Peter Harris (1933 – 23 February 2021) was an English television director, best known for his work on ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...

'', ''

Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ...

'' and ''

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''.

Life and career

Harris was one of just two directors on the original ''

'', working on the first 73 episodes. In 1984, Harris became the director of the British satirical television puppet show ''

''. He was chosen for the role due to his previous work on ''The Muppet Show''. During the 1980s, Harris also directed the British game show ''

'', and coined several of the catchphrases of presenter

Jim Bowen James Brown Whittaker (born Peter Williams; 20 August 1937 – 14 March 2018), known professionally as Jim Bowen, was an English stand-up comedian, actor and television personality. He was the long-time host of the ITV game show '' Bullseye'', ...

, including "Stay out of the black and in the red, there's nothing in this game for two in a bed". Behind the scenes, Harris was also tasked with finding the prizes for the show, which included a range of speedboats. He died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in a nursing home in

Ferndown Ferndown is a town and civil parish in Dorset in southern England, immediately to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. The parish, which until 1972 was called ''Hampreston'', includes the communities of Ameysford, Hampreston, Longham, Stapehill ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, on 23 February 2021, at the age of 88.Tributes to Peter Harris, one of TV's best loved directors, behind Tiswas and Spitting Image
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References

External links

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2014 ITV interview
1933 births 2021 deaths Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England English television directors English satirists British television show creators British satirical television show creators {{UK-tv-bio-stub