Margaret Thatcher, as portrayed in the arts and popular culture, has been frequently depicted as an ostensibly hate-filled, miserly figure, who attracted musical opprobrium like no other British political leader. This is divergent from mainstream opinion polling which tends to place her as the most revered Prime Minister of the post-war period. Favourable depictions make up a smaller group; among these is The Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep, whose portrayal in the 2011 film was critically acclaimed.
Arts critic Michael Billington notes, "Thatcher may not have cared passionately about the arts, but she left her emphatic mark upon them."
This page is a list of depictions of Thatcher on stage, in film, TV, radio, literature, music and in other forms of the arts and entertainment.
The Iron Lady (2011) – Meryl StreepIn Search of La Che (2011) – Steve NallonBack in Business (2007) – Caroline BernsteinI Am Bob (2007) – Caroline BernsteinFor Your Eyes Only (1981) – Janet BrownWhen Harvey Met Bob (2010) – Ingrid CraigieThe Queen (2009) – Lesley ManvilleMargaret (2009) – Lindsay DuncanThe Long Walk to Finchley (2008) – Andrea RiseboroughCoup! (2006) – Caroline BlakistonThe Line of Beauty (2006) – Kika MarkhamPinochet in Suburbia (2006) – Anna MasseyThe Alan Clark Diaries (2004) – Louise GoldThe Falklands Play (2002) – Patricia HodgeDeutschlandspiel (2000) (TV) – Nicole HeestersThe Final Cut (1995) – funeral and memorial statue depictedThatcher: The Final Days (1991) – Sylvia SymsHouse of Cards (1990) – began with a fictional successor preceding Thatcher's resignationAbout Face (1989) – Maureen LipmanFirst Among Equals (1986) – Hilary TurnerMargaret 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.The Audience (2013) – played in the premiere production by Haydn GwynneHandbagged (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 deathMarket 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.Thatcher – The Musical! (c. 2006)Billy Elliot the Musical (2005) – contains the song "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher" by Elton JohnLittle Madam – a play by James Graham, exploring the life and career of Thatcher, presented at Finborough Theatre, LondonSink the Belgrano! (1986) – a vitriolic satirical play by Steven Berkoff, in which she is called "Maggot Scratcher"Neocolonialism (2013) – Thatcher is quoted in the main menu, and sometimes appears as a computer playerThe Hunt for Tony Blair (2011) – Jennifer SaundersJeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002) – Greta ScacchiThe Comic Strip Presents... (1990, 1992) – Jennifer SaundersDunrulin (1990) – Angela ThorneKYTV (1989) – Steve NallonDoctor Who: "The Happiness Patrol" (1988) – character of Helen A is a caricature of Thatcher.The New Statesman (1987–90) – Steve NallonSpitting Image (1984–96) – voiced by Steve Nallon; caricatured as a "fascist hermaphrodite: wearing power suits, using urinals and smoking cigars"Yes Minister (1984) – herself (a short sketch, on 20 January 1984, at an award ceremony for the writers, commemorated on a Private Eye cover)Anyone for Denis? (1982) – Angela ThorneThe Iron Lady (1979) – Janet Brown (satirical album written by John Wells of Private Eye)Saturday Night Live (1979, 1982, 1988) – Michael Palin, Mary Gross and John LithgowThe Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (2004)Alan Clark Diaries: Volume 2: Into Politics 1972–1982 by Alan Clark (2000)Icon by Frederick Forsyth (1997)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 Fist of God by Frederick Forsyth (1994)Alan Clark Diaries: Volume 1: In Power 1983–1992 by Alan Clark (1993)A Little Bit of Sunshine by Frederick Forsyth (1991)The Negotiator by Frederick Forsyth (1989)The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth (1984)First Among Equals by Jeffrey Archer (1984)The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth (1979), in which the character of British Prime Minister Joan Carpenter is based on ThatcherMiracleman: Olympus by Alan Moore and John Totleben (1989) – Thatcher appears as Prime Minister intimidated by the Miracleman Family to comply with their fascist governmentThe Assassination of Margaret Thatcher – August 6, 1983 (2014) – a short story by Hilary Mantel.The News Huddlines – June WhitfieldA Family Affair – Clare HigginsWhile in power, Thatcher was the subject of several songs which opposed her government, including The Beat's "Stand Down Margaret", as well as a sarcastic declaration of faux adoration (Notsensibles' "I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher"). After she left government, several songs crudely called for her death or looked forward to celebration of her death, 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"). The song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead", from The Wizard of Oz, rose to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart after Thatcher died.
Songs with Thatcher as the subject include:
"All My Trials" by Paul McCartney."Margaret on the Guillotine" (song from Morrissey's album Viva Hate)"Stand Down Margaret" by The Beat"The Day That Margaret Thatcher Dies" by Pete Wylie"The Day That Thatcher Dies" by Hefner"Tramp the Dirt Down" by Elvis Costello"I'm There!" by Janet Brown"Wallflowers" by MC Frontalot"Margaret" by Russian band Electroforez"Ronnie And Mags" by NOFX"Miss Maggie" by Renaud"Madame Medusa" by UB40"Maggie" by The Exploited"The Grocer" by Ewan MacColl"I'm in love with Margaret Thatcher by Notsensibles (one of the more sympathetic depictions of Thatcher in popular music)"Maggie's Farm" by The Blues Band"Thatcher's Fortress" by The Varukers"Maggie Maggie Maggie (Out Out Out)" by The Larks"Margaret's Injection" by Kitchens of Distinction"Thatcher Fucked the Kids" by Frank TurnerRoger Waters in 1983 referred to Thatcher disrespectfully as "Maggie" multiple times throughout the Pink Floyd album The Final Cut. In the song The Fletcher Memorial Home Waters calls "Maggie" an overgrown infant and an incurable tyrant. At the end of the song he quietly speaks of applying the Final Solution to her and other famous world leaders. 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.
British indie band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine depicted Thatcher on the sleeve of their 1995 single "The Young Offender's Mum".
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.
In 1991, only two months after Thatcher's resignation, musical acid house group V.I.M. released a rave track entitled "Maggie's Last Party". Described as "strikingly original, and catchy to the point of irritation" and as a "fusion of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's uncompromising speeches with a slowly-evolving post-acid house backing", it reached #68 on the UK Singles Chart in January that year. The track proved popular among many nightclubs at the time, despite the sceptical view of Thatcher held by a number of ravers.
Notable works include:
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.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.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".
