Willie Rushton
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William George Rushton (18 August 1937 – 11 December 1996) was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded 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 ...
''.


Early life

Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in 3 Wilbraham Place,
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, London, the only child of publisher John Atherton Rushton (1908–1958) and his Welsh wife Veronica (née James, 1910–1977). He was educated at
Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...
, where he was not academically successful but met his future ''Private Eye'' colleagues
Richard Ingrams Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937 in Chelsea, London, Chelsea, London) is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satire, satirical magazine ''Private Eye (magazine), Private Eye'', and founding editor of ' ...
, Paul Foot and
Christopher Booker Christopher John Penrice Booker (7 October 1937 – 3 July 2019) was an English journalist and author. He was a founder and first editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'' in 1961. From 1990 onward he was a columnist for ''The Sunday T ...
. He also contributed to the satirical magazine ''The Wallopian'', (a play on the school magazine name ''The Salopian'') mocking school spirit, traditions and the masters. Later, he said he recalled little of his schooldays, except that "it was
Blandings Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth (Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth), home to many of his family and the setting for numerous tal ...
country. The sort of place you go to die, not to be educated". After school Rushton had to perform two years of
national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...
in the
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, where he failed officer selection. He later commented, "The Army is, God bless it, one of the funniest institutions on earth and also a sort of microcosm of the world. It's split almost perfectly into our class system. Through serving in the ranks I discovered the basic wit of my fellow man – whom basically, to tell the truth, I'd never met before."Hugh Massingberd (2012) ''Daydream Believer'' Pan Books On leaving the army, he worked in a solicitor's office for a short period.


