PUPPETS used in legendary satirical television show Spitting Image of former Prime Minister John Major and his wife, Norma, have gone under the hammer at auction.

PUPPETS used in legendary satirical television show Spitting Image of former Prime Minister John Major and his wife, Norma, have gone under the hammer at auction.

Fans of the show battled to snap up two of the programme’s much-loved stars – former Conservative MP for Huntingdon, Sir John Major, and his wife, Dame Norma, who still have a home in Great Stukeley.

The programme poked fun at political figures, celebrities and royalty and was aired from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s on ITV. Other characters included former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, portrayed as rabid – always dressed as a man in a suit with sticking out teeth – and former American President, Ronald Reagan.

Mr Major’s puppet was portrayed in grey (skin and all) in a bid to make him appear as if on a black-and-white television and match what programme makers saw as his dull time in office. He was often depicted having a dinner of peas in silence with Norma or being mocked by the Downing Street cat.

The 28-inch puppets of the Majors were sold as a pair for �3,600 to a bidder in Essex.

A spokesman for auctioneers Bonhams said the Majors were popular at the auction receiving quite a few bids. The sale took place in London last week.

A Spitting Image puppet of former Tory Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath with an estimated value of �1,200 to �1,800 did not sell.

Previous Bonhams’ sales of Spitting Image puppets saw Gordon Brown sell for �4,800, Margaret Thatcher for �5,040 and Tony and Cherie Blair for �12,600.