King Charles tasks Tom Cruise to save the UK in Spitting Image live show in Birmingham
Rangzeb Hussain
January 31, 2023
The much-loved TV comedy show Spitting Image is being revived for a live show in Birmingham with a plot featuring King Charles asking action star Tom Cruise to save “broken Britain”.
The 1980’s puppet show is being given a new lease of life in a theatrical production called Idiots Assemble which receives a world premiere tomorrow (1 February) at The Rep theatre.
The madcap Spitting Image show – which was first filmed in Birmingham 40 years ago – returns to the city in a satirical live stage incarnation that promises to delight a new generation of fans with a script that lampoons the current woes afflicting Great Britain.
BritBox/Spitting Image With a plot more improbable than the last year of British politics – the original script was scrapped after Boris Johnson was forced out of 10 Downing Street – the new tale sees King Charles reaching out to Tom Cruise of Mission Impossible and Top Gun fame to save the UK as the country limps from one crisis to the next.
The show takes the comic-book style capers of Marvel’s Avengers as Tom Cruise assembles a team of heroes to take on the crooks and villains who are pillaging and haemorrhaging the nation.
The sketch show nature of the material allows for a whole plethora of world famous – or infamous – celebrities to strut across the stage accompanied by a team of puppeteers.
BritBox/Spitting Image The stage show boasts a cast of world leaders, members of the British royal family, Hollywood celebrities, singers and sports stars.
Climate justice activist Greta Thunberg duets with British rapper Stormzy while Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will watch the show from their premium seats in the theatre stalls.
BritBox/Spitting Image 
BritBox/Spitting Image The pacing of the show promises to be fast and energetic and will feature over 100 of the world famous puppets.
Some of the headline grabbing stars making dramatic and surreal appearances in latex form will be Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Prince Andrew, Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp, former politician Nigel Farage, singer Ed Sheeran, controversial US President Donald Trump, boxer Tyson Fury, current UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg as a giant preying mantis.
BritBox/Spitting Image 
BritBox/Spitting Image The topical show is co-written and directed by The Rep’s Artistic Director, Sean Foley.
The creative team behind the stage show includes original Spitting Image co-creator, Roger Law, alongside a comedy writing team of Al Murray and Matt Forde.
Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World will be playing at The Rep in Birmingham from 1 February – 11 March.
