Russell Taylor (cartoonist)
Russell Philip Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 July 1960 |
Russell Philip Taylor MBE (born 8 July 1960) is a British writer, journalist and composer. He is best known as half of the team (with Charles Peattie) that created the satirical comic strip Alex.[1]
Education
[edit]Taylor studied at Abingdon School from 1973–1978. During his time at the school he was on the editorial board of The Abingdonian.[2] He then read Russian and Philosophy at St Anne's College, Oxford.[3]
Alex
[edit]Alex was created by Taylor and Charles Peattie and it first appeared in the London Daily News which ran from 24 February to 23 July 1987.[4] The cartoon then appeared in The Independent during 1987 before moving to The Daily Telegraph in 1992.[5]
The cartoon strip was so popular that it was subject to a nationwide billboard campaign before it switched to The Daily Telegraph.[5] Taylor is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur football club, and as a private joke (and to avoid libel accusations) always names characters who are fired in the Alex strip after Tottenham footballers.[6][7]
Alex was turned into a stage play by Peattie and Taylor and was performed at the Arts Theatre, London in October, 2007. Robert Bathurst portrayed the titular character.[8]
Other works
[edit]He also writes TV and film music with Steve Cooke. Among others, they composed the music for the documentaries The Dying Rooms in 1995 and Saving Africa's Witch Children – both of which won BAFTAs in 1996 and 2009 respectively.[9][10]
He has also written books on Russia and marathon running and was appointed Member of the British Empire in the 2002 New Year Honours.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Friday, 19 October 2018". Alex cartoon.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Editorial Board" (PDF). The Abingdonian. June 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Russell Taylor Column" (PDF). St Annes. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Concise History of the British Newspaper in the Twentieth Century" Archived 6 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, British Library Help for Researchers
- ^ a b "ALEX (CHARLES PEATTIE AND RUSSELL TAYLOR)". Original political cartoon.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ ""The Spurs Show 2 April 2009 episode". Spurs.wippit.com. Retrieved 3 April 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "To the point funny: the men drawn to Alex". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ Shenton, Mark (30 August 2008). "Alex, Live Stage Version of Newspaper Cartoon, to Tour Prior to London Season". Playbill. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- ^ "Television Craft in 1996". Bafta. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Television Current Affairs in 2009". Bafta. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "New Year Honours". The Guardian. 31 December 2002. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
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