Newzoids
Newzoids | |
---|---|
Genre |
Comedy Satire |
Voices of |
Jon Culshaw Debra Stephenson Lewis MacLeod Simon Greenall Jon Clegg |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
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 – present |
Chronology | |
Related shows |
Spitting Image (1984–96) 2DTV (2001–04) Headcases (2008) Dead Ringers (radio) (2000–07, 2014—) |
External links | |
Website |
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][4] 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 (i.e. politics) 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,
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.[5][6]
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. Each puppet's design, from the puppet's face and head setup and hair, the costume they wear and the CGI effects used on it, are designed to provide a satirical appearance for the celebrity to work alongside their portrayal within the show. One example of this comes with Nigel Farage - his character is designed to feature one eyes being slightly bigger and often being wonky and spinning around at times, while holding a pint glass of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and often acting somewhat racist and bigoted at various times. Other examples include: David Cameron being portrayed as posh in both behaviour and clothing; Ed Miliband being clumsy and accident-prone; Donald Trump having a cat on his head for a wig.[2][3][4]
Series 1
The following celebrities were introduced for the show in this series:
Politics
- Ed Balls: Former Shadow Chancellor for Labour
- Natalie Bennett: Leader of the Green Party
- Vince Cable: Former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats
- David Cameron: Former leader of the Conservative Party and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Nick Clegg: Former leader of the Liberal Democrats
- Yvette Cooper: Former Labour Party minister
- Nigel Farage: Acting Leader of UKIP
- Boris Johnson: Former Mayor of London and current Foreign Secretary
- Kim Jong-un: Current Supreme Leader of North Korea
- Theresa May: Former Home Secretary and current prime minister of the United Kingdom
- Ed Miliband: Former Labour leader
- Barack Obama: Current President of the United States
- George Osborne: Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Eric Pickles: Former Conservative Party minister
- Vladimir Putin: Current President of Russia
- Alex Salmond: Former First Minister of Scotland
- Nicola Sturgeon: Current First Minister of Scotland
- Leanne Wood: Current leader of Plaid Cymru
Sport
- Mo Farah: British Olympic runner
- Lewis Hamilton: British Formula 1 driver and champion
- Roy Hodgson: Former England football manager
- Andy Murray: Scottish tennis player
- Wayne Rooney: Current England football captain
Television
- Anthony McPartlin: British presenter from Newcastle, and one half of hosting duo Ant & Dec
- Declan Donnelly: British presenter from Newcastle, and one half of hosting duo Ant & Dec
- Jeremy Clarkson: British journalist and former Top Gear presenter
- Kirstie Allsop: British presenter for Channel 4
- Sue Perkins: British comedian, co-presenter of Great British Bake Off and one half of comedy duo Mel & Sue
- Mel Giedroyc: British comedian, co-presenter of Great British Bake Off and one half of comedy duo Mel & Sue
- Mary Berry: Professional British TV cook/baker, and judge for Great British Bake Off
- Paul Hollywood: Professional British TV cook/baker, and judge for Great British Bake Off
- Miranda Hart: British comedian and writer
- Russell Brand: British outspoken comedian, and occasional actor
- Kay Burley: British news presenter for Sky News
- Peter Capaldi: British actor, currently portraying the character of the 12th Doctor in Doctor Who
- Alan Carr: British homosexual comedian, and TV presenter
- Olivia Colman: British dramatic and comedic actress
- Simon Cowell: British media mogul, creator of and judges for Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor
- Brian Cox: British physicist, and documentaries presenter
- Benedict Cumberbatch: British actor, best known for his lead role in Sherlock
- Idris Elba: British actor, best known for his lead role in Luther
- Evan Davis: British journalist, and regular presenter of Newsnight and Dragons' Den
- Amanda Holden: British actress, and judge for Britain's Got Talent
- David Walliams: British author, comedian, and judge for Britain's Got Talent
- Katie Hopkins: Controversially outspoken British tabloid writer, former The Apprentice contestant, and reality star
- Christian Jessen: British TV presenter and doctor
- Kim Kardashian: American reality TV star, technology mogul and wife of Kanye West
- Jeremy Kyle: British host of The Jeremy Kyle Show
- Nick Robinson: British political editor for the BBC
- Philip Schofield: British presenter of This Morning and The Cube
- Lord Sugar: British business tycoon, and main presenter of The Apprentice
- Jeremy Bowen: Welsh journalist, and former BBC Middle East correspondent
Royalty
Musicians
- Gary Barlow: Award winning English composer, and former member of Take That
