Simon Donald: The Legacy of Viz and the Power of Swearing

From Television Times with Steve Otis Gunn Jilted Maggot

Simon Donald started Viz in a Newcastle bedroom in 1979, created some of British comedy's most enduring characters, and spent years watching people fail to understand why it was funny — including some of the people who tried to put it on television.

Simon Donald is a British comedian and co-founder of Viz, the satirical comic magazine that became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1980s and 90s. His creations include Sid the Sexist and Roger's Profanasaurus. After leaving Viz in 2003, he transitioned to stand-up, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and comedy clubs across the country.

What starting an underground comic in a Newcastle bedroom in 1979 actually looked like — and how it became what it became
The challenges of bringing Viz to the screen — and why translation from page to television is never as simple as it sounds
How the magazine's irreverent humour did and didn't survive contact with the film and television industry
What stand-up teaches you about timing that comic strip work never quite does

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