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The Pre-Pilot is the earliest version of Spitting Image. The pilot was filmed on 30th January 1983.
History[1]
By Autumn 1981, Fluck and Law began pitching the show to computing industry entrepreneur Clive Sinclair. Sinclair was impressed with the concept, and a provisional deal to provide three cash instalments totalling £60,000 was originally reached. In January 1982, Lambie-Nairn and Ian St John established Spit 'N' Image Productions Limited, with the plan being that Sinclair, and companies Robinson Lambie-Nairn (RLN) and Tooth and Claw. After receiving the first £20,000 instalment, work had begun on the pilot by September 1982, with the aim to finish it by the end of November that same year. The creators believed the entirety of the promised £60,000 would be absorbed into the pilot's production. Were it to fail in any way, Spit 'N' Image Productions would end up bankrupt. The project nearly ended in disaster when Sinclair decided not to partake in production any further, most likely due to the slow progress being made. The remaining £40,000 would not be forthcoming.
Spit 'N' Image Productions therefore urgently required a new benefactor to save the project. This came in part when Central Independent Television's director of programmes Charles Denton contacted the company, believing the concept was a good one and agreeing to provide £60,000 for the pilot. There was a catch: a pre-pilot consisting of ten minutes' worth of footage needed to be filmed before the money was distributed. Therefore, Roger Greenwood, a former IBM employee and owner of training film company Esprit, was approached. Greenwood agreed to provide £30,000 in exchange for utilizing the puppets for training films. With money now forthcoming, the pre-pilot was filmed on 30th January 1983. Harnessing a script written by John Lloyd and Ben Elton, various segments were recorded.
Sketches[2]
| Image | Description |
|---|---|
 |
US President Ronald Reagan miming to a then-recent House of Commons speech he made. |
| ? | Labour leader Michael Foot end up in trouble with curtains. |
| ? | Drop Kick me to Jesus through the Goalposts of Life A parody cover of the song of the same name by Bobby Bare. |
Characters
Main
- Ronald Reagan (debut)
- Michael Foot (debut)
- Generic Spitting Image Classic Puppets (debut)
Trivia
Continuity
- No known copy’s of this pre-pilot are available to the public.
- This is the first appearance of Ronald Reagan and Michael Foot in Spitting Image media.
- Drop Kick me to Jesus through the Goalposts of Life is the first ever song in any Spitting Image media.
References
- The Reagan sketch mimics a real speech he made at the House of Commons.[3]