Spitting Image play sees Tom Cruise assemble Avengers-esque team in bid to save UK

Three scripts were thrown away due to the upheaval of the political landscape in the UK, sparked by the resignations of successive Prime Ministers and the death of the Queen.

The problem is, political life has become so turbulent and chaotic that it was hard for the creators to have a singular vision for the show.

Boris: The Liar King was the original premise, but who could predict that Johnson's flaunting of lockdown laws and series of scandals could be upstaged by the short-lived career of Liz Truss?

So Sean Foley, Al Murray, and Matt Forde had to wider their focus to create an ensemble comedy, in which the race is on to save the UK from its impending demise. What could be more fitting?

The result of this is Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves The World, which had its world premiere at Birmingham Rep, 40 years after the original show was first filmed in Birmingham.

The central tenet of the plot is King Charles hiring maverick Tom Cruise to help save the United Kingdom, which has fallen into a state of disrepair (a shock to no one).

In a cultural era dominated by superhero franchises and multiverses, it makes perfect sense that action star Cruise decides to assemble a ragtag team of celebrities to try and save the UK.

In an effort to be "inclusive and diverse", Tom's first hire for his Avengers-inspired superhero group is RuPaul, and the pair launch a TV reality show to recruit the other members of The Fantastic Seven.

The bafflingly eclectic team is soon formed, rounded out by Tyson Fury, Angela Rayner, Greta Thunberg, Meghan Markle, and Idris Elba.

However, the most entertaining caricatures come in the form of the "most evil men in the world", a club consisting of members including Tory politicians, Donald Trump, and James Corden.

The accuracy of the impersonations varies across the array of characters, but Boris Johnson's plummy voice is instantly recognisable, as is the softer lilt of Rishi Sunak.

After years of dominating global headlines and being the brunt of every joke imaginable, Trump's impersonation is spot-on and perfectly exemplified in his ridiculous hyperbole and exaggerated hand movements which we all know off by heart by now.

As you'd expect with Spitting Image, each character's features are blown up and exaggerated, but Home Secretary Suella Braverman is completely transformed into a ghoulish supernatural figure who contorts with ecstasy at the thought of deporting migrants.

Writhing and spinning in the air, skin blanched and almost green, Braverman's demonic puppet is one of the most entertaining if haunting stars of the show. Her puppet makes you physically recoil.

Kier Starmer is another highlight, leaving audience members wheezing with laughter at his drawling repetitions which send the other celebrities to sleep.

And of course, as we're in Birmingham, there's a tribute to Brummie legend Alison Hammond, and a fist-fight between Birmingham MP Jess Phillips and Angela Rayner.

The play itself is filthy, which is worth considering if you're planning a family outing based on a parent's love for the show.

The first act concludes with Carrie Johnson exposing her talking nipples while a line-up of actors dressed as penises sing about how male politicians only think with their genitalia. This is before white confetti explodes over the audience.

While the show is incredibly slick and entertaining, reducing the audience to howls of laughter, the political satire itself rarely seems to bite. Whether it's down to the sheer number of characters or the all time low reputation of our politicians and public figures, the satire felt more like a gentle slap then a punch to the throat.

It remains, however, a fantastically entertaining show and a cathartic way to vent some anger at the people "in charge" of our country.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/spitting-image-live/.