Chris has also illustrated a number of titles for Icon Books including Postmodernism for Beginners (1994), Introducing Descartes (1998) and Introducing Modernism (2001).

Emerson, Hunt (b. 1952)

Hunt Emerson was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and his childhood was spent in Walbottle and Blaydon. He has lived in Birmingham since 1971. After he left college he came in contact with the underground comics movement, typified by American cartoonists Gilbert Shelton and Robert Crumb, and by Europeans such as Moebius (France), Max(Spain) and Gerhard Seyfried (Germany).

Emerson saw in this new medium - satirical comics for an adult readership - a way to channel his own work and began producing his own comic stories and characters. He quickly gained a reputation as Britain's craziest cartoonist, and his drawings and strips appeared in many and varied publications, from International Times through Fortean Times to Radio Times.

He has worked since 1979 with Knockabout Comics of London, publishing through them around 20 comic books and albums. His work has also been widely published in Europe and the U.S.A, and he has been given several prestigious comics industry awards, including Humorous Cartoonist of the Year 1982 by the Society of Strip Illustration, International Album of the Year 1989 by Kemi International Festival, Finland, and Grand Prix de la Festival 1995 by the Pertuis Comic Festival, France.

Hunt Emerson has created many cartoon characters over the years. Amoung his most popular are Calculus Cat, the cat who hates television, and Max Zillion, a modern Jazz saxophonist whose best friend and partner is his horn, Alto Ego.

Godfrey, Bob (b. 1921)

Bob Godfrey was born at Horse Shoe Bend, Maitland, New South Wales of British Parents on 27th May 1921. He left Australia after six months and was brought to England. He went to school in Ilford and studied at the Leyton Art School. His first Job was with the Uni-lever Organisation where he moved into their advertising agency of Lintas.

After war service with the Royal Marines he returned to Lintas and then entered animation as a background artist for the Larkins company at the Film Producers Guild. In the 1950's he was a member of the semi-professional Grasshoppers group and in 1952 made his first animated cartoon, The Big Parade. In 1954, along with Keith Learner, an associate from Larkins, and Jeff Hale Biographic Films was formed.

After Jeff Hale departed for the National Film Board of Canada, Nancy Hanna and Vera Linnecar replaced him as directors of the company. On the opening night of ITV in 1955 Biographic's cartoon for Crompton Parkinson was screened. The company subsequently made hundreds of adverts for both cinema and TV as well as animated inserts for shows including It's a Square World, After Hours, Son of Fred and Idiot's Weekly.

In 1964 Bob Godfrey left Biographic to form his own company Bob Godfrey's Movie Emporium which later became simply Bob Godfrey Films. In 1966 he directed four episodes of the Beatles TV series. Other work art the time included 'Tomfoolery', 'Ways and Means' and being the writer and narrator of the TV series The Do-it Yourself Film Animation Kit (1974), directed by Anna Jackson. There followed his Oscar-winning film Great, a half-hour celebration of the life and times of Isembard Kingdom Brunel. In 1979 he was nominated for his film Dream Doll.

Several moves took the company from Wardour St to Neal St and then to King's Cross where they are now situated. The major part of their work is short entertainments and children's series with titles that include Roobarb, Henry's Cat, Small Talk (also nominated for an Oscar), 1066 and All That, and Know Your Europeans.

The Studio is currently producing a children's series Kevin Saves the World and continues to maintain a strong link with the art colleges and international festivals.

Honeysett, Martin (b. 1943)

Cartoonist and illustrator. Born in Hereford on 20 May 1943, Martin Honeysett attended Selhurst Grammar School, where he was taught art by Geoffrey Dickinson, and Croydon School of Art (1960-1).

He then worked briefly in a London animation studio and in a factory in Manchester before emigrating to New Zealand (1962-5), where he had a variety of jobs, from lumberjack to stage hand for New Zealand Ballet Co. After a further period in Canada (1965-8), he returned to England to work as a bus driver for London Transport whilst cartooning in his spare time.

