Complementing our celebration of British comic artist, illustrator and painter Bill Titcombe, here’s a checklist of his work from the 1950s onwards, including memories from those who worked with him or whose imaginations he captured along the way…
You can read our celebration of his work here.
This checklist is largely compiled from research by Steve Holland and David A. Roach, with additional notes from Andrew Donkin, David Slinn, Shaqui Le Vesconte and others.
Information on Bill’s Amalgamated Press credits is compiled from company payment books. Bill skilfully “ghosted” the style of regular artists on some strips listed, the payment notes the only confirmation of his contributions.
Further information is very welcome.
1956 – Knockout 1957 Annual
Resized several strips for reprinting in the annual while working for the company
1950s – Knockout
Bill appears to have “ghosted” the style of the other artists on some of these strips
• Todd and Annie
Issues 867 – 903 (some)
• Our Ernie
Issues 885 – 1028 (some), Issues 1032 on. Scripts from 26th December 1959 onwards
• Billy Bunter
Issues 1008 – 1012
• Sinbad Sims
Issue 1026 only, cover dated 9th January 1960
1950s – Film Fun
• Jerry Lewis: Issues 1953 – 1994 (some)
1960s – Knockout
• Space Age Kit 1960 onwards
1960 – 1961 – Buster
• Buster Son of Andy Capp
First issue cover dated 28th May 1960 – issue cover dated 4th February 1961
• Buster’s Diary
Issues cover dated 6th August 1960 – cover dated 4th February 1961
• Buster of Bygone Days
Issue cover dated 24th September 1960 – issue cover dated 4th February 1961
1960s – TV Comic
Dates listed indicate year strip began, with some dates for final appearance – amendments welcome
• TV Terrors
Bega in 1963
• Bootsie and Snudge
Began in 1963
• The Dickie Henderson Family
Began in 1963
• The Telegoons
Started in Issue 619, cover dated 26th October 1963, and running until Issue 787, cover dated 14th January 1967, running to some 169 weekly strips, as well as annual appearances.
• World Cup Willie
1966
• Adam Adamant
1967
“TV Comic went through a redesign during January 1967,” recalls comic artist David Slinn, “with John Canning’s ‘Doctor Who’ encountering the Daleks on the cover, while Bill started a spell on the new ‘Adam Adamant’ series, until Patrick Williams took it over that April.”
• Ken Dodd’s Diddymen
Began in Issue 810, cover dated 24th June 1967 – 1969
“I first became aware of Bill’s work in the late 1960s when he was drawing the cover feature of TV Comic, ‘Ken Dodd’s Diddymen’,” notes fellow comics creator Lew Stringer. “It caught my interest and I became a regular reader from that point. His style was so fresh and different from the usual material in children’s humour comics at the time.”
• Laurel and Hardy
Began in Issue 842 (cover dated 3rd February, 1968 – Issue 1291, cover dated 11th September, 1976
• Tom and Jerry
Started in Issue 909, cover dated 17th May 1969, running for over 10 years into the 1980s
The are claims that in the UK, Hanna-Barbera insisted at one point that only Bill Titcombe draw the characters, who also featured on merchandise in the 1970s.
1965 – 1967 TV Century 21
• My Favourite Martian Issues 1- 70, 77-104
• Get Smart – Issues 71-76
1966 -1968 – Lady Penelope
• Bewitched
Issues 1 – 149
• What Did That Dog Say?
1968 – Ken Dodd’s Diddymen Annual 1968
Illustrations
1968 – Lady Penelope Annual
• What Did that Dog Say ?
1968 – 1969 – Mary, Mungo and Midge Annual
Illustrations
1970s – 1980s – TV Comic
• Tom and Jerry
Continued until the 1980s
• Barney Bear
Started in 1973 (To Be Confirmed) – 1980s. Some episode were drawn by Bill Mevin
• Animal Magic 1973? – 75
• Dads Army
Began in Issue 1058, cover dated 25th March 1972, its first run in the comic continuing until Issue 1100, cover dated 13th January 1973, then moving to TV Action. When that title merged with TV Comic with Issue 1133, cover dated 1st September 1973, “Dad’s Army” returned until issue 1275, cover dated 22nd May 1976.
• The Bisto Kids
Began in 1981
• Bugs Bunny
Began in 1981
1976 – 1990s – Look-In
• Benny Hill
Began in the issue cover dated 29th May 1976 – 1981
• Flintlock
Began in Issue cover dated 30th October 1976 – 19th February 1977
• The Tomorrow People
Issue cover dated 6th February 1977 – 26th March 1977
• Mind Your Language
Issue cover dated 14th October 1978 – 8th March 1980
• Metal Mickey
Unpublished (1981)
• Doctor on the Go
April 1977 until the strip’s end in October 1978
• Charlie’s Angels
Issue cover dated 11th April 1981 – 30th May 1981
• Rock On Tommy/ Cannon and Ball
Issue cover dated 25th July 1981 – 9th April 1988
• That’s My Boy
Issue cover dated 15th March 1986 -14th June 1986
• Inspector Gadget
Issue cover dated 27th September 1986 – 1989?