''Private Eye'' and the satire boom

Rushton remained in contact with his Shrewsbury friends, who had added John Wells to their number and were now running their own humour magazines at Oxford, ''Parsons Pleasure'' and ''Mesopotamia'', to which Rushton made many contributions during his frequent visits. A cartoon of a giraffe in a bar saying "The high balls are on me" was not met with approval by everyone in the university administrative quarters. Rushton suggested that ''Mesopotamia'' could continue after they left university. During his time as a clerk he had been sending his cartoons out to ''
Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...
'' but none had been accepted. After being knocked over by a bus, he gave up his job as a clerk, determined not to waste another day. After almost but not quite being accepted by ''
Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...
'' (a
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
-supporting newspaper edited by
Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Labour Leader from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on ''Tribune'' and the ''Evening Standard''. He co-wrote the 1940 p ...
, Paul's uncle), Rushton found a place at the ''Liberal News'', which was also employing
Christopher Booker Christopher John Penrice Booker (7 October 1937 – 3 July 2019) was an English journalist and author. He was a founder and first editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'' in 1961. From 1990 onward he was a columnist for ''The Sunday T ...
as a journalist. From June 1960 until March 1961, he contributed a weekly strip, "Brimstone Belcher", following the exploits of the titular journalist (a fore-runner of ''Private Eye''s Lunchtime O'Booze), from bizarre skulduggery in the British colonies (where the soldiers holding back the politicised rabble bear a strong resemblance to privates Rushton and Ingrams), travelogues through the US, and the hazards of by-electioneering as the independent candidate for the constituency of Gumboot North. After the strip folded, Rushton still contributed a weekly political cartoon to the ''Liberal News'' until mid-1962. The Salopians finally found a financier for their magazine and the first issue of ''Private Eye'' was published on 25 October 1961. Rushton put it together in his bedroom in Scarsdale Villas using
Letraset Letraset was a company known mainly for manufacturing sheets of typefaces and other artwork elements using the dry transfer method. Letraset has been acquired by the Colart group and become part of its subsidiary Winsor & Newton. Corporate histor ...
and cow-gumming illustrations onto cards which were taken away to be photo-lithographed. He also contributed all the illustrations and the mast-head figure of Little Gnitty (who still appears on the cover, a blended caricature of John Wells and the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'' standard-head). One critic described the original lay-out of the magazine as owing much to "Neo-Brechtian Nihilism", although Rushton thought it resembled a betting shop floor. One feature in the early issues was the "Aesop Revisited", a full-page comic strip which let him work in a wealth of puns and background jokes. With ''Private Eye'' riding the satire boom,
Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...
soon took an interest and contributed two serials recounting the bizarre adventures of Sir Basil Nardly-Stoads and the Rhandi Phurr, both of which were illustrated by Rushton, as was "
Mrs Wilson's Diary Prime Minister parodies are a long-running feature of the British satirical magazine ''Private Eye'', which have been included in the majority of issues since the magazine's inception. The parodies consist of one arch satirical personification of t ...
". In the early days the team also worked on two books, ''Private Eye on London'' and ''Private Eye's Romantic England'' that make heavy use of his cartooning talents. One of the first ''
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 ...
''-published books was Rushton's first collection of cartoons, ''Willie Rushton's Dirty Weekend Book'' (banned in Ireland). Reuniting with his Salopian chums had also reawakened Rushton's taste for acting. After they had finished university, he had accompanied his friends in a well-received revue at the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
. (
Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
even appeared one night in their parody of ''
Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...
''.) In 1961, Richard Ingrams directed a production of
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
's surreal post-nuclear apocalypse farce '' The Bed-Sitting Room'', in which Rushton was hailed by
Kenneth Tynan Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Making his initial impact as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956), and encouraged the emerging wave of ...
as "brilliant". But it was a cabaret at the Room at the Top, a chicken-in-a-basket nightclub at the top of a department store in Ilford, that really launched his career. Rushton recalled meeting the Kray twins in the audience one night and that fellow performer
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Caricatured as "Supermac", he ...
caught the attention of
Ned Sherrin Edward George Sherrin (18 February 1931 – 1 October 2007) was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC. He appeared in a variety of ra ...
, a young BBC producer searching for talent to appear in a forthcoming TV satire series. ''
That Was the Week That Was ''That Was the Week That Was'', informally ''TWTWTW'' or ''TW3'', is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and pre ...
'' (aka "TW3") ran from November 1962 until December 1963. It drew audiences of up to 13 million, making stars of its cast, particularly
David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...
. Rushton became known for his impersonation of the Prime Minister, a daring novelty in those respectful days. "It's the only impersonation that people have ever actually recognised – so I'm very grateful to the old bugger ... But then I had voted for him, so he owed me something." Rushton also appeared on the original flexi-discs of skits, squibs and invective that ''Private Eye'' gave away, having success with two self-penned songs: "Neasden" ("you won't be sorry that you breezed in ... where the rissoles are deep-freezed-en") and the "Bum Song" ("if you’re feeling glum / stick a finger up your bum / and the world is a happier place"). He also wrote songs for ''TW3'', many of which were revisited on later solo albums like ''Now in Bottles'' and ''The Complete Works''. In the autumn of 1963, a health scare led Macmillan to resign and
Sir Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), styled as Lord Dunglass between 1918 and 1951 and being The 14th Earl of Home from 1951 till 1963, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conse ...
became Prime Minister. It was necessary that Douglas-Home resign his peerage to find a safe Parliamentary seat. The ''Private Eye'' team were so disgusted by the Conservative Party's machinations that they decided to stand their own protest candidate in the Kinross and Western Perthshire by-election. Since he was the most well-known member of the team, Rushton was the obvious choice to stand. Rushton gained much attention from journalists, since he stood under the slogan "Death to the Tories". He polled only 45 votes, having advised his supporters at the last minute to vote Liberal, the Conservatives' only credible challenger. Douglas-Home won.