He sold his first cartoon to the Daily Mirror in May 1969 and turned full time freelance in 1972, contributing to Punch (from 1970), Private Eye, Daily Mirror, Evening Standard, TV Times, Radio Times, Observer and Sunday Telegraph.

Honeysett's spidery style of drawing emphasizes his often macabre sense of humour.

Pub: Private Eye Martin Honeysett (1974), Honeysett at Home (1976), Martin Honeysett (1977), The Motor Show Book of Humour (1978), The Not Another Book Of Old Photographs Book (1981), Microphobia (1982), Fit For Nothing (1983), The Joy of Headaches(1984), Animal Nonsense Rhymes (1984), The Best of Honeysett (1985), Witch Doctor? (1985).

Husband, Tony (b. 1950)

Cartoonist, strip cartoonist, illustrator and scriptwriter, Tony Husband was born in Blackpool, Lancashire on the 28th August 1950. He is a self taught artist, beginning his career in the printing side of an advertising agency then as a window dresser before becoming a cartoonist.

His first cartoons were published in Weekend and Daily Mirror and he turned full time freelance in 1984. Co-editor and founder of the children's comic Oink! (1985-88), he has drawn the pop-music cartoon for the Daily Star and topical football cartoons for Shoot!

His work has also appeared in Punch, Private Eye (including the Yobs strip since 1986), Spectator, Oldie, The Times and Sunday Times.

Pub: Use Your Head (1984), Bye Bye Cruel World (1985), Animal Husbandry (1986), The Greatest Story Never Told (1988), Yobs and Other Cartoons (1988), [with D. Day] True Tales of Environmental Madness (1990), Save The Human (1990), [with J. Banks, R. Lowry and J. Jackson] 100 Things To Do With Black Lace record (1990), Dinos (1993)

Lowry, Ray (b. 1944)

Ray Lowry was born in Cadishead, near Manchester, in 1944. A self-taught artist, he has worked variously as a cartoonist, illustrator and journalist. Lowry has been a professional cartoonist since 1969, and has contributed regularly to numerous publications, including Punch, Private Eye, Vox, International Times, Oz, The Guardian and The Observer.

He is perhaps uniquely known for his work in the music press - especially his long running strip in the N.M.E. entitled 'Only Rock and Roll'. His Elvis Presley Cartoons are - like their subject - legendary. Lowry's association with the music business also extends to record sleeve design (The Clash's London's Calling, for example) and a monthly column in the style magazine The Face.

Pub: Only Rock and Roll (1981): This Space To Let (1986).

Ill: Penguin Book of Rock and Roll Writing (1992)

Matt, Matthew Pritchett (b. 1964)

Cartoonist and pocket cartoonist. Matt Pritchett was born on 14 July 1964, the son of journalist Oliver Pritchett and grandson of novelist Sir Victor (V.S.) Pritchett.

He studied graphics at St. Martins School of Art and, unable to get work as a film cameraman, was for a while a waiter in a pizza restaurant, drawing cartoons in his spare time.

He had his first drawings published in the New Statesman. His work has also appeared in Punch, Spectator, Sunday Telegraph and other publications and he has been Pocket Cartoonist on the Daily Telegraph since 1988, succeeding Mark Boxer.

He was winner of Granada TV's 'What the Papers Say' Cartoonist of the Year Award in 1992.

Pub: The best of Matt (1991,1992)

McLachlan, Ed (b. 1940)

Cartoonist, writer, illustrator and designer. McLachlan was born in Humberstone, Leicestershire, on 22 April 1940, He attended Wyggeston Grammar School, Leicester College of Art (1956-8) and was a lecturer in graphics at Leicester Polytechnic (1966-9). He has four children and one grandchild.

As a cartoonist, he is a regular contributor to Punch, Private Eye, Spectator, New Statesman, Readers Digest, Sunday Telegraph, Tomorrow Magazine, Net Magazine, London Insurance Insider and Investors Chronicle.

