Headcases, Sunday 10pm, ITV1

Posted by Will Parkhouse

Our rating:

Spitting Image is back! Okay, it's not, but ITV1's new Sunday night satire Headcases, which reflects the continuing technological advancement of mankind by using computer generated characters instead of big rubber puppets, is being touted as such.

So, there are sketches featuring Gordon Brown as a Scrooge-like scribe, Princes William and Harry attempting to emulate normal people "like in a pub, or labour exchange" by ordering a pizza, and a few rather strained attempts to ride the celebrity zeitgeist by including Posh 'n' Becks and Peter 'n' Jordan.

At first it's all a bit like watching a computer game with slightly dodgy lip-syncing, though once you're used to it, there are some good laughs. Disappointingly, the satire isn't particularly sharp – there aren't any Posh and Becks gags left to do, Peter and Jordan are effectively immune from parody and, what's this? Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse enjoy drinking? Who knew?

The political sketches are funnier, though the jokes are never dead-on topical, à la Have I Got News For You, presumably because it actually takes quite a while to render all that CGI. One of the best jokes shows the ruination of Gordon Brown's attempted celebrity party because the invites were given to an Inland Revenue junior officer, although even that feels a bit four months ago.

Actually, those Spitting Image comparisons aren't going to help it – perhaps Headcases will work better if we think of it just as a sketch show. Skit of the night wasn't a biting satire on modern day politics at all. It featured Dames Judi Dench and Helen Mirren who, for no reason whatsoever, speak in Lauren Cooper-style teenage girl voices and spend their time bullying Kate Winslet. Which was both arbitrary and bloody hilarious.

Comments

[CopyKate]

Nah. I prefer the wonderful 'World Leaders' CG animated films. A better class of satire altogether! They're hosted on 'The First Post' site. Well worth a look...