Margaret Thatcher

Radio Times review

Miss Elizabeth Mapp, all big teeth and buttery smiles, is the queen of Tilling, ruling the social and cultural life of her dinky little seaside town like a cloche-hatted monarch.

But Mapp's reign is threatened by the arrival in Tilling of chic, elegant Emmeline Lucas, known to all as Lucia, so glamorous in her widow's weeds. The stage is set for war over the bridge tables as the women battle for supremacy.

Fans of E.F. Benson's peerless 1930s Mapp and Lucia series of comic novels should be thrilled by Steve Pemberton's careful adaptations for this three-part series (he's a huge fan and plays Lucia's fey, platonic friend Georgie Pilson).

Miranda Richardson, who's Mapp with a terrifying set of gnashers and a touch of the Margaret Thatchers, and Anna Chancellor, in a series of fabulous vintage dresses, are just marvellous as the rivals. The whole thing is the campest of treats.

Psychobitches stars: comedy heroes... & Margaret Thatcher

Comedy isn't easy, especially for women in a male-dominated market - but Sky Arts 1 series Psychobitches has bucked the trend by giving the fairer sex the spotlight. Now, these funny ladies are undoubtably an inspiration to other comedy performers - but who were the women who inspired them?

Fringe Q&As: Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho

We speak to Maggie of Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho about warm bovril toast, sandal-wearing Guardian readers and why Alex Salmond is her favourite Scottish comedian.

Margaret Thatcher, Queen of gay Soho

I posted a blog in December last year about the stage show Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Soho, which next week starts a run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Review - Margaret Thatcher: Queen Of Soho

This loud, brash camp extravaganza has all the subtlety of a Trident missile, with bawdy double entendres and cheesy, prophetic asides loudly telegraphed and never knowingly undersold.

Margaret Thatcher is still the butt of many jokes

Handbagged has opened in London. Moira Buffini's playful drama started out as a half-hour short as part of the Tricycle Theatre's Women, Power and Politics season.

Comedian to hold seance for Margaret Thatcher

How will you be marking the one-year anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's death? Comedian Nathaniel Tapley is holding a séance - and you're all invited!

I never knew how much I missed Spitting Image until I watched Arena: Whatever Happened To Spitting Image (BBC Four). Imagine, 15million people a week used to tune into a bunch of puppets savaging politicians. We actually cared enough about what was going on to do that.

True, puppeteers Peter Fluck and Roger Law and the rest of the Spitting Image team struck satirical gold in the form of Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative cabinet but are things really so much better now? Just because we're adrift in the politics of the bland, does that mean they should be spared the comedic water cannon?

My guess is if someone brought back Spitting Image now, it could be an enormous hit. But has anyone got the latex balls to try it? Would they be hit with law suits the minute they went on air? Those questions won't be bothering the creators, who cheerily admitted their programme was the product of angry, youthful loins.

"I don't throw my dinner at the television any more," said Fluck (or it might have been Law). "That's a good sign."

It turned out the only people who survived the high-intensity Spitting Image workload had high energy or were on drugs. Or quite probably both.

Now settled back in middle age, Law (or it might have been Fluck) ruefully recognised that where once they thought they'd change the world, now they knew "it doesn't change anything". However, someone really should be trying.

Spitting Image at 30: Steve Nollan interview

Steve Nollan, the voice behind some of Spitting Image's most famous faces describes what it was like to play Margaret Thatcher.

Spitting Image creators: Cameron & Miliband are too similar

David Cameron and Ed Miliband are too "alike" to inspire the type of satire that made Spitting Image famous, according to Steve Nallon, who impersonated the voice of Margaret Thatcher on the show.