Films, television and radio

When ''TW3'' was cancelled in anticipation of the 1964 election, Rushton and some of the cast, as well as some of the members of the Cambridge University revue '' Cambridge Circus'' (including future Goodies
Tim Brooke-Taylor Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE (17 July 194012 April 2020) was an English actor and comedian best known as a member of The Goodies. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at the University of Cambridge and became president ...
and
Bill Oddie William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinto ...
), went on tour in America as ''David Frost Presents TW3''. Rushton and
Barry Fantoni Barry Ernest Fantoni (born 28 February 1940) is a British author, cartoonist and jazz musician of Italian and Jewish descent, most famous for his work with the magazine ''Private Eye'', for whom he also created Neasden F.C. He has also published ...
(another ''Private Eye'' contributor) entered a painting titled ''Nude Reclining'', a satirical portrait of three establishment types, for the 1963
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...
under the name of Stuart Harris, which excited much controversy. He also began a career as a character actor for films in 1963. In late 1964 Rushton was involved as one of the hosts in the early episodes of another satirical programme, '' Not So Much a Programme'', but drifted away as it became the vehicle that launched David Frost as a chat show host. In 1964 he appeared as
Richard Burbage Richard Burbage (c. 1567 – 13 March 1619) was an English stage actor, widely considered to have been one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre and of his time. In addition to being a stage actor, he was also a theatre owner, ent ...
in Sherrin and
Caryl Brahms Doris Caroline Abrahams (8 December 1901 – 5 December 1982), commonly known by the pseudonym Caryl Brahms, was an English critic, novelist, and journalist specialising in the theatre and ballet. She also wrote film, radio and television scripts ...
' musical of ''No Bed for Bacon'', while his early stature as a personality was confirmed by a cartoon advert he devised for the Brewers' Society proclaiming the charms of the local pub. Rushton did his own host duties for '' New Stars and Garters'', a variety entertainment show in 1965, where he first met Arlene Dorgan. He also appeared as a guest in programmes including '' Not Only... But Also'' with Peter Cook and
Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...
. During the late 1960s, Rushton spent much of his time in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, following Dorgan back to her homeland. He married her in 1968. He also had several series of his own on Australian television, ''Don’t Adjust Your Set – The Programme is at Fault'' and ''From Rushton with Love''. He said of Australia, "They've got their priorities right, they're dedicated to lying in the sun, knocking back ice-cold beer". During this period he found time to model for ''She'' magazine and also appear in a 1967 stage production of ''Treasure Island'' as Squire Trelawney, alongside
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
and
Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...
, at the
Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new thea ...
in London. It was on one of his return visits to the UK in 1968 that he also brought back the late
Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...
's ashes to the UK in an
Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global air ...
bag – "My session with the Customs was a Hancock's Half Hour in itself." He appeared in cameo roles in films, including ''
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines ''Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines; Or, How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes'' is a 1965 British period comedy film that satirizes the early years of aviation. Directed and co-written by Ken Annakin, the film ...
'' (1965), '' Monte Carlo or Bust'' (1969), ''
The Best House in London ''The Best House in London'' is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Philip Saville and starring David Hemmings, Joanna Pettet, George Sanders, Warren Mitchell, John Bird, Maurice Denham and Bill Fraser.Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British ...
'' (1969) and ''
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a chara ...
'' (1972). He played
Tim Brooke-Taylor Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE (17 July 194012 April 2020) was an English actor and comedian best known as a member of The Goodies. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at the University of Cambridge and became president ...
's gay husband in
Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...
's last film before her murder, ''
The Thirteen Chairs ''The Thirteen Chairs'' (french: 12 + 1; it, Una su 13) is a 1969 comedy film directed by Nicolas Gessner and Luciano Lucignani and starring Sharon Tate, Vittorio Gassman and Orson Welles, and featuring Vittorio De Sica, Terry-Thomas, Mylène ...
'' (1969), and Tobias Cromwell in ''
Flight of the Doves ''Flight of the Doves'' is a 1971 British Eastmancolor children's film based on the novel by Irish writer Walter Macken. The film, based and filmed in Ireland, was written by Frank Gabrielson and Ralph Nelson, with Nelson also directing. Plot T ...
'' (1971), as well as appearing in sex comedies such as ''
Keep It Up Downstairs ''Keep It Up Downstairs'' is a 1976 British period sex comedy film, directed by Robert Young and starring Diana Dors, Jack Wild and William Rushton. Alternative titles for the film include ''Can You Keep It Up Downstairs?'' and ''My Favorite ...
