ITV commission puppet satire

ITV has given the green light to a new puppet satire in the mould of Spitting Image.

Newzoids will be a six-part topical puppet animation sketch show poking fun at pop stars, politicians, sports faces and TV favourites, and depicting celebrities ‘in a way they have never been seen before’.

A press release for the show promises “a world where David Cameron and Nick Clegg battle it out on Jeremy Kyle, where Ed Miliband joins Ant and Dec on I’m A Catastrophe…Get Me Out Of Here, and where Professor Brian Cox finds an extraordinary new planet in the solar system – Kim Kardashian’s backside.

“The six part series features a combination of high-energy puppetering, snappy writing and pinpoint accurate impressions, sending up the week’s news events using a cast of outrageous and off the wall characters based on some of the world’s most prolific celebrities.”

The cast includes impressionists Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson, while the writing team consists of a blend of established and up-and-coming talent, including Pete Sinclair, Sarah Morgan, Madeleine Brettingham, Gabby Hutchinson Crouch, Colin Swash, Annabel Port, Dan Gaster, Carey Marx, Tom Neenan, Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris.

Elaine Bedell, Director of Entertainment and Comedy for ITV, said: “ITV has a rich history of playing popular satirical comedy in peaktime on its main channel, and it seemed a good time to revive it this year.

“We are pleased to be adding to our growing comedy portfolio with this funny and biting look at the world of politics and celebrity.”