The XYZ Show: Kenya’s satirical puppets

Available for over a year

Since 2009, the XYZ Show has been holding Kenyan politicians and other global figures to account, with a hilarious and cutting form of satire, starring... puppets! The brainchild of widely syndicated political cartoonist Gado, the XYZ Show aims to get people talking about issues through humour – in the tradition of famous satirical puppet shows like the UK’s Spitting Image and France’s Les Guignols. From President Uhuru Kenyatta to Donald Trump – a latex avatar is ready and waiting to spring into life. After a break of over a year, the XYZ Show is back on air for its 13th season, and the BBC’s Anthony Irungu has gained exclusive access to go behind the scenes. Follow him as he meets the puppet masters and makers, scriptwriters, directors, producers and voice artists that create each carefully crafted episode from scratch in just 10 days – and asks why puppets are so effective in satire. Produced by Karl Bos and Emma Kingsley for the BBC World Service (Image: Puppets from the XYZ show, with kind permission)