Newzoids
Newzoids is a British topical satirical puppet/CGI sketch show that is aired on ITV and is a co-production between Citrus Television and Factory.[1] The show has a similar style of presentation to that of Spitting Image, a show it has been compared to,[2][3] in that it features comedic satirical scenes that spoof current events at the time of each episode's broadcast, with many well known celebrities of different fields (e.g. politics, entertainment) often portrayed in a satirical fashion, with voices provided by impressionists Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson and Lewis MacLeod, all current stars of the similarly-themed BBC Radio 4 comedy Dead Ringers.
Newzoids | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy Satire |
Voices of | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 12 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes (inc. adverts) |
Distributor | ITV Studios |
Release | |
Original network | ITV |
Original release | 15 April 2015 – 8 October 2016 |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Spitting Image 2DTV Headcases Dead Ringers |
External links | |
Website |
The first series of Newzoids began airing on 15 April 2015 to coincide with the general election in May 2015, and as of September 2016, the show consists of two series.[4][5]
Characters
All celebrities featured in the show are portrayed through the mixed use of live-action puppets and CGI effects; the puppets are filmed first, with the footage later enhanced with CGI eyes, eyebrows, and mouths.
Those depicted are caricatured. One eye of former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage's puppet occasionally swivels around, while US President Donald Trump's hair is represented as a cat on his head,[2][3] whilst Prince George of Cambridge is depicted with a strong Cockney accent and bosses about his younger sister Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. His catchphrase is "oi oi saveloy", which loosely references a Cockney football chant. Theresa May appears in trailers for a new film called Despicable May, a reference to the animated film Despicable Me, in which David Davis, Philip Hammond and Boris Johnson play her minions. In other sketches, they also uphold these roles, although very rarely.
Transmissions
Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 April 2015 | 20 May 2015 | 6 |
2 | 3 September 2016 | 8 October 2016 | 6 |
Reception
Newzoids has received mixed reviews.[6][7]
References
- "Factory".
- Powell, Emma (7 April 2015). "Newzoids: Katie Hopkins, Kim Kardashian and Benedict Cumberbatch among stars to be savaged in puppet satire". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- Cable, Simon (12 April 2015). "Jeremy Clarkson is set for a return to TV but it will certainly be something different". mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- "@queensheltine Hey @queensheltine,it will be back later in the year, no dates yet but it will be advertised nearer the time". ITV on Twitter. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- "Newzoids returns for second series". ITV Press Centre. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Heritage, Stuart (16 April 2015). "Newzoids review – no Spitting Image, but a step in the right direction". The Guardian.
- "Newzoids, TV review: A forgettable start - but it was the same for Spitting Image". 15 April 2015.