34 Facts About Willie Rushton

William George Rushton was an English cartoonist, comedian actor and satirist who co-founded the satirical magazine Private Eye.

Willie Rushton was born 18 August 1937 at 3 Wilbraham Place, Chelsea, London, the only child of publisher John Atherton Willie Rushton and his Welsh wife Veronica.

Willie Rushton was educated at Shrewsbury School, where he was not particularly successful academically but met his future Private Eye colleagues Richard Ingrams, Paul Foot and Christopher Booker.

Willie Rushton contributed to the satirical magazine The Wallopian, mocking school spirit, traditions and the masters.

Willie Rushton remained in contact with his friends from Shrewsbury School, who had added John Wells to their number and were now running their own humour magazines at Oxford University, Parsons Pleasure and Mesopotamia, to which Willie Rushton made many contributions during his frequent visits to meet them.

Willie Rushton suggested that Mesopotamia could continue after they left university.

Willie Rushton created the magazine in his bedroom in Scarsdale Villas using Letraset and cow-gumming illustrations onto cards which were taken away to be photo-lithographed.

Willie Rushton contributed all the illustrations and the mast-head figure of Little Gnitty.

One critic described the original lay-out of the magazine as owing much to "Neo-Brechtian Nihilism", although Willie Rushton thought it resembled a betting shop floor.

Willie Rushton recalled meeting the Kray twins in the audience one night and that fellow performer Barbara Windsor "wouldn't come out for a drink that night".

Willie Rushton became known for his impersonation of the Prime Minister, a daring novelty in those respectful days.

Willie Rushton wrote songs for TW3, many of which were revisited on later solo albums like Now in Bottles and The Complete Works.

Since he was the most well-known member of the team, Willie Rushton was the obvious choice to stand.

Willie Rushton gained much attention from journalists, since he stood under the slogan "Death to the Tories".

Willie Rushton polled only 45 votes, having advised his supporters at the last minute to vote Liberal, the Conservatives' only credible challenger.

Willie Rushton described his political beliefs as being "left of Limbo" stating that he had always voted for Labour because he felt their attitude to life was "more generous than anyone else's" but would happily take potshots at anyone who said something silly.

Willie Rushton began a career as a character actor for films in 1963.

In late 1964 Willie 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.

Willie Rushton performed his own host duties for New Stars and Garters, a variety entertainment show in 1965, where he first met Arlene Dorgan.

Willie Rushton appeared as a guest in programmes including Not Only.

Willie Rushton said of Australia, "They've got their priorities right, they're dedicated to lying in the sun, knocking back ice-cold beer".

Willie Rushton appeared in cameo roles in films, including Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Monte Carlo or Bust, The Best House in London and The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.

Willie Rushton was Dr Watson to John Cleese's Sherlock Holmes in N F Simpson's surreal comedy Elementary, My Dear Watson.

Willie Rushton provided all the voices for the claymation animated series The Trap Door in the late 1980s.

Willie Rushton was a popular choice for narrating audio books, especially those for children.

Willie Rushton recorded adaptations of Asterix books and Alice in Wonderland, and provided the voice of the King in the early animated Muzzy films.

Willie 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" when the Labour Party came back into power in the mid-1970s.

Willie Rushton returned to Private Eye in 1978 to take over the task of illustrating "Auberon Waugh's Diary", which continued until 1986.

Willie Rushton drew these covers along with the fortnightly caricatures for Private Eyes literary review page until he died.

Willie 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 programme, Don't Just Sit There.

Willie Rushton's father had sent him for coaching at Lord's before he went to Shrewsbury.

Willie Rushton was always an enthusiastic cricketer, playing in the Lord's Taverners, a charity celebrity cricket team.

Willie Rushton died of a heart attack at Cromwell Hospital, Kensington on 11 December 1996, aged 59.

Willie Rushton is honoured by a Comic Heritage blue plaque at Mornington Crescent tube station, a reference to the game Mornington Crescent on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.