Editing Willie Rushton

{{Short description|English cartoonist and comedian (1937–1996)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| image       = Willie Rushton.jpg
| caption     = Rushton in 1976
| name        = Willie Rushton
| birth_name  = William George Rushton
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1937|08|18|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], [[London]], England
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1996|12|11|1937|08|18|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Kensington]], London, England
| yearsactive = 1961–1996
| occupation  = {{hlist|[[Cartoonist]]|[[comedian]]|[[actor]]|[[satirist]]|[[writer]]}}
| spouse      = {{marriage|Arlene Dorgan|1968}}
}}
'''William George Rushton''' (18 August 1937 – 11 December 1996)<ref name="obituary">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-william-rushton-1314313.html|title=OBITUARY : William Rushton|date=13 December 1996|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=19 November 2016}}</ref> was an English cartoonist, comedian actor and satirist who co-founded the satirical magazine ''[[Private Eye]]''.

==Early life==
Rushton was born 18 August 1937 at 3 Wilbraham Place, [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], [[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]], where he was not particularly successful academically but met his future ''Private Eye'' colleagues [[Richard Ingrams]], [[Paul Foot (journalist)|Paul Foot]] and [[Christopher Booker]].<ref name=Sherrin>{{cite ODNB |first=Ned |last=Sherrin |author-link=Ned Sherrin |title=Rushton, William George [Willie] (1937–1996) |orig-year=2004 |year=2011 |id=63998 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Sherrin/> Later, he said he recalled little of his schooldays, except that "it was [[Blandings Castle|Blandings]] country. The sort of place where you go to die, not to be educated."<ref>"Obituaries: William Rushton", ''The Daily Telegraph'' page 21, 12 December 1996</ref>

After school, Rushton had to undertake two years of [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|national service]] in the [[British Army|army]], where he failed officer selection.<ref name=Sherrin/> 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&nbsp;– whom basically, to tell the truth, I'd never met before."<ref name=Massingberd>Hugh Massingberd (2012) ''Daydream Believer'' Pan Books {{ISBN|1447210220}}</ref> On leaving the army, he worked in a solicitor's office for a short period.<ref name=Sherrin/>

==''Private Eye'' and the satire boom==
Rushton remained in contact with his friends from Shrewsbury School, who had added [[John Wells (satirist)|John Wells]] to their number and were now running their own humour magazines at Oxford University, ''Parsons Pleasure'' and ''Mesopotamia'', to which Rushton made many contributions during his frequent visits to meet them. 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 (magazine)|Punch]]'' 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.<ref name=Sherrin />

After almost but not quite being accepted by ''[[Tribune (magazine)|Tribune]]'' (a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]-supporting <!-- then -->newspaper edited by [[Michael Foot]], Paul's uncle), Rushton found a place at the ''Liberal News'', which was also employing [[Christopher Booker]] 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.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The Salopians finally found a financier for their magazine and the first issue of ''[[Private Eye]]'' was published on 25 October 1961. Rushton created the magazine in his bedroom in [[Scarsdale Villas]] using [[Letraset]] and [[Rubber cement|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]]'' standard-head). One critic{{who|date=November 2024}} 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]] 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]]". In the early days the team also worked on two books, ''Private Eye on London'' and ''Private Eye's Romantic England'' that made heavy use of Rushton's cartooning talents. One of the first ''[[Private Eye]]''-published books was Rushton's first collection of cartoons, ''Willie Rushton's Dirty Weekend Book'', which was subsequently banned in Ireland on the grounds of its explicitness.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Reuniting with his Salopian friends 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]]. ([[Richard Burton]] even appeared one night in their parody of ''[[Luther (play)|Luther]]''.) In 1961, Richard Ingrams directed a production of [[Spike Milligan]]'s surreal post-nuclear apocalypse farce ''[[The Bed-Sitting Room (play)|The Bed-Sitting Room]]'', in which Rushton was hailed by [[Kenneth Tynan]] 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]] "wouldn't come out for a drink that night".<ref>{{cite book |page=49 |first=Patrick |last=Marnham |author-link=Patrick Marnham |title= The Private Eye Story|publisher= Fontana/Collins |year=1982}}</ref> The revue also starred John Wells.

