Newzoids

Characters

The show's celebrities were portrayed through live-action puppets later enhanced with computer-generated eyes, eyebrows, and mouths, creating caricatures. Nigel Farage's puppet occasionally had one eye swivel around, Donald Trump's hair appeared as a cat on his head, and Prince George of Cambridge spoke with a strong Cockney accent, bossing his younger sister Princess Charlotte, with the catchphrase "oi oi saveloy". Theresa May appeared in trailers for a fictional film called Despicable May, referencing Despicable Me, with David Davis, Philip Hammond, and Boris Johnson as her minions, who also occasionally appeared as minions in other sketches.

Nigel Farage featured in trailers for UKIP: Fully Loaded, referencing Herbie: Fully Loaded, where his "tampered" Volvo V70 played Herbie and he played Nigey Farton. Another promoted film was Pretty Brexiteer, referencing Pretty Woman, with Farage as Nigen Ward, and the least promoted was Runaway Tory, referencing Runaway Bride, with Farage as Nigey Carpenter.

Reception

Newzoids received mixed reviews, with most professional critics comparing it unfavorably to Spitting Image, though it fared better on social media. The Guardian wrote it was "no Spitting Image, but a step in the right direction," praising its "sparkiness" but noting "its lack of depth feels like a wasted opportunity." The Telegraph found "flashes of promise" and said showbusiness takedowns "really connected," but commented the show often "swung at easy targets." The Independent remarked that both Newzoids and Spitting Image had shaky starts, but "the puppets (of Newzoids) are not intrinsically funny," adding "Oh dear!" VICE panned the show, calling it "absolutely untenable" and "lazily, beguilingly shit," asking "how was this allowed to be made?" Idris Elba, whose puppet appeared in a Luther sketch, reacted positively, posting a laughing video on Twitter with laughing emojis.