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Billy Bunter

William George Bunter, or Billy Bunter, the "Fat Owl of the Remove", is a fictional character created by Charles Hamilton (using the nom de plume of Frank Richards) for stories set at Greyfriars School in the boys' weekly magazine The Magnet (published from February 15 1908 to 1940).

Importance

George Orwell acknowledged the strength of the character in his essay "Boys' Weeklies" (1940):

Bunter, though in his origin he probably owed something to the fat boy in Pickwick, is a real creation. His tight trousers against which boots and canes are constantly thudding, his astuteness in search of food, his postal order which never turns up, have made him famous wherever the Union Jack waves.

History

There was a previous Billy Bunter character, created by H Philpott Wright, who appeared in a series of stories in Vanguard Library from 1907 (such as "Billy Bunter's Hamper"). Hamilton was also a contributor to Vanguard, but in turn claimed to have first used the Bunter name in a rejected story of 1899. "Inky" (Hurree Jamset Ram Singh) was created in Marvel at Netherby School in 1907, with Hamilton writing as Owen Conquest.

Although Billy Bunter later became famous in his own right, he was not particularly the "star" of the original Magnet stories. These were straightforward school stories in which virtually all of the Remove featured to some extent, especially the "Famous Five" of Harry Wharton, Bob Cherry, Frank Nugent, Johnny Bull and Hurree Jamset Ram Singh (known as "Inky").

The Magnet ceased publication in 1940, at issue 1683, due to the paper shortage and ensuing costs during war-time. There had been at least four more issues already written, but these were never published and are now presumed lost. After the war, Hamilton wrote a new series of books in which Bunter was more or less the main character.

Just about all Magnet stories have now been reprinted in the Howard Baker series and the Greyfriars Book Club series, and other annuals and books, now all out of print.

Comics

In the original genre

After The Magnet folded, Bunter made it into comics, in Knockout, from 15 June 1940. Knockout began only in 1939 but already had a circulation of several times that of The Magnet. C. H. Chapman, the last illustrator for The Magnet, drew only the first nine Knockout strips and several other artists were tried out but none really suited until Frank Minnit came along. He had been illustrating a number of comics at the time and arrived at the editor's office just the right time. They were pleased with his beaming and bouncy Bunter which first followed Chapman's style then branched off into a style of his own, concentrating more on humour. Over not many years, Wharton, Nugent, Cherry, Bull and Ram Singh vanished to be replaced by the diminutive Jones minor who had all the good qualities that Bunter did not. However this did not stop him from being led astray by Bunter, against his better judgement. Mr Quelch stayed, at least in name, but he lost his dignity and aloofness and became a straight man in a knockabout farce which often ended with Bunter being caned.

Minnit continued producing the strip with undiminished vigour until he died in 1958. Reg Parlett took over until Knockout was knocked out in 1961 when it was transferred to Valiant comic until 1976. Bunter also appeared in many Knockout annuals, even on some covers. For use of his character, Hamilton was paid £5 a week until he died in 1961. C.H. Chapman drew a strip for the Comet comic in 1956 which featured the classical old Bunter of The Magnet and the Famous Five, consisting of twelve weeks of 2-page strips (24 pages). Bunter's appearances in The Comet lasted from 4 March 1950 until 21 June 1958, with picture stories from 9 February 1952. Issues were No. 85-135 (4 Mar 1950 - 17 Feb 1951), 186-240 (9 Feb 1952 - 21 Feb 1953), 407-496 (5 May 1956 - 18 Jan 1958), 506-518 (29 May 1958 - 21 Jun 1958).

The Billy Bunter comics were also published in the Dutch comics magazine Sjors as "Billie Turf" since 1955. Bunter became one of the household characters of that magazine and its successors, which meant that Bunter kept appearing in anthology-style comic collection in Dutch until the end of the 20th century. From 1963 on "Billie Turf" comic strip albums were published, something continued well into the 21st century. Based on the comics version of Billy Bunter three Billie Turf movies were made (1978-1983), mostly spelling the name of the main character as "Billy Turf".

In the modern genre

In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, the main contact is named Campion Bond. Billy Bunter's school Greyfriars is revealed to be a training ground for spies including James Bond, and the actor who played Billy Bunter was Gerald Campion. This is the back-story of the Campion Bond character in LOEG. In the third volume, The Black Dossier, Harry Wharton has become "General Sir Harold Wharton", head of the Ingsoc Party and known as "Big Brother." After his 1952 death, he was succeeded as Party leader by Gerald O'Brien. Bob Cherry, whose full name was Robert Kim Cherry, came to call himself Harry Lime. Bunter himself had become a schoolmaster at Greyfriars and was allowed to remain as a caretaker after the school closed. This may have been due to the influence of his sister Bessie, who had married Wharton.