He also draws for advertising, has designed and written more that 300 commercial advertising films. In the last year he has done work for Colleys/Halifax, Dunlop, Lynx, Hyperion, Renault Cars, Hiscox/Lloyds, Alka Seltzer, Swalec, Hamlet, BASF.

He wrote and designed the ITV series 'Simon and the Land of Chalk Drawings' and designed 'Bangers and Mash' for the same company.

Pub: 'Simon' series (1969-74) The Dragon That Only Blew Smoke (1971) The Cartoons of Edward McLachlan (1973)

Ill: More than 200 children's books including P. Groves, 'Bangers and Mash' series (26 books, 1975-9); R. Kilroy, 'Graffiti' series (1979-81); G. Brandreth, Cockburn's A-Z of After Dinner Entertainment (1985).

Awards: Illustrator of the Year 1980; CCGB Advertising Cartoonist of the Year 1981; Gag Cartoonist of the year and 1997

Myers, David (b.1925)

Editorial cartoonist, pocket cartoonist, illustrator and greetings card designer. David Myers was born in London on 8 December 1925 and served in the Royal Fusiliers (1944-7). After demobilization he attended the Sir John Cass Art School (1947-8) and St. Martin's School of Art (1949-51). Then when his fiancee moved to Australia, he followed and became Pocket Cartoonist on the Melbourne Argus (1951-2).

Returning to London he got a job as Osbert Lancaster's holiday understudy on the Daily Express and later became Editorial Cartoonist on the Evening News (1965-8). He resigned when they refused to publish an anti Enoch Powell cartoon and turned freelance, contributing cartoons to Punch, People, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and Star newspapers.

He is best known for his distinctive sketchy style featuring figures with bulbous noses and balloon like feet.

Pub: 'Sebastian the Incredible Drawing Dog' (four titles 1987).

Newman, Nick (b. 1958)

Cartoonist, pocket cartoonist and scriptwriter. Nick Newman was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, on 17 July 1958 and is a self taught artist. He read history at Oxford where he founded Passing Wind magazine and was a business journalist on Management Today (1979-83) before becoming a cartoonist. Pocket cartoonist on the Sunday Times (since 1989) he has also worked regularly for Private Eye (since 1981), drawing single cartoons and strips such as 'Battle for Britain', 'Dan Dire' and 'Snipcock and Tweed'. He also produces (with Ben Woolley) 'Megalomedia' for the Guardian (since 1989) and has contributed to Spectator, Independent magazine, Yachting Monthly, Marxism Today and Punch. A scriptwriter for Central TV's Spitting Image (1983-8) he has co written (with Ian Hislop) two Murder Most Horrid BBCTV shows and contributed sketches to ITV's The Harry Enfield Show and others.

Pub: Newmanship (1985), with Ian Hislop The Battle for Britain (1987), The Best of Nick Newman (1990), with D. Austin & K. Williams Far from the Madding Cow! (1990), (ed) Spitting Image: The Giant Komic Book (1985).

Peattie, Charles (b.1958)

Cartoonist and strip cartoonist. Charles Peattie was born in Manchester on 3 May 1958 and attended St. Martins School of Art. After a successful period as a portrait painter he became a full time cartoonist creating 'Ad Nauseam' for Direction (1986-8), Dick for Melody Maker (1985-8) and Celeb (with Mark Warren) a sympathetic depiction of an unabashed and unrepentant has been rock star, for Private Eye (since 1987).

However, he is perhaps best known as the creator (with Russell Taylor) of the Alex strip about a 25-year-old, high finance whizz-kid notable for an impressive degree of self confidence, intolerance and gadget-obsession. The series began in the London Daily News (Feb-July 1987), moved to the Independent (1987-91) and has been running in the Daily Telegraph since 1992.

