Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (TV Series 1952–1961) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School 30min a list of 96 titles created 28 Apr 2012 a list of 1320 titles created 20 Nov 2014 Title: Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1952–1961) 6.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Add Image Add an image Do you have any images for this title? 19 February 1952 (UK) See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Early episodes were staged twice for the benefit of child and adult viewers, usually at 3.30 pm and again at 5 pm.

See more » Connections (Derby, UK) – See all my reviews You're either an all-out fan of the exploits of schoolboys Billy Bunter, Tom Merry, Jimmy Silver etc from the imagination of Frank Richards (Charles Hamilton) as I am, or you won't hope to understand the attraction at all. This is especially esoteric stuff because it relates to the Greyfriars school stories by characters and events but compared to the Master's writings this is water compared to wine. With the technical limitations of 1950's BBC (or ITV) live TV programmes it's not really surprising, even now when these plays could be handled so much better from an acting and production point of view one's own imagination is always the best place to replay a favourite story. Although the shows were centred on the perfectly cast Gerald Campion in the tour de force role of Billy Bunter, he's (luckily maybe) never intruded upon my imagination when reading any of the original stories. Charles Hamilton (1876-1961) is in the Guinness Book of Records for having written more words in his lifetime than anyone else - the equivalent of 1000 full length novels.

One of his many thousands of literary creations, Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School came to life in the Magnet, a weekly British boys story paper 1908-1940, and lived on in novels published 1947-1965 (although the last were ghosted by a substitute). Although incredibly popular and influential at the time over the years since the '60's his star has waned, partly thanks to the changing times, but mainly due to his non-promotion by indifferent rights owners. With the result that now hardly anyone under 50 years old has even heard of Billy Bunter. The TV shows ran throughout the '50's, a testament to just how popular the stories were. A testament to the modern BBC in their zealous endeavours to bury or alter modern perceptions of the past up until 1970 (in other words, pre-pc) is their continued refusal to even consider releasing any surviving episodes. Why not just have done and burn the tapes then, or is letting them rot in the cans the favoured cheaper option?

"Backing up Bunter" broadcast 9.9.56: Bunter has 200 lines to do for Quelch, but gets The Famous Five to help him write them out with the promise of a car ride later in the day for them all courtesy of his father's male secretary, Tregg. The car doesn't turn up, but what does is that Bunter's father has been robbed of £5000, Tregg has vanished, and a strange surly person has taken moved into a cottage close to the school.... The ancient school porter Gosling, appears in this as very helpful, around 50 years old with (thinning) black hair - not quite how most people would have imagined him! Richards had used variants of this plot from the Magnet story paper of the '10's to a hardback book in the '50's, so at the time both young and old would have been on familiar ground! The earlier series of these shows were performed live twice, once for the kids, then later in the evening for their Dads.

"Bunter on the Warpath" broadcast 7.10.56: A familiar story for devotees updated to include that new fangled invention, the wireless. Bunter given lines by Quelch plots revenge by stealing and temporarily hiding his Masters radio. Nasty pair Skinner and Snoop also given lines to do take revenge on Quelch by stealing and hiding his Beethoven gold medallion. The 2 threads converge into a satisfying denouement. Young Melvyn Hayes played Skinner to the life, and yet it seemed that all of his later roles were nice guys. Liberties of course were taken with the original stories, settings, even characters to fit into a live 30 minute TV play, but it was a job done well enough to get my moderate applause half a century later. "Billy Bunter's Burglar" broadcast 27.6.1959: A much simplified re-tread of a favourite Magnet tale from 1928, where Bunter is snooping treacle in the middle of the night, in the dark bumps into the Fifth form master Mr. Prout, and punches him on the nose.

