''The Fosdyke Saga'' was a British comic strip by cartoonist

Bill Tidy William Edward "Bill" Tidy, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 9 October 1933), is a British cartoonist, writer and television personality, known chiefly for his comic strips. Tidy was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the Brit ...

, published in the '' Daily Mirror'' newspaper from March 1971 - February 1985. Described as "a classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe", the strip was a parody of

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

's classic novel series '' The Forsyte Saga''. However, the slightly bizarre and strange antics of the characters and those around them had a Lancashire/

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

lean, with mangles, chimneys and soot ever-present.

Plot

''The Fosdyke Saga'' was the story of Roger Ditchley, a wastrel son of a tripe magnate, Old Ben Ditchley, who was deliberately disinherited by his father in favour of Jos Fosdyke. Roger, blinded by rage, seeks to regain his rightful inheritance over the next twelve years. His wicked plans are always thwarted, as he enlists the most inept allies and twisted methods to attain his goal. The Fosdykes themselves pursue the tripe business in various ways, such as selling alcoholic tripe in the United States during Prohibition. The many Fosdyke children grow up and have adventures of their own, including joining the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

during World War I. Each book included bizarre settings, such as the rugby game between a Welsh choir and a lady's casual rugby team held in a Salford hotel (the stairs collapsed in the first half), the hunt for the Tripe Naughtee and the unforgettable "Brain of Salford" competition.

Production

Created and drawn by well-known cartoonist

, who also produced cartoons for the satirical magazine ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...

'' and created ''

The Cloggies ''The Cloggies, an Everyday Saga in the Life of Clog Dancing Folk'', was a long-running cartoon by Bill Tidy that ran in the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'' from 1967 to 1981, and later in '' The Listener'' from 1985 to 1986. It gently satiris ...

'', the wry humour in this classic 1970s comic strip was very popular, if often unintelligible to those outside of the mid-north-west of England.

Cancellation

The series was axed from the ''Daily Mirror'' in 1985, the year after tycoon Robert Maxwell had purchased Mirror Group Newspapers.

Adaptations

''The Fosdyke Saga'' has been adapted as a TV series (starring Roger Sloman and Sherrie Hewson), a radio serial by the BBC and a stage play. The radio adaptation starred (among others) Miriam Margolyes, Enn Reitel, Christian Rodska and David Threlfall.

External links

Gallery of ''The Fosdyke Saga'' books
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Autobiography of Bill Tidy
1971 comics debuts 1985 comics endings Comics characters introduced in 1971 British comic strips Humor comics Fictional families British comics characters Parody comics Parodies of literature Comics adapted into plays Comics adapted into radio series British comics adapted into films The Forsyte Saga Comics set during World War I Works about prohibition in the United States {{UK-comics-stub