Rushton's impersonation of Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]] caught the attention of [[Ned Sherrin]], a young BBC producer searching for talent to appear in a forthcoming TV satire series. ''[[That Was the Week That Was]]'' (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]]. 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&nbsp;– so I'm very grateful to the old bugger&nbsp;... But then I had voted for him, so he owed me something."{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} 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" and the "Bum Song". He also wrote songs for ''TW3'', many of which were revisited on later solo albums like ''Now in Bottles'' and ''The Complete Works''.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In the autumn of 1963, a health scare led Macmillan to resign and [[Sir Alec Douglas-Home]] 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 [[1963 Kinross and Western Perthshire by-election|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".<ref>{{cite news |first=Leala |last=Padmanabhan |date=16 January 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30829089 |title=Al Murray and other celebrities who have decided to run for parliament |work= BBC News |access-date= 18 January 2015}}</ref> He polled only 45 votes, having advised his supporters at the last minute to vote Liberal, the Conservatives' only credible challenger.<ref>{{cite news |title=Evening Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9iQ-AAAAIBAJ&q=election&pg=PA6 |publisher=Evening Times |language=en}}</ref> Douglas-Home won.<ref>{{cite web |title=1963 By Elections |url=http://www.by-elections.co.uk/63.html |date=25 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225141806/http://www.by-elections.co.uk/63.html |archive-date=25 February 2012 }}</ref>

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.<ref>"Remembering Willie Rushton BBC Audio CD AISN B0041OAOOS</ref>

==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 Footlights Revue|Cambridge Circus]]'' (including future [[The Goodies|Goodies]] [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] and [[Bill Oddie]]), went on tour in America as ''David Frost Presents TW3''. Rushton and [[Barry Fantoni]] (another ''Private Eye'' contributor) entered a painting titled ''Nude Reclining'', a satirical portrait of three establishment types, for the 1963 [[Royal Academy Summer Exhibition]] 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, More a Way of Life|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]] in Sherrin and [[Caryl Brahms]]' 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.<ref>''[[Daily Mirror]]'' page 14, 9 May 1964, and page 8, 25 July 1964, and ''[[Daily Express]]'' page 10, 11 July 1964</ref> Rushton performed his own host duties for ''[[Stars and Garters|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]].

During the late 1960s, Rushton spent much of his time in [[Australia]], 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]] and [[Barry Humphries]], at the [[Mermaid Theatre]] in London. It was on one of his return visits to the UK in 1968 that he also brought back the late [[Tony Hancock]]'s ashes to the UK in an [[Air France]] bag&nbsp;– "My session with the Customs was a Hancock's Half Hour in itself."<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = Hancock's Ashes
 | url = https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2014/hancocks-ashes/
}}</ref>

He appeared in cameo roles in films, including ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'' (1965), ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust]]'' (1969), ''[[The Best House in London]]'' (1969) and ''[[The Adventures of Barry McKenzie]]'' (1972). He played [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]]'s gay husband in [[Sharon Tate]]'s last film before her murder, ''[[The Thirteen Chairs]]'' (1969), and Tobias Cromwell in ''[[Flight of the Doves]]'' (1971), as well as appearing in sex comedies such as ''[[Keep It Up Downstairs]]'' (1976), ''[[Adventures of a Private Eye]]'' (1977) and ''[[Adventures of a Plumber's Mate]]'' (1978). His final film appearance was as Big Teddy in ''[[Consuming Passions]]'' released in 1988. As a TV actor in the 1970s he appeared in episodes of popular programmes as different as ''[[The Persuaders!]]'', ''[[Colditz (1972 TV series)|Colditz]]'' (episode: "The Guests" – Major Trumpington in a kilt) and ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'' 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]]'s ''Pass the Butler''; and in 1988 as [[Peter Tinniswood]]'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]] and Shirlie Roden.<ref>
{{cite web
  | title = The Queen's Theatre listing of Quatro's performance in ''Tallulah Who?''
  | work = queens-theatre.co.uk
  | publisher = The Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch
  | location = Hornchurch, UK
  | year = 2003 
  | url = http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/archive/tallulahwho1991.htm
  | archive-url = https://archive.today/20041216081341/http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/archive/tallulahwho1991.htm
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = 16 December 2004
  | access-date = 16 December 2004
  }}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
  | title = ''Tallulah Who?''
  | work = guidetomusicaltheatre.com
  | publisher = The Guide to Musical Theatre
  | location = Accrington, UK
  | year = 2012 
  | url = http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_t/TallulahWho.html
  | access-date = 25 January 2012}}
</ref>

In this period, he also found time to contribute seven humorous, spoken word pieces for the double LP, ''[http://www.free-reed.co.uk/frrr04|The Tale of Ale]''.