Prout thinks that his obtuse and sometimes violent pupil, Coker, has committed the dastardly deed and has him marked for expulsion from Greyfriars.... This one has young David Hemmings miscast as a stuttering bespectacled George Potter and young Michael Crawford miscast as an unusually silent Johnny Bull, these two and everyone else revolving like admiring satellites around well cast thirty-something Campion as Bunter. "Double Bunter" broadcast 3.6.1961: Basically a one-dimensional re-tread of a three-dimensional 1919 Richards story - Billy gets fed up at school and temporarily swaps places with his identical cousin Wally who's been staying nearby. What happens next is obvious to devotees, the character change in Billy amazes the natives. As it was broadcast live on TV, the 4 bits of film inserted into it meant valuable time for re-positioning etc! Campion as both of the Bunters was excellent and believable, even if playing the 15 year old Billy in his 30's. The rest of the "schoolboy" cast were pretty deplorable - they had to be as it was Campion's show from start to finish.

John Melford as Mr. Quelch was the only big let down - much too soft and personable! Kynaston Reeves who had previously played him was miles better in the role, although by the end of his tenure in the role was losing interest and fluffing his lines a little. The BBC presented Campion with a 16mm copy of this episode when the shows finally ended in 1961. To me and maybe about a thousand people around the world, wonderful garbage, to everyone else garbage. Isn't that enough people for the BBC or some company to release an expensive collectors edition DVD of the surviving episodes, as most of us fans would pay an awful lot of money to see these shows properly. 9/10 36 of 40 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Greyfriars, 'The Magnet' and Frank Richards. Page finalised 5th November, 2010. Just ONE page on the Collecting Books and Magazines web site based in Australia. Any problems or questions? Please e-mail page author John . The INDEX and LINKS will be found at the end of this page.

YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF 'THE MAGNET? There comes to your editor every so often the need to write about his favourite stories, namely those by Charles Harold St John Hamilton. Thus you are in for more recollections of Greyfriars School in the county of Kent, Billy Bunter, Harry Wharton, the Famous Five, Smithy the Bounder, Quelchy, Inky, the lovely Marjorie, the 'Three Fishers', old Wingate, the venerable Dr Locke.. the list goes on, thanks to the pen Of Frank Richards, Charles Hamilton's most famous pseudonym. The facts on THE MAGNET bear repeating. A weekly story paper, usually 28 pages in length (near A4 in physical size), it ran from 1908 to 1940 through 1683 issues. I suppose I have about half of the original issues with facsimiles of many of the others to be found in the celebrated Howard Baker facsimiles. A decade ago, having filled in quite a few gaps, I sorted all the originals into order and began reading them from the very earliest issues.

This does present difficulties as the majority consist of stories which run from 2 to 10 issues. The single story is the exception, although all stories, even if they do make up a larger saga, can still be enjoyed as self-contained school tales. Sadly, I know very few readers of THE MAGNET nowadays, at least in Australia. It must have enjoyable in the clubs set up in the UK to have been able to have met other enthusiasts and discussed the stories at length. Not that it takes much of an effort on my part to lose myself in the pages of THE MAGNET. I've read hundreds of other authors over the past 45 years; why, then, do I always return to the pages of this popular pre-war boy's story paper? I've given this matter a lot of thought and have read many books on both Frank Richards and his creations. None of these highly enjoyable volumes really offered an explanation. They're really only for the old timers, the 'Converted'.

I'd like to be able to win over a reader or two, to convince you to pick up a 'Magnet', one of the Howard Baker facsimile volumes, a Billy Bunter hardback or an Armada paperback, and read a sampling of Frank Richards' work. (This pseudonym being Charles Hamilton's most familiar, I'll stick with it.) Maybe the best idea is to return to where It All Began, at least for your editor. THE GREYFRIARS HOLIDAY ANNUAL for 1928 was my earliest contact with Greyfriars My father gave it to me not long after I'd learnt to read. The GHA contained stories of Greyfriars and several other famous schools of fiction, including St Jim's and Rookwood, as well as numerous adventure stories, etc., and ran for 22 years, 1920. although with a slightly different title, to 1941. One notable inclusion in this sumptuous annual (which contained 360 pages of small type and magnificent illustrations) was a humorous story by George E Rochester, BAXTER'S BATH CHAIR.

