Rachel Clark sees how local celebs are faring in the Spitting Image auction

BEING immortalised in latex and characterised on the television show Spitting Image was either an honour or an outrage depending on the victim's reaction to the cruel humour.

The sharp satirical-eyes of Roger Law and Peter Fluck had audiences captive with their merciless look at the people involved in the world of politics, media, art and sports during the 1980s and early 90s.

The fast-paced mix of scalding, satrical sketches proved hugely successful and what seemed to give the puppet caricatures their untold power was their human, true-to-life quality.

Law and Fluck broke new ground in creating life-like caricature puppets with movable eyes and eyelids including some local celebrities - weatherman, Ian McCaskill, Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman and conservative MP Michael Heseltine.

Now the puppets from the hit ITV political satire are to be sold by the auction house Sotheby's. The two-week auction is being conducted over the internet on www.sothebys.amazon.com and features the sale of 203 puppets and 100 drawings.

Although there has been a lot of interest in all the puppets in the first week of the auction the artist and caricaturist behind Spitting Image said he would be glad to see the back of the puppets.

'I am sick of the puppets,' says Roger, who now lives in Australia and works at the National Art School in Sydney.

The auction began last Friday so the Bucks Free Press called on Tuesday to find out how our local celebrites were doing. Top of the bids was Ian McCaskill at £1,350, Jeremy Paxman for just over £1,000 and trailing behind was Michael Heseltine at £750.

Of course outbidding even Ian is Margaret Thatcher who was priced at more than £7,000.

If you would like to give a home to a Spitting Image puppet then click online before July 21.