A Margaret Thatcher puppet and the unbroadcast script and video tape for the pilot episode of Spitting Image have taken their place alongside the works of Newton, Darwin and other treasures at Cambridge University Library – after series co-creator Roger Law deposited the programme archive at the Library yesterday (November 13).
The puppet and script are just two artefacts in Law and archivist Deirdre Amsden’s large collection of material from the iconic, infamous and multi-award winning show, which held politicians, the Royal Family and celebrities to account over 18 series from 1984-1996 with its biting cultural and political satire. Charles Darwin Bust and Margaret Thatcher Puppet at Cambridge University Library (Source: CUL)
Among the first 32 boxes of material that will go on deposit at the Library are hundreds of rehearsal and post-production scripts, memorabilia, puppet designs and newspaper cuttings reflecting the controversial nature of the programme. Each script records who wrote each sketch and identifies the puppeteers and voice artists.
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Cambridge University Library will now begin fundraising for cataloguing and conservation work so that the archive, which also includes awards, posters, drawings and boxes of merchandise, can be opened as widely as possible to academics and researchers, as well as being shared with the wider public through events, talks and exhibitions.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
