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''Newzoids'' is a British topical satirical sketch show, which was co-produced by Citrus Television and Factory for ITV and broadcast for two series between 15 April 2015 and 8 October 2016. The programme operated in a similar format to ''
Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a television in the United Kingdom, British satire, satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productio ...
'', in its use of puppets and comedic impersonations of celebrities across different fields, such as politics and entertainment, and in basing sketches on current events. However, it differed in that each puppet featured no moveable eyes or mouths, as these were applied with the use of CGI during editing. ''Newzoids'' featured the voice actors
Jon Culshaw Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy '' Dead Ringers'' since 2000. Culshaw has voiced a number of characters for ITV shows including ''2D ...
, Debra Stephenson and Lewis MacLeod, all from the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
comedy '' Dead Ringers'', and featured satirical appearances by
Nigel Farage Nigel Paul Farage (; born 3 April 1964) is a British broadcaster and former politician who was Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Brexit Party (renamed Reform UK in 2021) from 2 ...
,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...
,
Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes '' Top Gear'' and '' The Grand Tour'' alongside R ...
and
Prince George of Cambridge Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charle ...
.


Characters

All the celebrities featured in the show are portrayed through the mixed use of live-action puppets and
computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...
effects; the puppets are filmed first, with the footage later enhanced with computer-generated eyes, eyebrows and mouths. The depictions are caricatures. one eye of the-then
UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...
leader
Nigel Farage Nigel Paul Farage (; born 3 April 1964) is a British broadcaster and former politician who was Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Brexit Party (renamed Reform UK in 2021) from 2 ...
’s puppet occasionally swivels around,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's hair is represented as a cat on his head, and
Prince George of Cambridge Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charle ...
is depicted with a strong
Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...
accent, bossing about his younger sister,
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge Princess Charlotte of Wales (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana; born 2 May 2015) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. As a granddaughter of K ...
. George's catchphrase is “oi oi
saveloy A saveloy is a type of highly seasoned sausage, usually bright red, normally boiled and available in most fish and chip shops around England. It is occasionally also available fried in batter. Etymology The word is believed to be derived fr ...
”, which loosely references the Cockney
football chant A football chant or terrace chant is form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their ...
.
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
appears in trailers for a new film called ''Despicable May'' (a reference to the animated film ''
Despicable Me ''Despicable Me'' is a computer-animated media franchise centering on Gru (Despicable Me), Gru, a reformed super-villain (who later becomes a father, husband, and secret agent), and his yellow-colored Minions (Despicable Me), Minions. It is p ...
''), in which David Davis,
Philip Hammond Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...
and
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...
play her minions. They also very occasionally feature as minions in other sketches. Nigel Farage also appears in trailers for another new film, called ''UKIP: Fully Loaded'' (a reference to the film '' Herbie: Fully Loaded''), in which his “tampered”
Volvo V70 The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations. The name ''V70'' combines the letter ''V'', standing for ''versatility'', and ''70'', denoting relative platform size (i.e., a ...
plays
Herbie Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, who has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film ''The Love Bug''. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, ...
and the politician plays the role of Nigey Farton (referencing the Maggie Peyton character played by
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
in the Herbie film). Another new film which is promoted is ''Pretty Brexiteer'' (a reference to the film ''
Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance) ...
''), in which Farage plays the role of Nigen Ward (referencing the Vivian Ward character played by
Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...
in ''Pretty Woman''). The film that is promoted the least is ''Runaway Tory'' (a reference to the film '' Runaway Bride''), in which Farage plays the role of Nigey Carpenter (referencing the character of Maggie Carpenter, played by Julia Roberts in the film).


Transmissions


Reception

''Newzoids'' received mixed reviews. Most professional reviewers compared the show negatively to ''Spitting Image'', but it was better received on social media. Tending towards the positive, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' wrote that it was "no ''Spitting Image'', but a step in the right direction", lauding the show's "sparkiness" but adding "its lack of depth feels like a wasted opportunity" in comparison to ''Spitting Image''. ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' wrote that ''Newzoids'' had "flashes of promise" and that the showbusiness takedowns in particular "really connected", but commented that the show often "swung at easy targets". In a more negative review, ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' mentioned how ''Newzoids'' and ''Spitting Image'' both had shaky, unfunny starts, but that "the puppets (of ''Newzoids'') are not intrinsically funny", remarking "Oh dear!". ''
VICE A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' panned ''Newzoids'', and said that "it was absolutely untenable. It was lazily, beguilingly shit, each gag so obvious you'd already written the punchline in your head before it was delivered.", asking "how was this allowed to be made?".
Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.
, whose puppet was featured in a ''Luther'' sketch, reacted positively to his appearance on the show, posting a video on Twitter of him laughing behind the camera as the scene plays on TV, with a caption of laughing emojis.


References


External links


''Newzoids'' on Twitter
* * {{IMDb title, 4605814 2015 British television series debuts 2016 British television series endings 2010s British animated comedy television series 2010s British satirical television series 2010s British television sketch shows British adult animated comedy television series Animated satirical television series English-language television shows ITV sketch shows British television shows featuring puppetry British television series with live action and animation Television series by ITV Studios Cultural depictions of presenters Cultural depictions of Donald Trump Cultural depictions of Boris Johnson Cultural depictions of Nigel Farage