D.C Editor Adam presents the final stop on his Cartoon & Comic Book Tour of London.
I started my Cartoon
& Comic Book Tour of London at St George's Church in Bloomsbury in the
company of William Hogarth.
It's only appropriate, therefore, that we bid
farewell (for now) to this series by visiting Hogarth's grave in Chiswick
Long, long ago, before
airheads, boors and one-man-blands dominated our television screens, the
broadcasters used to let people like Willie Rushton into our homes.
He wasn't much to look
at, I'll be frank. But whenever he came on screen, there was a palpable sense
that life was just about to become that little bit better.
Willie Rushton (1937 -
1996) was the complete all-rounder. Writer, comedian, cricket fan, actor,
satirist and cartoonist.
He was a fixture of
the legendary satirical TV programme That Was The Week That Was in the 60s. He
drew cartoons for The Daily Telegraph and many other publications. He was a
cornerstone of BBC Radio 4's most august programme, I'm Sorry I Haven't A
Clue from 1974 - 1996. He was one of the founders of Private Eye. He stood for
parliament in 1963, running under the slogan "Death To the Tories"
and polled a mighty 45 votes.
 |
| An early 70's L.P sleeve featuring Rushton's cartoon's |
I first became aware
of Mr Rushton on a 1970's TV show called Quick on the Draw in which cartoonists such
as Rushton and the great Bill Tidy would come up with cartoons on the spot. I'd
pay double the license fee to see Steve Bell and Martin Rowson on such a show
today.
Many of us would
rather that Rushton was still ineligible for a blue plaque. Alas he qualified
for one in 1996 by dying at the age of 59. He is much missed.
His plaque can be
found at Mornington Crescent underground station, commemorating the daft
gameshow Mornington Crescent, such a beloved featured of the aforementioned
radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
That he made us laugh
is an achievement great enough.
That he was a founder
of Private Eye, the last remaining satirical magazine in this country, makes
him every bit as important a figure as Hogarth. I get the feeling that he would
have hated the pomposity of that statement, but I believe it to be true.
He is at least worthy of having a gyratory system in his honour, an honour already bestowed upon Willie No.1…
My own personal tribute is to hashtag him (see blog post title). I wonder if we can get him trending?
Willie Rushton's ashes, legend has
it, are interred on the boundary line at the Oval cricket ground in South
London.
Folks, that's it… for now.
I do hope you've enjoyed this series. I've had a lot of fun compiling it
and for that reason, as well as the glaring omissions (Where's Punch? Sydney Paget?
The Simpsons?) I hope to add extra stops to this tour gradually over the coming
months.
In the meantime, all
20 stops have been collected at the standalone blog cartoonandcomicbooklondon.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks for reading!
A.S-G
London, March 2015
A London Walk costs £9 – £7 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
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