Pub: The Pocket Sized Dick (1987), Celeb (1991) Alex series (6 titles from 1987)

Riddell, Chris (b.1962)

Political cartoonist, illustrator and writer. Chris Riddell was born on 13 April 1962 in Cape Town, South Africa, and came to the UK in 1963. Educated at Archbishop Tenison's School, London and Epsom School of Art and Design. He studied illustration at Brighton Polytechnic Art School where he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree. He has been Editorial Cartoonist on the Economist since 1988 and Independent and Independent on Sunday since 1991. In addition, he has drawn political cartoons for Sunday Correspondent (1989-90). In 1990, he moved to the Observer as business cartoonist and contributes to the sports pages. He also provides the 'leader page' cartoon. He has also written and illustrated a number of children's books.

Chris Riddell's work in all fields combines outstanding draughtsmanship with bold composition and great imagination. His style was once memorably described as being "Like Heath Robinson with a few drinks inside him". In his political cartoons, Riddell works in the great "Punch" symbolist tradition. Large animals, bloated businessmen, Grim Reapers, and huge bulbous figures that dominate the frame are all Riddell's trademarks.

Pub: Ben and the Bear (1986), The Fibbs (1987), Bird's New Shoes (1987), Mr Underbed (1986), When the Walrus Comes (1989), The Wish Factory (1990).

Ill: Many books including The Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes's Ffangs the Vampire Bat and the Kiss of Death (1986), M.Hoffman, Beware, Princess! (1986), R McCrum, The Dream Boat Brontosaurus (1987): A. Gibson, The Abradizil (1990).

Searle, Ronald (b.1920)

Caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator, designer and publisher. Ronald Searle was born in Cambridge on the 3rd March 1920, the son of a railwayman, and educated at Boy's Central School, Cambridge. He started work as a solicitor's clerk, then joined the hire purchase department of the co-op, studying in the evenings and later full time at Cambridge Technical College and School of Art (1935-9) where contemporaries included Joan Brock, daughter of H.M. Brock.

His first cartoons, published in Cambridge Daily News, October 1935-9 (where his predecessor was Sidney Moon) and Granta (1936-9), were signed R.W.F. Searle.

During World War II he served with 287 Field Co, Royal Engineers from 1939, contributing to Daily Express (1939), Discovery, London Opinion (1940), and Lilliput (1941), until captured by the Japanese at the Fall of Singapore and from 1942 was a prisoner of war in Siam and Malaya.

Returning to England, he began work for Illustrated, Strand Magazine, John Bull, Daily Herald, Pie, Tatler, Radio Times, The Studio and Lilliput. He was cartoonist on Tribune (1949-51), Sunday Express (1950-51), Special Features artist on News Chronicle (1951-3) and cartoonist for the same paper (1954), and cartoonist and theatre artist for Punch (1949-62), succeeding Stampa.

He has also contributed to numerous other publications including New Yorker, Life, Sketch, Der Spiegel, Men Only, Le Canard Enchaine, London Opinion, Time & Tide, Holiday, Saturday Evening Post, Young Elizabethan, Figaro Litteraire, Sports Illustrated, Graphis and others.

His extensive advertising has included Lemon Hart Rum, American Express, Cadbury's and others.

In addition he has designed medals for the French Mint (from 1974) and the British Art Medal Society (from 1983) and been a designer and drawn animation sequences for a number of films including John Gilpin (1951), On The Twelfth Day (1954) - Which was nominated for an Academy Award - Energetically Yours (1957), Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (1965), Monte Carlo or Bust (1969), Scrooge (1970) and Dick Deadeye (1975).

Founder of the Perpetua Press he has received many international awards for his work, including National Cartoonists' Society of America Awards (1959, 60 and 66).

Particularly memorable characters created by Searle include the devilish schoolgirls of St. Trinian's (featured in three films) and Nigel Molesworth in the books written by Geoffrey Willans.

