28 Mar
2012

Posted in: Blog, Comics, Video, Words
By Fanton    5 Comments

Grab A Grandad

This week’s issue sees one of my personal favourites in the current run of Bad Grandad, as I not only really liked the script but was really pleased how it came out. I had slightly changed my drawing technique with this strip, switching to thinner pens to allow for a slightly finer line and a bit more detail – not a huge shift, but something very eagle-eyed readers might notice!

Talking of Bad Grandad, I sat down and recorded myself drawing the geriatric japester for The Dandy’s YouTube channel last week. So if you want to learn how to draw him, enjoy the eight excellent minutes of video below! (WARNING: contains traces of my FACE).

Elsewhere in this week’s comic, there’s another episode in the life of the world’s worst ninja, Iykan Si-Yu, plus Mega-Lo Maniacs, a new series from everyone’s second-favourite Jamie (after the Jamie out of Jamie and his Magic Torch), Jamie Smart. And then there’s Not So Wise Owl, a new mini-strip by the fabulous Laura Howell. WHAT A FUN-PACKED ISSUUUUUUE!

The next issue of The Dandy won’t be out until Wednesday 18th April, so I’ll meet you back here in thre weeks. Deal? Deal.

- Fanton.

23 Mar
2012

Posted in: Blog, Radio, Words
By Fanton    No Comments

Bishop’s Got Talent

FOLLOWING on from last week’s success in getting a radio sketch picked up for use by BBC Radio 4 Extra’s ‘Newsjack’ show, I thought I’d have another go this week and so submitted some more material. And blast my braces if they didn’t go and accept another of my sketches!

This time I sold a sketch based around the Archbishop of Canterbury’s recent announcement that he intends to resign soon, and mixed that up with the imminent return of Britain’s Got Talent to create…Bishop’s Got Talent! See what I did there? Genius, I know.

I’m really pleased with the way the sketch turned out, the Newsjack team did a splendid job of making it sound suitably Britain’s Got Talent-alike, and the performances were fantastic. Plus they kept my favourite terrible pun in it – ‘you’ve got to diocese it to believe it’. Hooray!

To listen to the sketch, click upon the following link where you can listen to the show on the ol’ iPlayer, or download it as a podcast to your listening device of choice. It’s about three-and-a-half minutes in, or thereabouts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kvs8r

I’m thrilled to have got some work into the show again, bringing the  grand total of sketches I’ve sold to the BBC up to a not-too-shabby three! I’m slowly forging a nice sideline in comedy writing, which I’d like to do loads more of in the future. In fact, I shan’t rest until they retitle the show ‘NewsAndy’. Or ‘DrewsJack’.

- Fanton.

19 Mar
2012

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Radio, Words
By Fanton    1 Comment

All We Hear Is Radio Ha-Ha

AS REGUALR readers of this blog will know, it’s not all cartooning and comics around here. Well, not QUITE all, anyhow.

Last September I successfully sold a comedy sketch to the BBC, for their topical, satirical radio series ‘Newsjack’, which airs on Radio 4 Extra.

Well, I’m happy to report that last week I managed to sell something else to the BBC, for the current series of the aforementioned show. Hurrah!

This time around I submitted a sketch about the Liberal Democrats’ rather indecisive yes-and-no vote with regard to supporting the potentially ruinous Health and Social Care Bill which is currently working its way through Parliament.

The script for the sketch was truncated and some of my favourite lines were lost in the process, but I was still thrilled nonetheless to receive the email telling me my work would be in that week’s show. It really is such an incredible buzz for me, as a lifelong comedy fan and as a writer looking to expand my portfolio.

The show went out last Thursday, but for those who missed it you can catch up with it via the ever-dependable BBC iPlayer, by clicking ‘pon the following hyper-text link thing from the future:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01dbqk4/

You have until Monday 26th March to listen to it before it vanishes from the site. More importantly, however,  we have even less time to safeguard our NHS, so if you wish to lend your support to the ‘Drop the Bill’ movement, sign this petition here and let the government know you don’t want their stupidly shortsighted bill. It is OUR NHS, after all.

- Fanton.

Illustration by me, from a rejected submission to Private Eye. Ah, some you win, some you lose!