• Scooby Doo
Issue cover dated 27th September 1986 – 1994?
• Super Gran
1987 – 1990?
• Woody Woodpecker
Began in 1987
• Dogtanian
1989 – 1990?
Look-in Television Annual 1976
• Man About the House
Look-in Television Annual 1977
• Doctor On The Go
1976 – 1977 – Krazy
• A Krazy Look at TV
1977 – 1981 – Tat the Cat
Book illustrations and comic strip, series written by Audrey Titcombe. In Tat the Cat, “Tat” goes on an adventure away from his farmyard home and meets a friendly dog who helps him home.
1978 – 1979 The Absent Minded Mallard Morgan
Book Illustrations. Written by Audrey Titcombe, a rather dozy duck embarks on a journey down the river and luckily survives the experience, thanks to some new friends.
1983 (TBC) – Cannon and Ball Annual
Strip work
1983-86 – Pippin
• Wind in the Willows
1986 – Wind in the Willows Annual 1987
Illustrations
1980s – Roy of the Rovers
• The Sunday Squad
Written by Andrew Donkin and Graham S. Brand (reprinted later in ROTR monthly) – ran in late 1980s issues
“‘The Sunday Squad’ was a comedy strip about a hopeless team of Sunday morning footballers,” recalls co-writer Andrew Donkin, today perhaps best known for the award-winning graphic novel Illegal, written with Eoin Colfer. “Bill was the perfect choice as artist.
“I remembered reading loads of his strips as a kid. He produced so much fantastic work for TV Comic and later Look-In. He can do anything. He is a great collaborator as well.
“He’d ring up after he received each weekly script in the post and have a chuckle at the gags and talk abut his plans for the pages. He is always an absolutely pleasure to work with and we stayed friends to this day. He’s the biggest fan of awful jokes that I’ve ever met.”
1987 – 1994 – News of the World
• Perils of Page Three Pauline
368 episodes
1990s – Fast Forward
• Byker Grove
• TV Centre
1994 – Roy of the Rovers Monthly
• The Sunday Squad
Written by Andrew Donkin and Graham S. Brand (possibly reprint from ROTR weekly)
Late 1990s – Teletubbies
Book illustrations. Date unknown – Teletubbies launched in 1997 and quickly became a huge hit
1999 – Tweenies Sticker Book
Book illustrations
2001 – Tweenies Come Back Colours
Book illustrations
2015 Jungle Medics
Available as a digital title, published by Seafarer Books
FURTHER READING
• Bill Titcombe – Biography at Suffolk Artists
• The Art Gallery – Earnsham Hall
Some of Bill’s work is on display at this gallery near to Bungay, Suffolk
• Bill Titcombe – Biography at Suffolk Artists
• The Art Gallery – Earnsham Hall
Some of Bill’s work is on display at this gallery near to Bungay, Suffolk
• Bill Titcombe Art on the Illustration Art Gallery
• Books featuring the work of Bill Titcombe on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Books featuring the work of Bill Titcombe on eBayUK
• Bill Titcombe – Telegoons Site
• Murdersville: Adam Adamant in TV Comic
• BFI – Bill Titcombe’s Film Credits
• Bill’s Tribute in The Guardian to his wife, Audrey
Bill described Audrey as an inspiration to all who knew her. “I met her in 1959 and was immediately taken by her generosity of spirit,” he recalled, “as she paid my bus fare to the station at Romford, north-east London, where we both lived. After a brief romance, we married and went on to live together for 51 years.”
With thanks for both images and memories included in our two items about Bill Titcombe to Andrew Donkin, Matt Dyer, Peter Gray, Peter Greenwood, Allan Harvey, Martin Hand, Nigel Parkinson, Tim Quinn, David A. Roach, Philip Rushton, Phil Shrimpton, Dez Skinn, David Slinn, Lew Stringer and Shaqui le Vesconte
All strips © respective licence holders and publishers, including Rebellion Publishing Ltd | All paintings and Jungle Medics © 2020 Bill Titcombe
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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Great research! May I add that Bill’s Laurel & Hardy run in TV COMIC lasted from issue no. 842 (3rd of February, 1968) until issue no. 1291 (11th of September, 1976)?
Best, Christian
You certainly may – and I have! Thank you. I also found the strip from that first appearance, too!