Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. Her portrayal in the arts and popular culture has been mixed.[1] In the words of one critic she attracted "musical opprobrium like no other British political leader".[2][3] Such opinion is divergent from mainstream opinion polling which tends to place her as the most popular British prime minister since Winston Churchill.[4][1]
House of Cards (1990) – began after Thatcher's resignation, following the premiership of her fictional successor Hal Collingridge and his succession by Francis Urquhart.
Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho (2013–present) – A drag comedy musical play imagining what life would have been like if Thatcher had got lost in Soho on the eve of the vote for Section 28. It was performed in December 2013 at Theatre503 in London, in August 2014 at the Edinburgh Fringe and is transferring to London once again in March 2015 at the Leicester Square Theatre.[9]
Handbagged (2010) – A play shown at the Tricycle Theatre in London as part of its Women, Power and Politics festival. Handbagged examined the relationship between Thatcher and the Queen. The younger Thatcher was portrayed by Claire Cox and the elder by Stella Gonet. Handbagged was later expanded by its writer Moira Buffini and presented as a full play at the Tricycle in late 2013. The director was Indhu Rubasingham.
The Death of Margaret Thatcher (2008) – coffin is onstage throughout the play, dealing with the differing reactions of the cast towards her death
Market Boy (2006) – Set in a marketplace in 1980s Romford, a character called "Posh Lady" is meant to resemble Thatcher. When the play debuted at the National Theatre in London, she was played by Nicola Blackwell.
Spitting Image (1984–96) – voiced by Steve Nallon; caricatured as a "fascist hermaphrodite: wearing power suits, using urinals and smoking cigars"[11]
Yes Minister (1984) – herself (a short sketch, on 20 January 1984, at an award ceremony for the writers, commemorated on a Private Eye cover)[12]
Are You Being Served? (1983) – In the episode "Monkey Business," a scene is set inside Number 10 with Thatcher appearing offscreen (only her hand is seen and her voice heard, portrayed by actress Jan Ravens) interacting with John Inman's character Mr Humphries
A Heart So White by Javier Marías (1995) – The hero of the novel is an interpreter at a long conversation between Thatcher and a Spanish politician. Thatcher refers to the play Macbeth, from which the novel's title derives.
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth (1979), in which the character of British Prime Minister Joan Carpenter is based on Thatcher
Miracleman: Olympus by Alan Moore and John Totleben (1989) – Thatcher is present as Miracleman explains that he and his companions will be restructuring the world economy; when she says that she could never allow this, he says "'Allow'?", and she is intimidated into silence.
The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher– August 6, 1983 (2014) – a short story by Hilary Mantel[14]
While in power, Thatcher was the subject of several songs which opposed her government, including The Beat's "Stand Down Margaret",[16] as well as a sarcastic declaration of faux adoration (Notsensibles' "I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher"). Even after she left government, several songs had been written that called for her death or looked forward to celebration of her death,[1] including Morrissey's "Margaret on the Guillotine" ("The kind people have a wonderful dream, Margaret on the guillotine"), Elvis Costello's "Tramp the Dirt Down" ("I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down"), Hefner's "The Day That Thatcher Dies" ("We will dance and sing all night") and Pete Wylie's "The Day That Margaret Thatcher Dies" ("She's gone!, And nobody cries").[17]
Roger Waters in 1983 referred to Thatcher sarcastically as "Maggie" multiple times throughout the Pink Floyd album The Final Cut. In the song "The Fletcher Memorial Home", Waters lists her as one of multiple "incurable tyrants and kings" interred at the titular asylum; in the closing line, he quietly speaks of applying the Final Solution to all of them.[24][25][26] A sound recording of Thatcher's voice also appears on Waters' 1987 solo album Radio K.A.O.S. toward the end of the track "Four Minutes", when a portion of her speech to the 1983 Scottish Conservative Party Conference can be heard: "...our own independent nuclear deterrent, which has helped to keep the peace for nearly 40 years."[27] The band Genesis in 1986 utilised a puppet representing her (as well as other politicians) in the music video "Land of Confusion" from the album Invisible Touch.[28]
During her political career, Margaret Thatcher was the subject or the inspiration for several protest songs. Paul Weller was a founding member of Red Wedge collective, which unsuccessfully sought to oust Thatcher with the help of music. In 1987, they organised a comedy tour with British comedians Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Robbie Coltrane, Harry Enfield and others.[30]
Remixes
Less than two months after Thatcher resigned, musical acid house group V.I.M. released a rave track titled "Maggie's Last Party".[31] Described by a music critic in 2011 as "strikingly original, and catchy to the point of irritation", the track was a "fusion" of Thatcher's "uncompromising speeches with a slowly-evolving post-acid house backing";[32] it reached #68 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1991.[33] The track was a hit with many nightclubs at the time,[34] despite unfavourable opinion of her government among some in the rave community.[35]
Silent disc
In 1983, a vinyl record was pressed entitled "The Wit and Wisdom of Margaret Thatcher", however the whole groove on both sides are totally silent.[36]
Statue of Margaret Thatcher (2008) - a life sized bronze statue on Hillsdale College's campus, it is the only of her in North America.
Statue of Margaret Thatcher (2022). On 15 May 2022 a bronze statue of Thatcher, 3m (10ft) high and placed on a 3m (10ft) high plinth, was unveiled without ceremony in her home town of Grantham. It was attacked with eggs within two hours. The work, by sculptor Douglas Jennings, was originally intended to stand close to the Houses of Parliament, but it was rejected by Westminster City Council in 2018 when councillors said it was too soon after her death (in 2013) and expressed fears that it would become a focus for "civil disobedience and vandalism".[39][40]
Maggie (2009) by Marcus Harvey – a black-and-white portrait composed of over 15,000 casts of sculptural objects including vegetables, dildos, masks and skulls. The work weighs over a ton.[41]
In the Sleep of Reason by Mark Wallinger – a video piece taken from Thatcher's 1982 Falklands speech and edited to show only each blink, thus giving the appearance that her eyes are constantly shut.[42]
In May 1985, a portrait of Thatcher titled Welcome to Kuala Lumpur by artist Ruskin Spear was displayed at the preview of the Royal Academy's 217th Summer Exhibition at Burlington House, London. The artwork portrayed Thatcher with distinctive features, including squinting eyes, buck teeth, and a thick nose. Additionally, the painting featured another figure, bearing a resemblance to Malaysian Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad, although the identity was not explicitly stated.[43]
Thatcher was seen as a "gift" by political cartoonists. Among the most memorable images are Gerald Scarfe's provocative "scythe-like" caricatures, some of which were exhibited in his 2005 show "Milk Snatcher, Gerald Scarfe– The Thatcher Drawings".[44]
Video games
Thatcher's Techbase - A mod for Doom II in which the player is tasked with killing a demonic version of Thatcher who has risen from the dead.[45]
Thatcher was one of eight notable Britons cited in Norwegian Bjørge Lillelien's famous "Your boys took a hell of a beating" commentary at the end of England’s shock 2–1 defeat to Norway in September 1981. Beginning his exuberant celebrations with “We are best in the world! We have beaten England! England, birthplace of giants", he ended with, "Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? Maggie Thatcher ... your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"[49]
↑ Library of Congress LCCN: The final cut. Pink Floyd. LC control no. 93711744. Music Sound Recording. Publisher no. QC38243 Columbia. Rock music—1981–1990..
↑ Library of Congress LCCN: Invisible touch. Genesis. LC control no. 91758551. Music Sound Recording. Publisher no. 81641-1-E Atlantic/7 81641-1-E Atlantic. Rock music—1981–1990..
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