His last major solo TV project was ''Rushton's Illustrated'' (1980; partially wiped by [[Associated TeleVision|ATV]] which often did not keep programmes considered of no international sales value).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=Rushton%27s+Illustrated&type=lostshow|title=Kaleidoscope's Lost Television search engine: ''Rushton's Illustrated''|access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref> By now he was an established guest on quiz shows and celebrity panel games: ''[[Celebrity Squares]]'', ''[[Blankety Blank]]'', ''[[Countdown (game show)|Countdown]]'' and ''[[Through the Keyhole]]''. When asked why he appeared on these "ludicrous programmes", his answer was simple: "Because I meet everybody there".<ref>"The genial polymath of popular culture", interview by [[Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd]] with Rushton, ''The Daily Telegraph'' page 17, 13 February 1991</ref>

For 22 years until his death, he was a panellist in the long-running [[BBC Radio 4]] panel comedy game show ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'', 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]] in their own show ''Two old Farts in the Night'', performing to full audiences at the Edinburgh festival, the [[Royal Albert Hall]] and the [[Royal Festival Hall|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]]; 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]]'' for the BBC's ''[[Jackanory]]'' was particularly popular. He also provided all the voices for the [[claymation]] animated series ''[[The Trap Door]]'' 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 [[Wilbert Awdry|Rev. W. Awdry]] for ''[[The Railway Stories]]'' series.<ref name="SIF">{{cite web|title=Wille Rushton|url=https://www.sodor-island.com/willierushton |website=Sodor Island Fansite |accessdate=May 25, 2018}}</ref> He also recorded adaptations of [[Asterix]] books and ''Alice in Wonderland'', and provided the voice of the King in the early animated [[Muzzy in Gondoland|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]]" 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]]'s scabrous and surreal flights of invective, and when Waugh moved his column to ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' as the "Way of the World" in 1990, Rushton followed, drawing at Waugh's instruction such surreal concepts as [[Richard Ingrams]] pretending to be a seven-year-old choirgirl,<ref>"He must start again", ''The Daily Telegraph'' page 23, 4 March 1995</ref> the head of a dead cow coming out of a computer connected to the then-new (in common usage) [[internet]]<ref>"Insult to dead cows", ''The Daily Telegraph'', 8 April 1996, also reprinted in ''Way of the World: The Forgotten Years'', Century 1997 and Arrow Books 1998</ref> and a nude statue of [[Benjamin Britten]] with a [[bird bath]] discreetly covering its private parts.<ref>"Honouring Benjamin", ''The Daily Telegraph'', 5 August 1996, also reprinted in ''Way of the World: The Forgotten Years'' as above</ref>

[[The Victoria and Albert Museum]], 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]]'' 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 [[Weight loss|slimming]] 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."<ref>"Obituaries: William Rushton", ''The Daily Telegraph'' page 21, 12 December 1996, as above</ref> A sudden loss of three [[Stone (unit)|stone]] had prevented him from playing in Prince Rainier's XI at [[Monte Carlo]], [[Monaco]]. 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]] and [[Brian Johnston]], which ran from 1986 to 1993. Rushton was always an enthusiastic cricketer, playing in the [[Lord's Taverners]], 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&nbsp;– but no trousers. In his later years his cartoons were part of an exhibition at the [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery]].<ref>Lauren Collins, "Tired and Emotional", ''New Yorker'' (21 Nov. 2011); online at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/11/21/tired-and-emotional - see also Eric Hands' mid-1970s photograph-portrait of Rushton: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw197612/Willie-Rushton</ref>

