Rugby World Cup: Remembering South Africa’s Spitting Image

THE Times is a paper of record, it says here. And in light of the Rugby World Cup final it remembers the Spitting Image television show and the song “Never met a nice South African”. “The Mary Whitehouse brigade were up in arms but Spitting Image fans lapped it up,” says the paper.

Fans often do like what they are fans of. It is well noted. “The politics are certainly out of the Ark - and in no small way offensive - but this is comedy from another era. It’s interesting to think that this would never get onto mainstream telly these days.”

The Times does not broadcast the song because it is prejudiced. It does so to educate, to lift the lid on a cultural artifact and shine an enlightened light within. We see the dark days and we shudder.

As such, it carris a health warning. As the paper notes: “Anyone easily offended should give this a miss but otherwise sit back and let us know what you think of this coarse but classic comedy…”

What does the song, and its repitition in the Times, say about the English?

As Les Sharp, Hersham, Surrey, puts it in his letter to the Telegraph: “Sir - I support any England team or competitor, but I am having doubts over today’s game. How insufferable the rugby fans would be if England won, especially after Wednesday’s football.”

Anorak

Posted: 20th, October 2007 | In: Back pages Comments (4) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink