehouse. There were no extractor fans; it was quite Dickensian."[10]

In later series, Spitting Image was recorded at Central's studios in Nottingham with last minute additions being recorded at the Limehouse Studios at Canary Wharf, London.

Broadcast dates
All episodes and specials were broadcast on Sunday, usually at 10pm. The programme was also picked up overseas. It aired on Canada's CBC Television on Sunday nights in the late 1980s. The American network NBC aired several prime-time specials in the same period. Austrian public broadcaster ORF broadcast Spitting Image in English with German subtitles late on Friday nights in approximately four-week intervals in the late 1980s and early 1990s, introducing it to the German-speaking world (where foreign programming is usually dubbed into German). Spitting Image was also briefly shown in France on the private TV channel M6 in English with French subtitles. The show was also aired in New Zealand on TVNZ in the 1980s.

Staff
Spitting Image launched the careers of and featured many then-unknown British comedians and actors, most notably Hugh Dennis, Steve Coogan and Harry Enfield.[38]

Voices
The voices were provided by British (and one American) impressionists including:
 * Chris Barrie (1984–1991) (Arnold Rimmer in Red Dwarf)
 * Roger Blake (1990–1996) (plays Duke of Edinburgh/Jim Royle in Big Impression)
 * Brian Bowles (1993) (Captain Pugwash)
 * Rory Bremner (1987) (Bremner, Bird and Fortune)
 * Phil Cool (1984–1985) (Cool It)
 * Phil Cornwell (1986) (Dead Ringers)
 * Steve Coogan (1988–1993) (Alan Partridge)
 * Jon Culshaw (1994–1996) (Dead Ringers, 2DTV, The Impressionable Jon Culshaw, Headcases, The Impressions Show)
 * Hugh Dennis (1989–1992) (The Mary Whitehouse Experience, My Hero, Mock The Week, Outnumbered)
 * Ade Edmondson (1984) (The Young Ones, Filthy Rich & Catflap, Bottom)
 * Harry Enfield (1985–1989, 1996) (Harry Enfield and Chums, Kevin and Perry Go Large)
 * Chris Emmett (1984, 1990) (3-2-1)
 * Lewis MacLeod (1990-1996) (64 Zoo Lane) (Captain Abercromby) (Postman Pat)
 * Colin Purves
 * Michael Fenton Stevens (singing voices only, mainly backing vocals) (Radio Active, KYTV)
 * Fogwell Flax (1984) (Tiswas)
 * Jon Glover (1984–1989, 1994) (Harry Enfield's Television Programme)
 * Louise Gold (1984–1985) (The Muppet Show)
 * Alistair McGowan (1991–1996) (All Quiet on the Preston Front, The Big Impression, Only an Excuse?, You Cannot Be Serious)
 * Jessica Martin (1985–1988) (Copy Cats, Doctor Who)
 * Steve Nallon (1984–1996) (best known as voice of Margaret Thatcher)
 * Philip Pope (1984–1991, singing voices only) (KYTV)
 * Jan Ravens (1984–1992) (Dead Ringers)
 * Enn Reitel (1985–1990, 1994, 1996) (Mog)
 * Kate Robbins (1986–1996) (dinnerladies, Drop the Dead Donkey)
 * Peter Serafinowicz (1996) (How Do You Want Me?, Look Around You)
 * John Sessions (1986) (Whose Line Is It Anyway?)
 * Steve Steen (1993) (CBTV, Now Something Else)
 * Debra Stephenson (1989) (Playing the Field, Bad Girls, The Impressions Show)
 * John Thomson (1990, 1992–1994) (The Fast Show, Cold Feet)

Performers
The puppets were operated by British performers, including:
 * Anthony Asbury
 * Don Austen
 * Chris Barrie
 * Michael Bayliss
 * Kevin Bradshaw (later credited as Kaefan Shaw)
 * Simon Buckley
 * Patrick Comerford
 * Richard Coombs
 * Craig Crane
 * Sue Dacre
 * Phil Eason
 * John Eccleston
 * Colin Purves
 * Rebecca Nagan
 * Alistair Fullarton
 * Louise Gold
 * Barnaby Harrison
 * Brian Herring
 * Mark Jefferis
 * Robin Kingsland
 * Terry Lee
 * Steve Nallon
 * Martin H Oates
 * Nigel Plaskitt
 * Gillie Robic
 * Martin P. Robinson
 * Richard Robinson
 * Tim Rose
 * John Thirtle
 * Ian Thom
 * William Todd-Jones
 * Robert Tygner
 * Mak Wilson
 * Francis Wright

Writers

 * Geoff Atkinson (1984–1993)
 * David Austin
 * Debbie Barham
 * Barry Atkins
 * Alistair Beaton
 * Colin Bostock-Smith
 * Jo Brand
 * Mark Burton (1985–1993)
 * Kevin Cecil (1993–1996) (The Armando Ianucci Shows)
 * Paul John Clark, journalist and writer (Rory Bremner, Kate and Ted's Show, The New Politics: The May Revolution, Week Ending, Hale and Pace)
 * Richard Curtis (1984–1985) (Blackadder, Four Weddings and a Funeral etc.)
 * Terence Dackombe (1984–1989) (Week Ending, News Huddlines, Friday Night Live, etc.)
 * Paul B. Davies
 * (John) Jack Docherty and Moray Hunter (Absolutely, Mr. Don & Mr. George)
 * Chris Edge
 * Ben Elton (1984–1985) (Blackadder, The Young Ones)
 * Stevie Fowler
 * Patrick Gallagher (co-creator, co-writer and graphic designer on Round the Bend, a children's puppet show produced by Hat Trick Productions with puppets made by the Spitting Image Workshop)
 * Dan Gaster
 * Rob Grant (1984–1986) (Red Dwarf)
 * Simon Goodman
 * Sean Hardie
 * Ray Harris (1985–1993) (Babyblair)
 * Ian Hislop (1984–1989) (Private Eye, Have I Got News For You, My Dad's the Prime Minister)
 * Will Ing (The Now Show)
 * Donnie Kerr
 * David Kind (Hale and Pace)
 * Wayne Kline
 * Stewart Lee (Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle)
 * Paul Lewis
 * Victor Lewis-Smith (only one episode: Series 5 ep.5)
 * Doug Naylor (1984–1986) (Red Dwarf)
 * Henry Naylor (1984–1986)
 * Nick Newman (1984–1989) (Private Eye)
 * John O'Farrell (1984–1993) (author of Things Can Only Get Better, etc.)
 * Andy Parsons (1993–1996)
 * Paul Powell
 * Georgia Pritchett (1986–1992)
 * Steve Punt (1989–1993) (The Now Show)
 * Neil Raphael (1984–1987)
 * Keith Rees
 * Andy Riley (1993–1996) (The Armando Ianucci Shows)
 * Laurie Rowley
 * Tony Sarchet
 * Stuart Silver
 * Paul Simpkin
 * Pete Sinclair
 * Paul Smith (1984-1985)
 * Andrea Solomons
 * Guy Jenkin
 * Johnny Mack (The Dave Allen Show)

Producers

 * Jon Blair, John Lloyd, Tony Hendra (1984)
 * John Lloyd (1984–1986) (Blackadder, Not the Nine O'Clock News)
 * Geoffrey Perkins (1986–1988) (Radio Active and KYTV, later Head of BBC comedy)
 * David Tyler
 * Bill Dare (1990–1993) (Dead Ringers)
 * Giles Pilbrow (1994–1996) (2DTV)