- Beyoncé: Iconic American performer, and former member of Destiny's Child
- Harry Styles: English songwriter and former member of One Direction
- Kanye West: American rapper and husband of Kim Kardashian
Other
- Samantha Cameron: Wife of David Cameron
- Cara Delevingne: English supermodel
- Pope Francis: Leader of the Vatican & Catholic Church
- Kate Moss: English supermodel
- Kim Sears: Wife of Andy Murray
- Sophie Hunter: Wife of Benedict Cumberbatch
Series 2
The following celebrities were introduced for the show in this series:
Politics
- Diane Abbott: Labour's former Shadow Secretary of State for Health and International Development, current Shadow Home Secretary
- Bill Clinton: 42nd President of the United States of America and husband of Hillary Clinton
- Hillary Clinton: Former First Lady of United States, 67th United States Secretary of State, former Senator for New York, and Democratic Party nominee for U.S. President in 2016
- Jeremy Corbyn: Current leader of the Labour Party
- David Davis: Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
- Michael Gove: Former Secretary of State for Justice
- Philip Hammond: Current Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Diane James: MEP and former leader of UKIP
- Sadiq Khan: Current Mayor of London
- Andrea Leadsom: current Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and candidate for 2016 Conservative leadership contest
- Angela Merkel: Current Chancellor of Germany
- Owen Smith: Labour MP and candidate for 2016 Labour leadership contest
- Donald Trump: Businessman, real estate mogul, main host of The Apprentice USA and its celebrity spinoff, and Republican Party nominee for U.S. President in 2016
- Keith Vaz: Labour MP
Sport
- Sam Allardyce: Former football manager of the England football team
- Tom Daley: British Olympic diver
- Tyson Fury: British boxer
- Judy Murray: Coach and mother of Andy and Jamie Murray
- Cristiano Ronaldo: Portuguese footballer for Real Madrid C.F.
Television
- Rylan Clark-Neal: English television personality host for Big Brother's Bit on the Side , This Morning, and The Xtra Factor
- James Corden: Tony Award winning British comedian, co-creator of Gavin & Stacey, and current host of The Late Late Show
- Noel Edmonds: British presenter and quiz show host
- Chris Evans: British BBC Radio 2 presenter and former co-host of Top Gear
- Tess Daly: English co-host of Strictly Come Dancing
- Danny Dyer: British actor, known for his roles in The Football Factory and EastEnders
- Bear Grylls: British adventurer and television survival host
- Simon Gregson: English actor known for his role as "Steve McDonald" on Coronation Street
- Nick Grimshaw: Host of "The Radio 1 Breakfast Show" and former judge on "The X Factor"
- Tom Hiddleston: English Shakespearean actor, known for his portrayal of Loki in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, and former boyfriend of Taylor Swift
- Sarah Lancashire: British actress, and star of Happy Valley
- Keith Lemon: English comedian Leigh Francis' alter ego, and host of Celebrity Juice
- Gary Lineker: Former footballer and current host of Match of the Day.
- Steve McFadden: British actor, known for his role in EastEnders
- Stephen Mulhern: British magician and TV presenter of Catchphrase and Britain's Got More Talent
- Sharon Osbourne: Wife of Ozzy Osbourne, heavy metal music manager, talk show host, and judge on The X Factor[7]
- Richard Osman: British TV presenter, co-presenter of Pointless
- Jeremy Paxman: British broadcaster, author and journalist
- Robert Peston: English journalist and political editor of ITV News
- Robert Rinder: English barrister and TV presenter for Judge Rinder
- Fred Sirieix: Owner of "First Dates" restaurant
- John Torode: Judge for MasterChef
- Gregg Wallace: British entrepreneur, and judge for MasterChef
- Louis Walsh: Irish music manager and judge on The X Factor[7]
- Holly Willoughby: English television personality host for Surprise Surprise and This Morning
- Claudia Winkleman: Co-host of Strictly Come Dancing
Royalty
Musicians
- Adele: English pop singer-songwriter
- Cheryl Fernandez-Versini: English performer, former member of Girls Aloud and judge on The X Factor[7]
- Mick Jagger: English rock star and lead singer of The Rolling Stones
- Taylor Swift: American country pop singer
- 'Zayn Malik: English R&B singer, formerly of One Direction
Others
- Jerry Hall: Wife of Rupert Murdoch, and supermodel
- Rupert Murdoch: Media moguel, Owner of FOX, News of the World and husband of Jerry Hall
- Donald "Don" Trump, Jr.: Executive vice-president of the Trump Organization, son of Donald and Ivana Trump
- Melania Trump: Third wife of Donald Trump and Slovenian model
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.[8][9]
References
- ↑ "Factory".
- 1 2 Styles, Ruth (8 April 2015). "William and Kate's puppet makeover: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge among the royals set to be lampooned in ITV's newest comedy sketch show". Mail Online. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 3 "X Factor stars get the Newzoids puppet treatment". 21 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". 15 April 2015.