Spitting Image to return to TV after 23 years with 'Trump and Meghan Markle puppets'

Original series was one of the most acclaimed comedies of its era

Spitting Image will soon return to television, 23 years after the groundbreaking puppet satire last produced new episodes.

Roger Law, the show’s co-creator, confirmed to The Guardian that a pilot for the new series has already been filmed, with funding from the producers of Catastrophe and US talk show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

The show will be ran by Jeff Westbrook, a comedy writer best known for his work on The Simpsons and Futurama.

Law, who has been working as a fine artist since the original series ended, told the newspaper that “the current [political] situation warrants the effort” of putting together the show’s puppet stars. He also said that the new series will feature puppet incarnations of Donald Trump, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Vladimir Putin – the latter of whom will be outfitted in S&M garb.

Law said he hoped the series will be “public service satire”, adding: “It’s pretty chaotic out there. As far as I’m concerned, it’s better than shouting at the television set, isn’t it? So I thought, let’s give it a go.”

He said that the show is currently in “advanced negotiations” with broadcasters around the world about producing and screening further episodes.

Broadcast on ITV between 1984 and 1996, the original Spitting Image rapidly became one of the most influential and widely acclaimed comedies of its era, famously satirising figures including Margaret Thatcher, John Major and the Queen Mother.

Harry Enfield, Steve Coogan, Chris Barrie and Ade Edmondson were among the names who supplied voices to the puppets. It has not yet been confirmed whether any of the show’s original cast will return for the revival.