'' (1976), ''
Adventures of a Private Eye ''Adventures of a Private Eye'' is a 1977 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil, Suzy Kendall, Harry H. Corbett and Liz Fraser. It followed the 1976 film ''Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' and was followed ...
'' (1977) and ''
Adventures of a Plumber's Mate ''Adventures of a Plumber's Mate'' is a 1978 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil as Sid South. Following on from ''Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' and ''Adventures of a Private Eye'', it was the final ...
'' (1978). His final film appearance was as Big Teddy in ''
Consuming Passions ''Consuming Passions'' is a 1988 black comedy film which stars Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, and Sammi Davis and was directed by Giles Foster. Synopsis The film is based on '' Secrets'' by Michael Palin and Terry Jones a BBC television pl ...
'' released in 1988. As a TV actor in the 1970s he appeared in episodes of popular programmes as different as ''
The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is an action-comedy series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the cycle of adventure serie ...
'', ''
Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Colditz Castle, the site of the Oflag IV-C POW camp for officers in World War II. Geography Colditz is situated in the Leipzig Bay, southeast of the ...
'' (episode: "The Guests" – Major Trumpington in a kilt) and ''
Up Pompeii! ''Up Pompeii!'' is a British television comedy series broadcast between 1969 and 1970, starring Frankie Howerd. The first series was written by Talbot Rothwell, a scriptwriter for the ''Carry On'' films, and the second series by Rothwell and S ...
'' as the narrator Plautus. He was Dr Watson to John Cleese's Sherlock Holmes in N. F. Simpson's surreal comedy ''Elementary, My Dear Watson''. In 1975 and 1976 he appeared in well-received pantomimes of ''Gulliver’s Travels''; in 1981 in
Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadwa ...
's ''Pass the Butler''; and in 1988 as
Peter Tinniswood Peter Tinniswood (21 December 1936 – 9 January 2003) was an English radio and TV comedy scriptwriter, and author of a series of popular novels. He was born in Liverpool, but grew up above a dry cleaner's on Eastway in Sale, Cheshire. Early ca ...
's irascible Brigadier in ''Tales from a Long Room''. Rushton also wrote two musicals: * ''Liz of Lambeth'' in 1976. * ''Tallulah Who?'' in 1991, with
Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...
and Shirlie Roden. In this period, he also found time to contribute seven humorous, spoken word pieces for the double LP,
Tale of Ale
'. His last major solo TV project was ''Rushton's Illustrated'' (1980; partially wiped by ATV which often did not keep programmes considered of no international sales value). By now he was an established guest on quiz shows and celebrity panel games: ''
Celebrity Squares ''Celebrity Squares'' is a British comedy game show based on the American comedy game show ''The Hollywood Squares, Hollywood Squares''. It first ran from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Mon ...
'', ''
Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'', ''
Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' and ''
Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...
''. When asked why he appeared on these "ludicrous programmes", his answer was simple: "Because I meet everybody there". For 22 years until his death, he was a panellist in the long-running
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
panel comedy game show ''
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' is a BBC radio comedy panel game. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", it consists of two teams of two comedians being given "silly things to do" by a chairman. The show was launched in April 1972 as a parody ...
'', which he joined as a regular team member in the third series in 1974. In its later years, the show's wealth of silliness, smut and punning was drawing audiences of up to a thousand people for its recordings. In 1990 he teamed up with his co-panellist
Barry Cryer Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory ...
in their own show ''Two old Farts in the Night'', performing to full audiences at the Edinburgh festival, the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
and the Festival Hall, touring the country irregularly until Rushton's death. He played a recurring character as a policeman in Southern Television's 1970–73 children's show '' Little Big Time'' with
Freddie Garrity Frederick Garrity (14 November 1936 – 19 May 2006) was an English singer and actor. He was best known as the frontman of Freddie and the Dreamers from 1959 until his retirement in 2001. Biography Born in Crumpsall, Manchester, the eldest ...
; his policeman's helmet bore a blue flashing light. His manner and voice meant Rushton was in constant demand for adverts, voice-overs and presenting jobs. In the mid-1970s, his reading of ''
Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...
'' for the BBC's ''
Jackanory ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fairy-t ...
'' was particularly popular. He also provided all the voices for the
claymation Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay. Tra ...
animated series ''
The Trap Door ''The Trap Door'' is a British animated television series, originally shown in the United Kingdom in 1986. The plot revolves around the daily lives and the misadventures of a group of monsters living in a castle. These include a blue creatur ...