==Death and memorials==
Rushton died of a heart attack at [[Cromwell Hospital]], [[Kensington]] on 11 December 1996, aged 59.<ref name="obituary"/> 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".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bennewsam.co.uk/documents/ISIHAC/ISIHAC%20-%201986-07-26%20-%20s13e01%20-%20Communications%20Ball.mp3 |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 December 2018 |archive-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124734/http://www.bennewsam.co.uk/documents/ISIHAC/ISIHAC%20-%201986-07-26%20-%20s13e01%20-%20Communications%20Ball.mp3 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Among his last words was the advice, "Tell Bazza he's too old to do pantomime", meant for his long-time friend [[Barry Cryer]].<ref>{{cite web
 |title        = Uncle Baz just can't help it: Barry Cryer amiably refers to his own banter as a 'stream of unconsciousness' and admits that even his friends tell him to shut up
 |work         = The Herald & Sunday Herald
 |location     = Edinburgh, UK
 |date         = 17 November 2003
 |url          = http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12527110.Uncle_Baz_just_can_apos_t_help_it_Barry_Cryer__amiably_refers_to_his_own_banter_as_a__apos_stream_of__unconsciousness_apos__and_admits_that_even_his_friends_tell_him_to_shut_up/
 |archive-url  = https://archive.today/20171129194456/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12527110.Uncle_Baz_just_can_apos_t_help_it_Barry_Cryer__amiably_refers_to_his_own_banter_as_a__apos_stream_of__unconsciousness_apos__and_admits_that_even_his_friends_tell_him_to_shut_up/
 |archive-date = 29 November 2017
 |access-date   = 29 November 2017
 |url-status      = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref>
[[Image:Willie Rushton's blue plaque in Mornington Crescent station.jpg|thumb|Willie Rushton's [[blue plaque]]]]
Rushton is honoured by a Comic Heritage [[blue plaque]] at [[Mornington Crescent tube station]], a reference to the game [[Mornington Crescent (game)|Mornington Crescent]] on ''I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue''.

[[BBC Radio 4 Extra|BBC Radio 7]] 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]], Rushton's ashes were buried by the boundary at [[The Oval]] cricket ground.<ref>Parsons, Nicholas, ''With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation: My Life in Comedy'', Random House, 2010</ref>{{page needed|date=November 2024}}

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
|1964|| ''[[It's All Over Town]]'' || Fat Friend
|-
|1964|| ''[[Nothing but the Best (film)|Nothing but the Best]]'' || Gerry
|-
|1965|| ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'' || Tremayne Gascoyne
|-
|1968|| ''[[The Mini-Affair]]'' || Chancellor of the Exchequer
|-
|1968|| ''[[The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom]]'' || Dylan's assistant
|-
|1969|| ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust]]'' || John O'Groats Official
|-
|1969|| ''[[The Best House in London]]'' || Sylvester Wall
|-
|1969|| ''[[The Thirteen Chairs]]'' || Lionel Bennet
|-
|1971|| ''[[Flight of the Doves]]'' || Tobias Cromwell
|-
|1972|| ''[[The Adventures of Barry McKenzie]]'' || Passenger on Plane
|-
|1976|| ''[[Keep It Up Downstairs]]'' || Snotty Shuttleworth
|-
|1977|| ''[[Adventures of a Private Eye]]'' || Wilfred
|-
|1978|| ''[[Adventures of a Plumber's Mate]]'' || Dodger
|-
|1986, 1990|| ''[[The Trap Door]]'' || Voices
|-
|1996|| ''[[The Treacle People]]'' || Santa
|}

==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)
*''[[Super Pig (book)|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]] (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]] (Star, 1980)
*''Bureaucrats. How To Annoy Them!'' [[Patrick Moore|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]], 1996)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary--william-rushton-1314313.html |newspaper=The Independent |date= 13 December 1996 |title= Obituary: William Rushton}}
* {{cite ODNB|id=63998|title=Rushton, William George|orig-year=2004|year=2011|last=Sherrin|first=Ned}}
* ''Pigs Can Fly''. [[Barry Cryer]], 2003. (Several references to some items in this article.)

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0750775|name=Willie Rushton}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clue/article/willie.shtml BBC biography]
* [http://ukjarry.livejournal.com/ Gallery of Willie Rushton cartoons]
* [http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/willierushton/biography Rushton biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603170714/http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/willierushton/biography |date=3 June 2011 }} at British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent (cartoons.ac.uk)
* {{LCAuth|n82133021|William Rushton|14|ue}}

{{I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushton, Willie}}
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