Television

Billy Bunter was played by Gerald Campion in a BBC television series, 40 black and white episodes lasting 30 minutes each over seven seasons from 1952 (the BBC claims 1953) until 1961. There were also three specials made. Apart from Gerald Campion, most of the cast were replaced over time. Kynaston Reeves/John Woodnutt/Jack Melford played form master Henry Quelch. Keith Faulkner played Bob Cherry; Michael Crawford/Michael Danvers-Walker played Frank Nugent; Barry McGregor played Johnny Bull; Anthony Valentine/John Charlesworth played Harry Wharton; and Melvyn Hayes/David Spenser played Hurree Jamset Ram Singh of the Famous Five. John Rutherford played Herbert Vernon Smith, the Bounder; Philip Guard played Skinner (the Cad); John Quayle played Peter Todd; Cavane Malone played Lord Mauleverer; John Osbourne played Head Boy/Prefect Wingate; Edward Lexy played Mr Prout; Christopher Hodge played Gosling, the school porter; and John Stuart played Dr Locke, the Headmaster.

The earliest shows were broadcast on Tuesdays at 5:40 pm, with another performance at 8pm (the latter being changed slightly for a more adult audience). The main problem with the show was that, while the adults (including Campion, who was 29 when he first played Bunter) were convincing in their roles, many of the boys weren't, and most were just there as 'background'. For instance Wharton gave no sign of leadership, Ram Singh unconvincingly reeled off metaphors, and Cherry was not exuberant. But still the show was a success and gained many new Bunter fans.

All the episodes were scripted by Frank Richards. The programme's memorable theme music was Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Songs. As with many old shows, the BBC literally threw the originals away or burnt them. Now surviving is the complete third series, five episodes of the sixth series and a poor quality episode of the seventh series. There are no plans for release on DVDs, despite fans writing to the BBC asking for them. Some editions have, however, appeared on YouTube.com.

Complaints of plagiarism

BBC Television, the producers of the popular science fiction TV series, Doctor Who, received complaints in 1963 from lawyers acting on behalf of the late Frank Richards' estate. The character Cyril (played by Peter Stephens in The Celestial Toymaker storyline) was said to bear a remarkable resemblance to William George Bunter. The BBC issued a disclaimer saying that Cyril was merely "Bunter-like".

Stage

There were also Christmas stage shows with different casts:

1958. Billy Bunter's Mystery Christmas (Palace Theatre, London)
1959. Billy Bunter Flies East (Victoria Palace Theatre)
1960. Billy Bunter's Swiss Roll (Victoria Palace Theatre)
1961. Billy Bunter Shipwrecked (Victoria Palace Theatre)
1962. Billy Bunter's Christmas Circus (Queen's Theatre)
1963. Billy Bunter meets Magic (Shaftesbury Theatre)

Details for 1962: Peter Bridgmont as William George Bunter, Peter Sanders as Bob Cherry, David Griffin as Johnny Bull, Gregory Warwick as Harry Wharton, Barry Henderson as Frank Nugent, Louis Aquilina as Hurree Jamset Ram Singh, Robert Lanksheer as Mr Quelch. This play was performed at the Queen's Theatre on Monday December 24 1962 and featured the Christmas holidays at Wharton Lodge and a circus nearby.

Trivia since 1960's

In the 1980s, a chain of fast food restaurants called Bunter's experienced brief success in Britain. These restaurants prominently featured images of Billy Bunter.
Billy Bunter also features in a book about boys' weeklies called Boys Will Be Boys, by E. S. Turner, which surveys comics such as Victorian 'penny dreadfuls', and others up to the 1960s.
A large selection of Billy Bunter comic strips and some stories are featured in The Big Fat Bunter Book by Mike Higgs. Published by Hawk Books in 1989, it is 290 pages and originally cost £9.95 in the UK. ISBN 0 948248 02 5.
Gerald Campion was asked to appear as Bunter in schoolboy uniform for the short lived BBC TV show Where Are They Now? which featured people who had disappeared from the public spotlight. However, as he believed the £10 they offered him to do so was derisory, he refused. This was revealed by an indignant Campion in a later TV interview on afternoon TV.
In British Cockney Rhyming Slang, 'Billy Bunter' came to be the term for 'Punter', a word they would use for a customer.
In February 2008 Daily Telegraph journalist Jim White suggested that in these more politically correct times Bunter would be seen as a victim of poor parenting, Mrs Mimble castigated by Jamie Oliver for providing unsuitable fare and the "Famous Five" sent on anger management classes.
On February 19 2008 BBC Radio Four broadcast a half-hour tribute called Billy Bunter's Birthday Bash, hosted by Gyles Brandreth.
Bunter made a very late one-off appearance, now grown up, in the 'Baxter Basics' strip in the adult comic Viz, (cf) as Sir William Bunter, conservative MP for Greyfriars Central!