Willie Rushton (born: William George
Rushton) was a British cartoonist, satirist, comedian,
actor and performer.
As well as co-founding Private Eye (along with his
Shrewsbury School peers Christopher Booker, Paul Foot,
and Richard Ingrams), originally acting as its layout
artist and serving as one of its cartoonists until
his death, he found fame in That Was The Week That
Was and other television programmes with David Frost.
Towards the end of his life he appeared as a guest
on countless TV shows of varying quality, including
Through the Keyhole. He also provided all the voices
in the claymation-style animated series The Trap Door.
He was a founding team member in the long-running
BBC Radio 4 radio panel comedy game show I'm Sorry
I Haven't A Clue. He also illustrated Auberon Waugh's "Way
Of The World" column in The Daily Telegraph from
1990 until his death.
Whilst working for Private Eye, in 1963, he fought
the Kinross and West Perthshire by-election (where
Sir Alec Douglas-Home was elected in order to become
Prime Minister) as an independent candidate. On the
eve of poll he retired from the election and endorsed
the Liberal candidate who seemed the most credible
challenger; this was too late to take his name from
the ballot paper and he received 45 votes.
He is honoured by a blue plaque at Mornington Crescent
tube station. |