I also to recall a truly mind-boggling school story by P G Wodehouse which obviously appeared in another year. The first story in the 1928 edition tells of a visit by authors Frank Richards, Martin Clifford and Owen Conquest, to Greyfriars. At the time, I no doubt thought it was a factual account! I was shattered many years later to learn that these were all Charles Hamilton pseudonyms. The main Greyfriars story, HOW HORACE COKER GOT HIS REMOVE!, is self-explanatory, but I should explain that Coker was the biggest duffer to be found at Greyfriars. Coker occupied a spot in the Fifth Form (which would put him in the second last year of a NSW secondary school; he was supposed to be approximately 17 years of age). He shared a study with the long-suffering Potter and Greene. Coker was big, brawny, overbearing, but had numerous good points. Brave as a lion and very good-natured, especially if he found anyone down on his or her luck. Such was the author's skill that I still find myself thinking of Coker as a senior.

One criticism of Greyfriars (and of all the other schools which Frank Richards authored) was that the characters never grew up. I find this statement amusing as therein rests one of the many appeals of Greyfriars. One can open up any issue and quite happily read the contents without having to worry about what came before, or what followed. To return to the 1928 annual, I read it many times before eventually coming across the Billy Bunter hardbacks. These I found a disappointment with the abbreviated plotlines, but they were better than nothing. I began acquiring these as they were issued throughout the 1950s and 1960s, then one day picked up several GHAs in a Sydney bookshop, before starting to acquire the genuine articles, THE MAGNETS of the 1930s and earlier. Frank Richards in his lifetime was reputed to have written the equivalent of 1000 full-length novels. He could produce a 35,000 word story for the MAGNET in a matter of days, putting down 50 words a minute via his ancient Remington typewriter. His manuscripts rarely required any corrections and generally went straight to the printers for typesetting.

He was happy writing school stories and did not suffer from any delusions of grandeur. After THE MAGNET closed down, readers of FRANK RICHARDS' stories were made aware through articles in the popular press of his monumental writing feats and began writing to him. He was quite moved by the outpouring of gratitude and began corresponding with many hundreds of people throughout the world. Both the Story Paper Collector (later to be combined with) and the Collector's Digest came into being to cater for many of these readers, plus readers and collectors of the many other pre-WW2 story and comic papers. Frank Richards often sent his characters to foreign shores, quite often to lands he had never visited. A good example is the 'Harry Wharton in Texas' series, issues 1573--82. I have always preferred the school stories, but this series is very enjoyable even though I have no particular interest in the American West. The settings, language and characters have the ring of authenticity. You can just about sense the heat and dust rising from the pages, the wide open spaces, picture the large as life characters. Most probably I'll be reading a 'Magnet' on my deathbed.

HOWARD BAKER FACSIMILES of 'THE MAGNET' Many contributors to the early Collectors Digest regarded the 'golden period' of 'The Magnet' (TM from here on) as being around the early 1930s. Many readers of TM first read the paper in the early 1930s and no doubt, like readers of other story papers, regarded the stories they first read as being the best. Or so it seems to this reader. The first issues I read were from the later 1930s and for a long time I didn't think they could be beaten. Back in the 1960s when I first made the acquaintance of Greyfriars and other schools through the Bunter books and other hardbacks, it was almost impossible to locate copies of TM. Finding the first facsimile volume ('Billy Bunter in the Land of the Pyramids') was a revelation. I never read a Bunter book again, for one thing. For another, I sold off my collection of 38 Bunter books (all in jackets and vg condition) which had taken many years to acquire. Why reads these inferior stories when the 'real thing' was to become readily available, I reasoned.

