While there are hundreds of characters on South Park, the voice cast is actually far smaller, with actors – as well as creators Parker and Stone – taking on multiple roles.

The main cast of the show and their characters are:

Matt Stone voicing characters including Kyle, Kenny, Butters Stotch, Tweek Tweak, Kyle’s dad Gerald Broflovski, Big Gay Al, Jesus Christ, and public figures including Saddam Hussein, George RR Martin, and Bill Gates.

Trey Parker voicing Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Randy Marsh, Mr. Garrison, Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo, Starvin’ Marvin, Tolkien Black, and public figures including Bill Cosby, Al Gore, and Tom Cruise among others.

Isaac Hayes voicing Chef (from 1997 to 2006). Hayes, who died in 2008, notably left the show after an episode mocking Scientology, his religion.

Mona Marshall voicing Sheila Broflovski, Wendy Testaburger, Linda Stotch, and figures including Hilary Clinton, Paris Hilton, and Bart Simpson among others.

April Stewart voicing characters including Wendy Testaburger, Liane Cartman, Sharon Marsh, Shelley Marsh, Alexis Testaburger.

Due to their ‘offend-all’ policy, South Park has faced numerous complaints over the years, despite its satirical nature.

This has included debates over their depictions of racism, criticisms towards multiple organized religions, and on-the-nose discussions about current topics including climate change, sexuality, and politics.

The team has since made some changes - most notably retconning character Token Black’s name to Tolkien Black. The original name was intended to satirize the trope in TV and film that largely white casts have a “token black friend” so it appears less racist.

But some issues are not so easily fixed and have gone down in infamy.

South Park has taken numerous shots at the religion Scientology over the years, but it was the 2005 episode Trapped In The Closet that caused the most controversy.

In the episode, Stan Marsh is believed to be a reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, the religion’s founder, and he is later seen declaring the religion a ‘big fat global scam’.

This prompts Tom Cruise - a known Scientologist and believed to be high-ranking within the church - to hide in a closet and refuse to come out.

Isaac Hayes, a member of the church, quit the following year, believing they had crossed the line of satire to the point it was “intolerance and bigotry” adding that “religious beliefs were sacred” and should be “respected and honoured”.

“As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices,” he said in his statement.

The official response from the team read: “Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons, or Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show.”

The episode was later pulled from broadcast after further uproar from Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise, who took issue with the show questioning his sexuality by “putting him in the closet”.

Due to content featuring imagery and topics that are forbidden in China, South Park was officially banned in the country in 2019, with all information related to it wiped from the country’s internet.

The final straw came from episode Band In China, which saw Stan’s dad Randy fly to China to try and start a business for his marijuana empire, only to get arrested, thrown in prison, and experience reeducation through labour.

The episode deliberately skewed itself to criticize Hollywood censoring itself in order to appeal to the Chinese audience.

As a result, it’s filled with other banned trademarks and imagery – including an appearance of Winnie the Pooh, which was banned after a meme comparing the character to leader Xi Jinping went viral.

After the ban, Stone and Parker said: “Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn’t look like Winnie the Pooh at all.

“Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the great Communist Party of China. May the autumn’s sorghum harvest be bountiful. We good now China?”

In Hell On Earth 2006, even the biggest South Park fans second guessed the show when a scene depicted the late Steve Irwin with the stingray across his chest.

The famed animal lover died of a stingray barb in his heart just five weeks before the episode aired.

While the creators noted they had “done worse things” on screen, Irwin’s widow spoke out against the show, saying she feared her two young children watching the episode at some point.

South Park is rated 18 from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) – meaning the show is suitable for mature/adult audiences only.

Reasons for this include:

• Graphic depictions and discussions around pornography
• Graphic depictions of sex and sex acts - including masturbation and foreplay
• Toilet humour including frequent discussions of defecation
• Depictions of nudity
• Extreme violence and violent acts including torture
• Frequent use of swearing in every episode
• Depictions of a school boy being groomed/having an affair with his teacher
• Common depictions of blood and gore - albeit animated
• Depictions of bodily fluid including semen, urination, blood, and vomit
• Depictions of murder and death - with a running gag being Kenny being killed in increasingly creative ways
• Scenes of suicidal acts
• A depiction of a school shooting
• Use of offensive language - including racist and homophobic slang terms
• Frequent use of alcohol and drugs including cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and crack
• Other scenes and use of language some may find upsetting

South Park is available to watch in full now on Paramount+.

Because we strive to bring you the best, Paramount+ is available for Sky customers with Sky Cinema at absolutely no extra cost.

If you already have Paramount+, you can connect it to your Sky account.

You can find out how to do so here.