'' in the late 1980s. He was a popular choice for narrating audio books, especially those for children. In particular he recorded 18 of the books by the Rev. W. Awdry for ''
The Railway Stories ''The Railway Stories'' are a series of audio adaptations of The Railway Series books by the Rev. W Awdry and his son Christopher. Nearly all of the 42 books in the series have been recorded by one of five different narrators: Johnny Morris, Wi ...
'' series. He also recorded adaptations of
Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
books and ''Alice in Wonderland'', and provided the voice of the King in the early animated Muzzy films. In the early 1980s he wrote and illustrated a series of children's books about "The Incredible Cottage", and provided illustrations for many children's books. Rushton had not been involved in ''Private Eye'' since the latter part of the 1960s, other than a brief stint illustrating "
Mrs Wilson's Diary Prime Minister parodies are a long-running feature of the British satirical magazine ''Private Eye'', which have been included in the majority of issues since the magazine's inception. The parodies consist of one arch satirical personification of t ...
" when the Labour Party came back into power in the mid-1970s. He returned to ''Private Eye'' in 1978 to take over the task of illustrating "Auberon Waugh's Diary", which continued until 1986. The cartoons perfectly complemented
Auberon Waugh Auberon Alexander Waugh (17 November 1939 – 16 January 2001) was an English journalist and novelist, and eldest son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was widely known by his nickname "Bron". After a traditional classical education at Downside ...
's scabrous and surreal flights of invective, and when Waugh moved his column to ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' as the "Way of the World" in 1990, Rushton followed, drawing at Waugh's instruction such surreal concepts as
Richard Ingrams Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937 in Chelsea, London, Chelsea, London) is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satire, satirical magazine ''Private Eye (magazine), Private Eye'', and founding editor of ' ...
pretending to be a seven-year-old choirgirl, the head of a dead cow coming out of a computer connected to the then-new (in common usage)
internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
and a nude statue of
Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
with a
bird bath A bird bath (or birdbath) is an artificial puddle or small shallow pond, created with a water-filled basin, in which birds may drink, bathe, and cool themselves. A bird bath can be a garden ornament, small reflecting pool, outdoor sculpture, a ...
discreetly covering its private parts.
The Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, recognising his accomplishments, commissioned 24 large colour illustrations which were collected as ''Willie Rushton's Great Moments of History''. (Rushton had previous experience with the V&A when he had pulled a prank on the institution by labelling an electric plug socket in one of the galleries: "Plug hole designed by Hans Plug (b. 1908)", which remained for a full year – to the great annoyance of a cleaner who had to use a hefty extension lead for 12 months so as not to damage the exhibit.) This large-scale excursion into the use of colour was good practice for the monthly colour covers he created for the ''
Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years by v ...
'' when Waugh became its editor in 1986. Rushton drew these covers along with the fortnightly caricatures for ''Private Eye''s literary review page until he died. Rushton had always been conscious of his weight, listing his recreations in ''Who's Who'' as "gaining weight, losing weight and parking", and in 1973 he had been the host of a
slimming Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...
programme, ''Don't Just Sit There''. His first major health scare had been the onset of diabetes (the cause of his father's death in 1958). Having to give up beer, Rushton became, according to Ingrams, "quite grumpy as a result, but his grumpiness had an admirable and jaunty quality to it." A sudden loss of three
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
had prevented him from playing in Prince Rainier's XI at
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
,
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. Rushton was always passionate about cricket. His father had sent him for coaching at Lord's before he went to Shrewsbury. His cricket and general knowledge were called upon in his role as a regular team captain on BBC Radio 4's quiz show '' Trivia Test Match'' with
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...
and
Brian Johnston Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until h ...
, which ran from 1986 to 1993. Rushton was always an enthusiastic cricketer, playing in the
Lord's Taverners The Lord's Taverners is the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. Its charitable objective is to empower and positively impact the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality.'. It was founded in 1950 by a group ...
, a charity celebrity cricket team. In 1989 he performed in '' The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball''. His act consisted of singing "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" and acting out the lyrics, which left him standing in a top hat, white tie, and tails – but no trousers. In his later years his cartoons were part of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.


