Author: Bill Tidy
Launch date: March 1971
End date February 1985
Publisher : Daily Mirror
Genre: Humour
The Fosdyke Saga was a British comic strip by cartoonist Bill Tidy, published in the Daily Mirror newspaper from March 1971 - February 1985. Described as "a classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe", the strip was a parody of John Galsworthy's classic novel series The Forsyte Saga. However, the slightly bizarre and strange antics of the characters and those around them had a Lancashire/Cheshire lean, with mangles, chimneys and soot ever present.
Plot
The Fosdyke Saga was the story of Roger Ditchley, a wastrel son of a tripe magnate, Old Ben Ditchley, who was deliberately disinherited by his father in favour of Jos Fosdyke. Roger, blinded by rage, seeks to regain his rightful inheritance over the next twelve years. His wicked plans are always thwarted, as he enlists the most inept allies and twisted methods to attain his goal.
The Fosdyke's themselves pursue the tripe business in various ways, such as selling alcoholic tripe in the United States during Prohibition. The many Fosdyke children grow up and have adventures of their own, including joining the Royal Flying Corps during World War I.
Each book included bizarre settings, such as the rugby game between a Welsh choir and a lady's casual rugby team held in a Salford hotel (the stairs collapsed in the first half), the hunt for the Tripe Naughtee and the unforgettable "Brain of Salford" competition.
Production
Created by well-known cartoonist Bill Tidy, who also produced cartoons for the satirical magazine Private Eye and created The Cloggies, the wry humour in this classic 1970s comic strip was very popular, if often unintelligible to those outside of the mid-north-west of England.
Cancellation
The series was axed from the Daily Mirror in 1985, the year after tycoon Robert Maxwell had purchased Mirror Group Newspapers.
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| The Forsyte Saga (1967 TV series) |
Adaptations
The Fosdyke Saga has been adapted as a TV series, a radio serial by the BBC and a stage play.
The radio adaptation starred (among others) Miriam Margolyes, Enn Reitel, Christian Rodska and David Threlfall.
[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
https://mega.nz/folder/jWIVDSLK#jRp0cYthdJNlR10_TqnJkw
Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteI'm a French speaker and, in France, only a few episodes of "Fosdyke Saga" have been published, in the monthly Charlie Mensuel (in 1973 then in 1982). That definitely was too British for French people (like I'm probably the only one to know/love US "Doonesbury").
Question: Do you plan to propose an article (with some link hehe) about "Romeo Brown" by Jim Holdaway once? That's a great comic strip comedy, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWas only published in Charlie Mensuel too!
..Thanks..!.
ReplyDeleteThank you! thank you! thank you! Amazing to see I'm not the only froggy with a fond memory of Fosdyke Saga! and +1 for Romeo Brown too!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comments and suggestions.
ReplyDeleteNext week there will be an article on Romeo Browm that will include 8 stories (which are the only digitized of the 29 published). Greetings
This article is a great success! Very thankful
ReplyDeleteNice discovery for myself.
ReplyDeleteRegards from France
About Romeo Brown : Oh, that's VERY good news, thanks in advance, Andrew !
ReplyDeleteAnother request : What about Jeff Hawke ? Imho, the best space opera comic strip ever (yes, even before the first books of Valerian & Laureline) and one of the best scifi series too !
About Romeo Brown again : I wrote "Was only published in Charlie Mensuel too!", it's wrong there are 2 books published by Futuropolis that cover the period 1959-62, I forgot I own them !
ReplyDelete"Thanks to" the lockdown, I've got time and will read Fosdyke asap !