(This wouldn't stop me later on deciding to once again start collecting the Bunter books!) Since this was written, I've now acquired a complete set from a local and now sadly deceased collector. Howard Baker standard 'Magnet' facsimiles, containing the issues listed. 1. Billy Bunter in the Land of the Pyramids 1277 to 1284 2. The Rebellion of Harry Wharton 1285 to 1296 3. Billy Bunter of Bunter Court 910 to 917 4. Billy Bunter and the Terror of the Form 1247 to 1254 5. Billy Bunter and the Courtfield Cracksman 1138 to 1151 6. The Downfall of Harry Wharton 1255 to 1261,1269 7. The Greyfriars Pretender 1209 to 1219 8. The Mystery of Wharton Lodge 1349 to 1353,1359 9.

The Schemer of the Remove 1404 to 1412 10.Billy Bunter and the Greyfriars Mutiny 1043 to 1049 11.Six Boys in a Boat 1643 to 1650 12.The Greyfriars Adventurers 1588 to 1598 13.Bunter the Ventriloquist 1159,1187-8,1190,1226,1311,1317,1328 14.My Lord Bunter 1457 to 1460,1556 to 1559 15.Calling Mr Quelch 1600 to 1608 16.Harry Wharton's Enemy 1422 to 1427,1469-70 17.The Black Sheep of Greyfriars 1428 to 1433,1479-80 18.The Greyfriars Double 1422 to 1

433 19.The Greyfriars Hikers 1331 to 1340 20.Alonzo the Great 1341-42,1344 to 1348 21.The Tyrant of Greyfriars 1169 to 1174,1227 22.Billy Bunter's Christmas 1191 to 1194,1204,1206 23.The Joker of Greyfriars 1078 to 1082,1084 to 1086 24.The Kidnapped Schoolboys/Terror of the Tong 1175 to 1177,1354 to 1358 24a.The Mysterious Mr Kranz 1354 to 1358 Special collectors' edition taken from no.24.

25.Billy Bunter in China 1178 to 1185 25a.Greyfriars Chums in China 1175 to 1185 Special collectors' edition .

26.A Bargain for Bunter 1652 to 1659 27.The Shadow over Harry Wharton 1059 to 1067 28.Billy Bunter's Circus 1069 to 1076 29.The Mystery of the Moat house 1660 to 1667 30.The Burglar of Greyfriars 1668 to 1675 31.Billy Bunter's Hat Trick 1325 to 1327,1456,1531-32,1573-74 32.The Greyfriars Cowboys 1575 to 1582 33.The Sleuth of Greyfriars 1413 to 1427,1419 to 1421 34.Bunter's Seaside Caper 1418,1434 to 1439 35.The Sit-in Strike at Greyfriars 1510 to 1517 36.Bob Cherry's Big Bargain

 1118 to 1125 37.Billy Bunter's Lucky Day 1518 to 1525 38.Bunter Tells the Truth 1440 to 1447 39.The Ghost of Polpelly 1448 to 1455 40.Billy Bunter's Coronation Party 1526 to 1530,1533 to 1535 41.Billy Bunter's Hair Raid 1676 to 1682 (2nd last issue) Note: Issue 1683 (the final published issue "The Shadow of the Sack") is found in HB Holiday Annual 1973.

Thanks for reminding me, Tony.

42.The Greyfriars Secret Society 1390 to 1397 43.The Dictator of Greyfriars 1398 to 1400,1541 to 1544 44.Billy Bunter in Brazil 1461 to 1468 45.Gunmen at Greyfriars 1471 to 1478 46.The Popper Island Rebels 1374 to 1382 47.The Schoolboy Smuggler 1493 to 1497,1499 to 1501 48.Bunter's Christmas Party 1502 to 1509 49.The Mystery Man of Greyfriars 1615 to 1622 50.Billy Bunter's Easter Trip 1623 to 1630 51.The Bounder's Rebellion 1360 to 1367 52.Bunter the Hypnotist 1368 to 1373,1583-84 5