Death and memorials

Rushton died of a heart attack at
Cromwell Hospital The Cromwell Hospital is a private sector hospital located in the South Kensington area of London. It is operated by international healthcare company Bupa. History The hospital, which was designed by Holder Mathias, was established by Bank of Cre ...
,
Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
, in 1996, aged 59. Ten years earlier, he had made a jocular prediction that he would die that year. In the first episode of Series 13 of ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'', which aired on 26 July 1986, Chairman Humphrey Lyttelton asked the panellists to "gaze into their crystal balls" and make predictions for 1996. Rushton said, "I'm sorry you introduced this round, because I just spotted a memorial service for myself in Westminster Abbey in January". Among his last words was the advice, "Tell Bazza he's too old to do pantomime", meant for his long-time friend
Barry Cryer Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory ...
. Rushton is honoured by a Comic Heritage
blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
at
Mornington Crescent tube station Mornington Crescent is a London Underground station in Somers Town in north west London, named after the nearby street. The station is on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line, between and stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. The ...
, a reference to the game
Mornington Crescent Mornington Crescent is a terraced street in Camden Town, Camden, London, England. It was built in the 1820s, on a greenfield site just to the north of central London. Many of the houses were subdivided into flats during the Victorian era, an ...
on ''I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue''. BBC7 showcased his contribution to ''I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'' – in the week of the 10th anniversary of his death – by rebroadcasting five episodes of the show, one on each weekday night (11–15 December 2006). The broadcasts chosen included the last shows he recorded for the programme. According to the autobiography of
Nicholas Parsons Christopher Nicholas Parsons (10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show '' Just a Minute'' and hosted the game show '' ...
, Rushton's ashes were buried by the boundary at
The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
Cricket Ground.Parsons, Nicholas, With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation: My Life in Comedy, Random House, 2010


Filmography


Bibliography


Novels

*''The Day of the Grocer'' William Rushton (Andre Deutsch, 1971) *''W. G. Grace's Last Case'' William Rushton (Methuen, 1984) *''Spy Thatcher; The Collected Ravings of a Senior MI5 Officer'' William Rushton (Pavilion, 1987)


Solo works

*''William Rushton's Dirty Book'' William Rushton (Private Eye Productions, 1964) *''The 'I Didn’t Know The Way To Kings Cross When I First Came Here But Look at Me Now' Book By William Rushton, Author, Artist And Beer-Drinker Extraordinary'' William Rushton (New English Library, 1966) *''Sassenach's Scotland'' William Rushton (Seagram, 1975) *'' Superpig: A Gentleman's Guide To Everyday Survival'' William Rushton (Macdonald And Janes, 1976) *''The Reluctant Euro – Rushton Versus Europe'' William Rushton (Queen Anne Press/Macdonald Futura 1980) *''The Filth Amendment'' William Rushton (Queen Anne Press, 1981) *''Think of England. An Identikit Preview of the New Heir to the Throne'' William Rushton (Penguin Books, 1982) *''The Naughty French Wine Book'' William Rushton (G & J Greenall, 1983?) *''Great Moments of History'' William Rushton (V & A, 1985) *''The Alternative Gardener A Compost of Quips for the Green-Fingered'' William Rushton (Grafton Books, 1986) *''Every Cat in the Book'' William Rushton (Pavilion Books, 1993) *''The Nine Lives of the Number Ten Cat'' William Rushton (Pavilion, 1995) *''Willie Rushton's Pack of Royals, 18 Caricature Playing Cards'' William Rushton (1995)


Private Eye books

*''Private Eye on London By Private Eye'' Rushton with Christopher Booker and Richard Ingrams (Weidenfeld And Nicolson 1962) *''Private Eye's Romantic England And Other Unlikely Stories: A Miscellany – The Last Days of Macmilian'' Rushton with Christopher Booker and Richard Ingrams (Weidenfeld And Nicolson 1963) *''Mrs. Wilson's Diary'' Richard Ingrams and John Wells (Rushton illustrations only) (Private Eye, 1965) *''Mrs Wilson's 2nd Diary'' Richard Ingrams and John Wells (Rushton illustrations only) (Private Eye, 1966) *''True Stories'' Christopher Logue (Rushton illustrations only) (Four Square, 1965) *''The Penguin Private Eye'' Rushton with Christopher Booker and Richard Ingrams (Penguin, 1965) *''Mrs Wilson’s Diaries'' (omnibus of first two books with a few additional drawings) Richard Ingrams and John Wells (Sphere, 1966) *''Mrs. Wilson's Diary'' Richard Ingrams and John Wells (Rushton illustrations only) (Andre Deutsch, 1975) *''Rushton in the Eye'' (a posthumous "Private Eye Special" magazine sampling Rushton's work)


