Instead of puppets, Gordon Brown, Amy Winehouse and Prince William, among others, are captured using CGI-animation in the style of films such as Toy Story. Robert Mugabe, Alistair Darling, Piers Morgan, Fabio Capello, the Beckhams, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev, presented as Vladimir Putin’s puppet, are among those on the cast list, which is limited to 64. But Jack Straw, Ed Balls, David Davis and Vincent Cable failed to pass the producers’ “public recognition test”.
Boris Johnson is banned until May, much to the writers’ disappointment, under electoral broadcasting rules. Headcases would have had to include Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat candidate in the mayoral election, which could have hit the show’s ratings. Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, may not be flattered by her depiction. She is awarded a prodigious bust which expands and contracts in line with the terrorist threat to Britain.
Gordon Brown is portrayed as a miserable Dickensian penny-pincher. He is tricked by Tony Blair into throwing a celebrity Downing Street party. But only Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse turn up when his henchman, Alistair Darling, whose catchprase is “We’re doomed”, gives the invitations to the Revenue & Customs to post. Mr Brown then sells his dissolute guests lager at 15p a can. David Cameron is an Etonian toff with a sinister sneer. He is constantly undermined by his “squirt”, a school-capped George Osbourne and William Hague, who downs 17 pints of bitter and bangs on about Europe.
Music will play its part, with “Old Mugabe had a Farm” featuring the Zimbabwean tyrant destroying the country’s agriculture. Actors’ movements are digitally captured to create the high-quality animation, which will be produced by Red Vision, of Manchester. Episodes will be completed hours before transmission to maintain a topical edge. The voice artists include Bremner, Katy Brand and Lucy Porter. The series begins next week and lawyers are poring over a sketch in which Lord Coe seeks British athletes to take part in a “drug Olympics” as the only way to win medals at the London 2012 games. Inevitably, Winehouse and Doherty answer the call.
Naylor said: “It is bold of ITV to commission a new satire in the Spitting Image slot with a high political content. When Spitting Image was at its peak there were great ideological divides. But surveys today show that most people can’t recognise who is in the Cabinet. Part of our mission is to make politics accessible to people.” This time round, politicians share top billing with celebrities from many other spheres. Saurabh Kakkar, ITV Controller of Comedy, said: “Thank God for Heather Mills McCartney.” Sir Paul may not share the sentiment.
Headcases is on ITV1, Sundays from 6 AprilFurther reading: An entire political era was covered in rubber