Left handed, he works in a variety of media, but mostly pen and ink with wash, gouache or watercolour. He sketches in fountain pen but uses dip pen for final artwork. For many years he used woodstain instead of ink (Stephens Liquid Stains: Ebony) but has since worked with Super Yang-tse Encre de Chine.

Immensely influential, Geipel, writing in 1972, said of him" Searle's mannerisms, particularly his use of spindly, spiky limbs and rhythmically elegant embellishments....are now amongst the most distinctive earmarks of contemporary British cartooning." And Hewison has described him as "arguably the foremost graphic artist this century".

Searle has published more than 40 books, including Forty Drawings (1946), Hurrah for St. Trinian's (1948), The Female Approach (1949), [with K. Webb] Paris Sketchbook, Refugees (1960), Back to the Slaughterhouse (1951), [with D.B. Wyndham Lewis], The Terror of Trinian's 91952), [with G. Willans] six books from Down With Skool! (1953), Souls in Torment (1953),The Rake's Progress (1955), [with A. Atkinson] four books from The Big City (1958), The Penguin Ronald Searle (1960), Searle in The Sixties (1964), Searle's Cats (1967), The Square Egg (1968), Dick Deadeye (1975), More Cats (1975), [with I. Shaw] Paris! Paris! (1977), The King Of Beasts (1980), Ronald Searle's Big Fat Cat Book (1982), The Illusrtated Winespeak (1983), Ronald Searle's Golden Oldies (1985), To The Kwai- and Back (1986), Something in the Cellar (1986), Ah Yes, I Remember it Well (1987), Ronald Searle's Non Sexixt Dictionary (1988), Slightly Foxed But Still Desirable (1989), The Best Of St. Trinian's (1993).

He has also illustrated more that 40 books including P. Cambell, A Long Drink Of Cold Water (1949), A Short Trot With A Cultured Mind (1950), Life In Thin Slices (1951); R. Braddon, The Piddingtons (1950), The Naked Island (1952); W. Cowper, The Diverting History of John Gilpin (1954); C. Fry, An Experience of Critics (1952), A Phoenix Too Frequent (1959); C. Dickins, A Chistmas Carol (1961), Great Expectations (1962), Oliver Twist (1962); J. Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks and the Wonderful O (1962).

On the continent and in America, Searle has a considerable reputation as a printmaker and examples of his work are in a number of public collections, including the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris, the Prussian National Gallery in Berlin and various other museums in Germany and America.

Thompson, Robert (b. 1960)

Born in Burton Pidsea, near Hull, Robert Thompson was educated at Withernsea High School, Hull College of Further Education and Leeds Polytechnic, where he studied illustration, graduating with a First Class Honours degree.

His first cartoons appeared in Private Eye and The Spectator while he was working as an art director for a well known paper products company. He became a full time freelance cartoonist in 1994 and since then his editorial cartoons and cartoon illustrations have appeared in many newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Observer, Sunday Business, The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, The New Statesman, and The Oldie. As a cartoon illustrator, he is also a regular contributor to BBC On Air, Reader's Digest, Saga, and Moneywise.

In addition, Robert's illustration work has featured in business publications produced by the Institute of Directors and Caspian Publishing and in advertising campaigns by Book Club Associates, the AA and Pentagram.

Pub: Pointless Things To Do (1995)

Ill: Private Eye's cutting Humour (1993)

Williams, Kipper

Kipper Williams was born in Cheshire, and studied fine art at Leeds University and the Royal College of Art. Since becoming a full time cartoonist he has contributed to New Statesman, Private Eye, Punch, Nursing Times, Spectator, Daily Telegraph, Top of the Pops and Radio Times.

In addition, he created the strips 'The Lady and the Wimp' for Time Out, 'Pile 'em High' for Sunday Times, 'Eurocats' for the Guardian and the European. Since 1991 he has drawn a daily cartoon for the Guardian's finance pages.

Pub: 'No Peas for the Wicked' (Vista 1996) and 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Cow Book' (with David Austin and Nick Newman, Vista 1997).