What are the Spitting Image people up to

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Q.� Why

A.� The ��157,385 proceeds from the Sotheby's auction went to Spitting Image Productions. Under the hammer were 269 puppets, including the famous 'singing navel' version of Madonna, tennis star John McEnroe and former Tory PM John Major.

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Q.� People pay good money for things like this

A.� Oh yes. At a similar auction last year, the most popular Spitting Image puppet was one of Margaret Thatcher, which sold for �10,200. Mick Jagger was second, selling for �6,835.

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Q.� What about the others

A.� A vast celebrity line-up! Apart from Madonna - wearing a revealing Jean Paul Gaultier stage outfit - there were Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Sean Connery, Joan Collins, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Richard Nixon, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Jeremy Paxman, and even a set of Royal Family finger puppets. Madonna made �1,292, which was surprisingly low, considering that Dame Barbara Cartland's effigy made �3,290.

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Q.� So how good was Spitting Image on the TV

A.� Ground-breaking stuff - and a constant source of surprise that it was allowed. The first series focused exclusively on politics, and didn't get great ratings. For the next series, Fluck and Law - the partnership was actually called Luck and Flaw - decided to caricature entertainment and sports figures as well. And that quickly brought increased ratings. Main targets were the Thatcher government although leader of the Opposition Neil Kinnock (Kinnochio) was pilloried equally. But satire must strike at everyone and even the Queen Mother - Britain's most cherished figure - was portrayed as a slightly boozy grandmother, speaking (for reasons never explained) in a Brummie accent similar to Beryl Reid's.

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Q.� So how did Luck and Flaw get into the business

A.� They were both art students. Luck had worked for The Observer and Private Eye, as well as designing the art for the second Jimi Hendrix album Axis: Bold as Love. Fluck also worked in magazine illustration, and together they created sculpted caricatures for The Sunday Times Magazine. In 1981, Martin Lambie-Nairn, graphic designer at London Weekend Television, invited them to lunch and the Spitting Image idea was born.

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Q.� Plain sailing from there

A.� No. Making these sophisticated puppets was time-consuming and expensive. Electronic systems to make puppets' eyes move didn't work and eventually Fluck developed a simple mechanism using steel cable and air bulbs. It wasn't all about puppets, though. They needed good material - and used Tony Hendra of the National Lampoon as a writer, and two producers: Jon Blair, from current affairs, and John Lloyd of Not the Nine O'Clock News.

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Q.� What about the voices

A.� A splendid line-up, including Rory Bremner, Chris Barrie, Enn Reitel, Pamela Stephenson, Kate Robbins, Hugh Dennis, Jon Glover ... and Harry Enfield.

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Q.� Did the targets take offence

A.� Not all of them. Thatcher - usually portrayed as a mad Nazi leader - claimed she had never seen the show. But her deputy Michael Heseltine tried to buy a copy of his puppet. For many MPs, an appearance on Spitting Image was a sign that they had made it in politics.

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And at the auction, some celebrities turned up to bid for their puppets. Comedian and actor Tony Slattery paid out �517 for his puppet, saying: 'My passport is up for renewal soon, and I will try to use a picture of the puppet for my passport photo.'

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Newsreader and presenter Michael Buerk's son� bought his dad's latex alter ago. 'I think he will give it to me,' said Michael.

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Q.� And wasn't there an Osama Bin Laden puppet, too

A.� The Osama Bin Laden was made specially by Roger Law for the auction, but he never quite made it to the sale and was donated to The Guardian newspaper.� Quite what they'll do with him remains to be seen.

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by Steve Cunningham

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