Private Eye

A fortnightly satirical magazine established by Richard Ingrams in 1961, which he edited until 1986 when Ian Hislop took his position. Its predecessor was The Walopian, an underground magazine published at Shrewsbury School by pupils in the mid-1950's and edited by Richard Ingrams with contributions from Willie Rushton and Paul Foot. The 'Eye' is known for its criticism and lampooning of public figures in all walks of life that it deems to have been involved in scandals and cover-ups. It is believed to have the largest circulation of any satirical magazine recorded in 2024 more than 250,000 copies per issue.

The magazine has received much disapproval from the establishment and has been issued with many libel writs throughout its history. These include three issued by James Goldsmith (known in the magazine as "(Sir) Jammy Fishpaste" and "Jonah Jammy fingers") and several by Robert Maxwell (known as "Captain Bob"), one of which resulted in the award of costs and reported damages of £225,000, and attacks on the magazine by Maxwell through a book, Malice in Wonderland, and a one-off magazine, Not Private Eye. Its defenders point out that it often carries news that the mainstream press will not print for fear of legal reprisals or because the material is of minority interest. (Courtesy of Wikipedia).

Artists, cartoonists and well-known public figures who have contributed to the success of the 'Eye' include those mentioned above with others such as Auberon Waugh, Barry Fantoni, Gerald Scarfe, Bill Tidy, FFolkes, Fluck & Law, Ralph Steadman and many more.

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