3.Billy Bunter's Banknote 1262-63,1270 to 1275 54.Vernon-Smith's Rival 1631 to 1638 55.Bunter the Lion Tamer 1481 to 1484,1639 to 1642 56.Bunter's Funny Turn 1485 to 1490,1492,1498 57.Expelled from Greyfriars 1536 to 1540,1560,1613-14 58.Bunter's Christmas Carol 1036-37,1264 to 1268,1276 59.Bunter's Rich Relation 1561 to 1568 60.The Greyfriars Impersonator 1160,1308 to 1310,1569 to 1572 61.The Schoolboy tourists 1132,1312 to 1316,1

319-20 62.The Big Bang at Greyfriars 1545 to 1552 63.Bunter's Orders 1221 to 1223,1321-22,1553 to 1555 64.Billionairing with Bunter 1383 to 1389 65.Greyfriars on Safari 1228 to 1236 66.Ructions at Greyfriars 1237 to 1243 67.Bunter at St.

Jim's 569 to 572,585 plus GEMS 571 to 574,576,578-9,585 68.The Rogue of the Remove 1129 to 1131,1133-34,1157-58 69.The Bully of Greyfriars 1111 to 1117 70.Billy Bunter's Convict 834,1035,1039 to 1041,1056-57 71.The Greyfriars Second Eleven 918 to 922,932-3 72.The Shylock of Greyfriars 1110,1126 to 1128,1133-34,1136 73.Under Bunter's Thumb 1015,1050 to 1052,1068,1090,1137 74.Billy Bunter's Prize 975,

1006,1014,1054,1058,1091,1108 75.The Greyfriars Bounder 1007 to 1013 76.Billy Bunter's Blunder 844,938,940,1083,1109,1153,1220 77.Harry Wharton's Feud 942,945 to 948,950-1 78.The Persecution of Billy Bunter 956 to 959,971,973,1027 79.

The Odd Fellows of Greyfriars 993,1030,1053,1055,1077,1152,1189 80.For Ever Bunter 897,899,900,906 to 909 81.The Greyfriars Mysteries 939,944,949,952 to 955 82.Billy Bunter Expelled!

760-1,826,874 to 877 83.The Greyfriars Rivals 898,904,935,-6,972,980,991 84.The Greyfriars Actors 613-4,660 to 664,873,937 85.Bunter's Postal Order Mystery 890 to 892,901 to 903,905 86.Bowling Out Bunter 840,889,894-5,943,941,943 87.Bunter's Poor Relations 832-3,835 to 839 88.Billy Bunter's Wembley Party 856-7,861,870 to 872,878 89.The Iron Hand at Greyfriars 842,845,847,849 to 852 90.Wally Bunter at Greyfriars 5

73 to 583 91.The Greyfriars Cup 813,815,817-8,824-5,827 92.Napoleon of Greyfriars 534,536-7,539 to 543,546 to 548 93.Bunter the Punter 551,553 to 556,558 to 561,563,568 94.Bunter's Barring Out 800 to 805,816 95.Detective Bunter 780,785-6,788,790 to 792 96.Mr Bunter-Form Master 731 to 735,741-2 97.Bunter's Lawsuit 746-7,754,762,767,775,777 98.Society for Reforming Billy Bunter 703,710 to 714,71

6-7 99.Billy Bunter-Film Star 718 to 722,724-5,736,740 100.Goodbye Greyfriars 439,442,446-7,450,452-3,455 Just as original issues of TM have become more readily available over the past decade, so have the limited edition facsimile volumes (to be listed in the near future) containing in many cases the early issues.

