Review for Spitting Image: The Complete 11th Series

Ah 1991!

A simpler time when we had to suffer a Conservative Gov... oh wait nevermind. Before the likes of Have I Got News For You I learnt most of what I know about the world of politics from Spitting Image. I would never have known who half of the 1990s politicians had been without this show.

This disk includes the six episodes from the Eleventh Series. The John Major years were in full swing and it would be another six years of Conservatives for the writers to plunder for comedy gold.

Targets include Neil Kinnock and his useless Labour Partyl, The Liberal Party's leader Paddy Ashdown who is neither one side or the other, but right down the middle. John Major and his cabinet trying to be more recognisable, by doing things like sticking yoghurt pots on their head or clucking like a chicken. Other regulars include Trevor Macdonald accompanied by Ronnie Corbett, Barry Norman, Jeffrey Archer, Jeremy Paxman, Graham Taylor and the Royal Family. This also includes my favourite sketch involving the Queen playing a prank on Prince Charles.

Great adverts such as Kamikaze Christmas Dogs, the drama of John and Norma Major eating their dinner, The Four Horseman berating War for the latest wars not being enough 'apocalypsey'. Santa Claus requesting an increase of his overdraft and Terry Waite being released from being a hostage. These are all great moments that made me laugh.

Each episode ends with a fantastically funny song. These range from Arnold Schwarzenegger singing about his... ahem... short comings. Essex is Crap, Everyone Goes to the Toilet, School's Out... Of Money and a wonderful Royal Christmas singalong.

Now it would be easy to criticise and say that watching a satirical show from 1991 is a pointless escapade. A bit like watching a news show from 1991, yes it will be full of facts and stories about that time, but you wouldn't get much out of hearing about Chris Patten and Norman Lamont.

However, I always feel that good comedy is always good comedy no matter the time frame. It is true, that you will need to at least have some idea of who these people are to get most if not all of the jokes, but the delivery is still excellent. If you watched it at the time you will enjoy reliving some of the sketches and the spoofs, and if you didn't then you may learn something about just how useless the Conservative have always been... and also how useless the other two parties have also been.

Spitting Image Series Eleven is a great trip down memory lane and though this may not appeal to everyone, I would say give it a chance, even just for the comedy songs, which are still funny over twenty years later.