With Auberon Waugh

*''The Diaries of Auberon Waugh A Turbulent Decade'' (Rushton illustrations only) (Private Eye/Andre Deutsch, 1985) *''Waugh on Wine'' (Rushton illustrations only) (Fourth Estate, 1986) *''Way of the World'' (Rushton illustrations only) (Century, 1994) *''Way of the World: The Forgotten Years 1995–1996'' (Rushton illustrations only) (Century, 1997)


With Dorgan Rushton

*''Brush Up Your Pidgin'' (Willow Books, 1983) *''Collages'' (Pelham Books, 1984) *''The Ffrench Letters By Godwyn Ainsley Ffrench – A Young Englishman's Letters From Abroad Giving His Very Personal And Somewhat Peculiar View of Paris in the Year 1900'' (Printfine, 1984.) *''Queen's English: High Taw Tawk Prawpah-leah'' (Pelham Books, 1985)


On sport

*''How To Play Football'' William Rushton (Margaret & Jack Hobbs, 1968) *''Pigsticking – A Joy For Life'' William Rushton (Macdonald, 1978) *''Marylebone Versus The World'' William Rushton (Pavilion Books, 1987) *''The Thoughts of Trueman Now'' Fred Trueman, Eric Morecambe, and Fred Rumsey (Rushton illustrations only) (Macdonald & Janes, 1978) *''The Lord's Taverners Sticky Wicket Book'' with Tim Rice (eds.) (Queen Anne Press/Macdonald & Jane's: 1979) *''The Compleat Cricketer'' Jonathan Rice (Rushton illustrations only) (Blandford Press, 1985) *''Cricket Balls'' Rory Bremner (Rushton illustrations only) (Robson Books, 1994)


Children's books

*''Ebbledum E. Elephant'' Iris Degg (Rushton illustrations only) (George G. Harrap, 1961.) *''Sunny Bell and The Shrimp Street Gang'' Iris Degg (Rushton illustrations only) (George G. Harrap, 1962) *''The Geranium of Flüt'' William Rushton (Andre Deutsch, 1975) *''Jubilee Jackanory'' (Rushton story with illustrations) (BBC, 1977) *''The Discontented Dervishes And Other Persian Tales From Sa'di Arthur Scholey'' (Rushton illustrations only) (Andre Deutsch, 1977) *''Elephant on the Line!'' Talbot Jon (Rushton illustrations only) (Kaye And Ward, 1979) *''Wild Wood'' Jan Needle (Rushton illustrations only) (Andre Deutsch, 1981) *''The Stupid Tiger And Other Tales'' Raychaudhuri, Upendrakishore (Translated By William Radice) (Rushton illustrations only) (Andre Deutsch, 1981) *''Ancient George Gets His Wish'' William Rushton (Golden Acorn Pub, 1981) *''The Story of the Incredible Cottage'' William Rushton (Golden Acorn Pub, 1981) *''The Incredible Cottage Goes to the Moon'' William Rushton (Golden Acorn, 1981) *''Waldo Meets The Witch'' William Rushton (Golden Acorn Pub, 1981) *''The Incredible Cottage Annual'' William Rushton (Grandreams Ltd, 1982) *''A Cat And Mouse Story. An Old Tale'' Michael Rosen (Rushton illustrations only) (Andre Deutsch, 1982) *''Losers Weepers'' Jan Needle (Rushton illustrations only) (Magnet Books, 1983) *''How To Keep Dinosaurs'' Robert Mash (Rushton illustrations only) (Penguin Books, 1983) *''The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' Terence Blacker (Rushton illustrations only) (Hodder Stoughton, 1989)


