Spitting Image creator defends show against racism accusations: ‘I do big noses and big ears. It’s personal’

Political satire show will return to screens this weekend after 24 years off the air

The creator of Spitting Image has hit back at complaints that certain puppets are racist representations. 

The forthcoming show has rolled out an array of new puppets including Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Kanye West, Vladimir Putin and Meghan Markle.

Responding to criticism of how black people have been portrayed in the forthcoming series, Roger Law told Radio Times: “People sit around looking for things to complain about. I do big noses and big ears. It’s personal – it’s not a racist thing.”

He continued: “[Personal parody] has more effect on individuals than waxing lyrical about their policies.”

“Everybody cares about how they look. I’m wearing my hat now because I’m virtually bald – we’re all at it,” he said.

Megan Markle and Prince Harry as puppets in ‘Spitting Image’ (Avalon/Mark Harrison)

Law also revealed that he met with Kevin Lygo, ITV’s director of television, to discuss how Spitting Image could parody black people while avoiding racist depictions. 

“The producers called me in and said we need to have a conversation,” he said. “We discussed with the writer and the producers about how to portray black people as viciously caricatured puppets.”

He added: “What is ok? What is not ok? Some of the answers are unclear, it is difficult. Everybody is trying their best."

The political satire show will air on streaming service BritBox this Saturday (3 October), with a new season of episodes taking aim at political and pop culture figures through the use of distorted puppets.