Comics UK

I occasionally take my eye off the ball but keep seeing references to the BBC's use of Peter Gray's comic collection.

When is the documentary due to be aired and on what channel?

Notice that I haven't made provision for the probability that this programme may have already gone out on air ... the thought of having missed such an occasion does not bear thinking about.

The only other TV shows I can recollect (even loosely-based) on the subject of comics are that series of documentaries that ran on Sunday evenings about 15/16 years ago on ITV (Comics: The 9th(?) art form or something); a vague recollection of some toffee-nosed chap chortling his way through a Lord Snooty strip in some other (BBC?) documentary from around the same era, possibly dedicated solely to The Beano; the infamous BBC2 Viz documentary from just before the title reached nationwide popularity; there was also that weekday afternoon family sitcom from the 80's in which the king of the hill was a freelance cartoonist who wore a puppet on his drawing hand.

I also remember staying off school once, about 20 years ago and chancing across an educational programme that chartered the production of an edition of 2000 AD. I remember being amazed at viewing how sound effects were superimposed onto artwork rather than drawn in.


Oh, and of course there was that semi-dreadful Chips Comic childrens' series from the early 1980's which ran concurrently with the ill-fated hard copy weekly. Can't remember if I actually ever read a copy but if I did, it evidently left no impression on me whatsoever.

....anyway, when's it on then?

I think it's going to be shown on BBC Four. You haven't missed it. I think they only completed it recently. The chap who worked on it posts here sometimes.

There was an interesting programme on comics hosted by Denis Gifford and Bob Monkhouse (both sadly now in the great comic mart in the sky). The only drawback was... it was on radio! Not the best place to discuss a visual medium but it was entertaining for those of us who knew what comics they were talking about.

Lew

It's funny you mentioned Bob Monkhouse i met him years ago at a comic type thing and he wae pondering on buying a neal adams deadman page i know he collected frank bellamys art and also did strip work himself at one time .

We helped with some of the production material. I believe the filming has now finished and the production?s being edited. I will, if I need to, contact this forum just before the broadcast. Hopefully I'll have some clips up on the Scarce Comics website soon.


For the people without BBC4 ? after confirming with the production people, I hope to give out a few DVD?s. No promises though!

john56peter756brit wrote:It's funny you mentioned Bob Monkhouse i met him years ago at a comic type thing and he wae pondering on buying a neal adams deadman page i know he collected frank bellamys art and also did strip work himself at one time .

TV and movies gain was comics loss. He was a very accomplished comic artist. He was interested in all kinds of comics; humour, adventure, superhero.

I saw him once many years ago shopping in Nostalgia & Comics (the longest-running comic shop in the UK I think). Didn't pluck up the courage to speak to him. Wish I had now.

Lew

I did speak to him and i found him a kind nice man. i wish i had bought that adams deadman page it was only 80 pounds.. oh well.

They asked about my comics too, but I'm way up north at the top of Scotland... A bit too far for my collection to travel!...

I hope it's a good show. The chap who was in touch with me was very nice, but I got the feeling he'd been thrown in the deep end and was learning on the job - if you know what I mean!...

Bob Monkhouse's Tornado strip is in the golden age section of Starscape.

Chris

www.scarcecomics.co.uk wrote:We helped with some of the production material. I believe the filming has now finished and the production?s being edited. I will, if I need to, contact this forum just before the broadcast. Hopefully I'll have some clips up on the Scarce Comics website soon.


For the people without BBC4 ? after confirming with the production people, I hope to give out a few DVD?s. No promises though!

Oh please put me down for one of those rare DVDs. I am out of BBC & Sky broadcasting range for the next few years so the chances of seeing it on BFBS are remote to non-existent.

colcool007...

Contact me: Ashley@scarcecomics.co.uk

If I can I will, but like I said before - no promises.

Happy to help.

quote] there was also that weekday afternoon family sitcom from the 80's in which the king of the hill was a freelance cartoonist who wore a puppet on his drawing hand.[/quote]

Gnnnghhhh... Now what was that called, seem to remember he had a form of depression brought on by lack of work/cabin fever, I can picture the bloke but can't put a name to him or the prog. I think he used to draw a lion or maybe he drew a lion. I hate this sort of thing, it keeps me awake.....

Denis Gifford once published an encyclopaedia of comic characters. His choice of illustration of Bob Monkhouse's Tornado just had to be the pair of them having a rude joke! The Tornado's adversary looked decidedly...um..adult.

Well, well, well. I had no idea about Bob Monkhouse. He was already one of the few showbiz celebrities I had any time for - even more so now after reading these posts.

Cannot wait to see his Tornado strip! Glad to hear he was into all kind of comics - maybe explains his involvement in the animated sketch programme, 'Aaargh It's the Mr. Hell Show'. Quite brilliant fare and only eclipsed by 'Monkey Dust' shortly after.

Sorry about the agony DJDogfart. Quite right about the lion comic strip - I believe that the puppet was also a lion. I can picture it in my mind now.

After a little research, the sitcom was called 'Keep it in the Family' and as if basing the series around a struggling cartoonist wasn't enough to keep a young pubescent like myself interested, he also had two very attractive daughters.

Jimmy Screw wrote:Well, well, well. I had no idea about Bob Monkhouse. He was already one of the few showbiz celebrities I had any time for - even more so now after reading these posts.

One of Bob's books, The Book of Days, (anecdotes about each day of the year) is illustrated with numerous cartoons he did exclusively for it. I've mislaid my copy or otherwise I'd post some pics here.

Lew

I'll be happy to buy a DVD of it as I'm WELL out of the broadcasting range I'm afraid

Any option for that?