Books illustrated by Rushton

*''The Stag Cook Book: Being a Low Guide to the High Art of Nosh'' Peter Evans (Four Square, 1967) *''This England – Selection of Pieces from the New Statesman'' Michael Bateman (ed). (Penguin, 1969) *''Comic Cuts: A Bedside Sampler of Censorship in Action''
Richard Findlater Richard Findlater (1921–1985) was a British theatre critic and biographer. Early life He was born Kenneth Bruce Findlater Bain, but worked under the pen-name Richard Findlater. Career Findlater was arts editor for ''The Observer'', and became ...
(ed) (Andre Deutsch, 1970) *''Practical Decorating for Practically Everyone'' (essay and illustrations by Rushton) (Polycell, 1976, 1977?) *''Duckworth'' Vedah Hamon Moody (World's Work. 1977) *''Unarmed Gardening'' Frank Ward (Macdonald & Janes, 1979) *''I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'' with Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, and Humphrey Lyttelton (Robson Books, London, 1980) *''The First Impossible Quiz Book''
Ian Messiter Ian Cassan Messiter (2 April 1920 – 22 November 1999) was a BBC Radio producer and the creator of a number of panel games, including '' Just a Minute'', ''Dealing With Daniels'' and '' Many a Slip''. Messiter brought the successful '' twenty ...
(Star, 1980) *''Bureaucrats. How To Annoy Them!'' R.T. Fishall (Sidgwick & Jackson. 1981) *''Health for Hooligans'' Sandy Fawkes (John Pascoe, 1982) *''I Could Have Kicked Myself'' David Frost and Michael Deakin (Andre Deutsch, 1982) *''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'' Frost David And Michael Deakin (Andre Deutsch Hutchinson, 1983) *''Molesworth Rites Again'' Simon Brett (London: Hutchinson, 1983) *''1956 And All That :A Memorable History of England Since The War To End All Wars (Two'') Ned Sherrin and Neil Shand (Michael Joseph, 1984) *''Animal Quotations'' G. F. Lamb (ed) (Longman, 1985) *''Adam And Eve'' Willie Rushton ; And The Artists of the Portal Gallery (Bell & Hyman, 1985.) *''If You'll Believe That...'' David Frost (ed) (Methuen, 1986) *''Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink : A Quotebook of Love And Sex'' Nigel Rees (Javelin Books, 1986) *''Scenes From Hysterical Life: Diary of a Mad Housewife'' Dorothy Baker Tarrant (Sidgewick And Jackson, 1986) *''World’s Shortest Books'' David Frost (Collins/Fontana, 1987) *''Please Give Generously'' Anthony Swainson (David & Charles, 1987) *''A Family at Law'' Douglas Stewart and Gavin Campbell (Fourmat, 1988) *''Dear Pup Letters to a Young Dog'' Diana Pullein-Thompson (Barrie & Jenkins, 1988) *''Bad Behaviour Guy Philipps'' (ed.) (Elm Tree, 1988) *''You Might As Well Be Dead'' Richard Ingrams (Quartet, 1988) *''But I Digress: The Collected Monologues of Ramblin' Ronnie Corbett'' David Renwick (New English Library, 1989.) *''Agreeable World of Wallace Arnold'' Craig Brown (Fourth Estate, 1990) *''Soft Targets From The Weekend Guardian: Poems'' Simon Rae (Bloodaxe Books, 1991) *''Thatcher's Inferno'' Simon Rae (Smith/Doorstop, 1992) *''A Burning Candle, The Literary Review Anthology of Poetry'' Edited By Dariane Pictet, Introduced By Auberon Waugh (Peterborough, Uk: Poetry No, 1993) *''Happy Families: An Old Game With New Faces'' (Mandarin, 1993) *''The Mad Officials'' Christopher Booker and Dr. Richard North (Constable, 1994) *''When the Lights Went Out'' Wanda Anderson (ed) (Friends of St. Helena Hospice, Colchester, 1995) *''Gullible's Travails'' Brian Rix (ed) (
André Deutsch André Deutsch (15 November 1917 – 11 April 2000) was a Hungarian-born British publisher who founded an eponymous publishing company in 1951. Biography Deutsch was born on 15 November 1917 in Budapest, Hungary, the son of a Jewish dentis ...
, 1996)


References

* * * ''Pigs Can Fly''.
Barry Cryer Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory ...
, 2003. (Several references to some items in this article.)


External links

* *
BBC biography

Gallery of Willie Rushton cartoons

Rushton biography
at British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent (cartoons.ac.uk) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rushton, Willie 1937 births 1996 deaths British Army soldiers Military personnel from London 20th-century British Army personnel 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors Audiobook narrators English cartoonists English illustrators English male comedians English male voice actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male film actors English people of Welsh descent English radio personalities English satirists English television personalities I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue Independent British political candidates People educated at Shrewsbury School People from Chelsea, London Private Eye contributors Writers who illustrated their own writing