Kipper Williams (born 1951) Kipper Williams is a popular and regular cartoonist for the Spectator, the Oldie, Private Eye and The Critic. His strip cartoon 'London Calling' recently appeared in the London Evening Standard. Christopher Williams was born in the Wirral, Cheshire, on 30 December 1951, the son of local government officer Aubrey Williams. His nickname ‘Kipper’ came from a childhood pronunciation of Christopher. Attending Ellesmere Port Grammar School before studying fine art at Leeds University (1970-74) and the Royal College of Art (1974-76), he created cartoons as a ‘reaction against traditional fine art and painting’. In 1973, whilst at Leeds, his contributions to the Leeds Student Magazine formed the basis of his first collection of cartoons, winning him a New Statesman/NUS Student Journalist Competition the following year.
On completing his study, Williams became a full time cartoonist and contributed to The Sunday Times, the New Statesman, Private Eye, Punch, Nursing Times, Country Life, the Spectator, the Daily Telegraph, Top of the Pops Magazine and Radio Times. He became known for the strips ‘The Lady and the Wimp’ for Time Out, ‘Pile ’em High’ for The Sunday Times (until 2014), and ‘Eurocats’ for the Guardian from 1991 ,and drew a daily cartoon for the Guardian’s finance pages until 2016. His work has been published in a number of books, including No Peas forthe Wicked. In 2005 he provided cartoon illustrations for Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Everything, and he is currently drawing cartoons for Bill Bryson's illustrated edition of 'The Body'. Some of his Sunday Times cartoons will soon be appearing in Bridget Jones Diary Anniversary Edition. His cartoon collection ' All In Tents and Porpoises - The Best of Kipper Williams' was published by Amberley in 2016 and in 2018 he contributed to The Penguin Book of Brexit Cartoons.
In 2014 he was Official Cartoonist at the Port Eliot Festival and in 2016 he was Festival Cartoonist at the Cornwall Folk Festival. He also draws regularly for a number of medical and engineering magazines.
Kipper Williams made his successful debut at Chris Beetles Gallery exhibiting in ‘Having a Laugh! The British Art of the Cartoon’. Since then he has became an ever present favourite in the gallery where a large selection of his work can always be seen.