At first I found the very early issues, those before no. 100, difficult to digest. CH however, was a fast learner. He tested out plots and characters in those first hundred issues and soon mastered the Art of the school story. Two interesting characters from these early issues who later degenerated into caricatures were Fisher T Fish of the Remove and Horace Coker of the Fifth. 'Fishy' started off as a not unlikable and fairly believable member of the cast. His American mannerisms weren't so pronounced, nor was his be-all and end-all the great dollar. Likewise Coker, who began as a far more sensible member of the Shell before Aunt Judy browbeat Dr Lock into moving her favourite nephew up to the Fifth. That isn't to say he was a good student. Far from it! But he had a measure of common sense which was to disappear completely in the later issues. He knew when fellows were making fun of him and generally accepted their jibes with good humour. Later on his humour vanished. Jokers would instead find themselves wearing bloodied noses! The order in which the Howard Baker limited editions were published must have jarred the sensibilities of readers who had not experienced the earlier issues.

Having read so much of the opinions of others, I fully expected to find early issues hard going, and it turned out to be the case as mentioned above. Then I opened the following volume. [Note - I am assuming readers are familiar with the characters. Ratings vary from * average to ** good and *** brilliant!] THE GREYFRIARS HIKERS, Howard Baker Press London, 1973. Volume no.19. Facsimile issues of THE MAGNET originally published in 1934, numbers 1331 to 1340. Nowadays, 'product placement' is often remarked upon, be it in movies, TV shows or even in news reports. 'The Greyfriars Hikers' contains perhaps the most blatant example of 'product placement' in the history of juvenile literature! However, rather than detract from the story, this does in fact add to its overall enjoyment. It's time for the Summer holidays as we find Greyfriars soaking up the last half-holiday of the term in 'Micky, the Sprat!'. Harry Wharton and Co are enjoying a row on the River Sark, Coker and Co.

of the Fifth less so when the two boats come within reach of each other. While this is going on, masters Quelch and Prout are taking a walk through Courtfield when they come upon Ponsonby and Co. of Highcliffe. Soon after, a smash'n'grab takes place at Mr Lazarus' pawn shop in the main street of the town. Quelch manages to dislodge one the culprits from their motorbike and the chase is on. Before long all the locals are involved, as the culprit runs along the bank of the Sark. Only our favourite Fat Owl is away from the action, having taken Bob Cherry's HOLIDAY ANNUAL, thinking it was a package of food. Yes, Billy Bunter takes centre stage and is made use of by one of the smash'n'grab men, 'Micky, the Sprat'. Micky, knowing he will be caught, leaves a clue in the HOLIDAY ANNUAL, but is spotted by an ever-watchful Ponsonby carrying out the task. 'The Greyfriars Hikers', issue 1332, sees The Famous Five ready to start their hike from The Wheatsheaf Inn, Cowgate, Surrey.

We learn that Old Lazarus has offered a fifty pounds reward for the return of his stolen jewellery, so Ponsonby and friends are soon on the trail of the HOLIDAY ANNUAL which Bob Cherry has taken on the hike. The story will continue through further issues as our friends meet up with Coker and of course Smithy. This series was arguably the most popular hiking holiday to appear in 'The Magnet' and was written by Chas Hamilton while he was at his best. Hamilton's best was brilliant, and this series makes great, nostalgic reading from beginning to end. While I prefer stories set in Greyfriars, I love 'The Greyfriars Hikers' and am sure occupants of England will enjoy it even more as our heroes traverse many counties and well known locations. One interesting subject brought up is that of the tithe sales: farmers having their assets seized and auctioned off, often to speculators wanting to get rich quick. As you will find, the HOLIDAY ANNUAL, 1934 issue, is the star of 'The Greyfriars Hikers' and no doubt sold in record numbers in 1933!

*** THE FALL OF THE BOUNDER Magnet issues 487 to 494 (1917) and available as Greyfriars Book Club Volume no.24, limited edition of 500, Howard Baker, London 1979.*** Herbert Vernon-Smith, 'Smithy' or 'The Bounder', has always been a favourite. A mixture of good and bad, with one or the other predominating to his credit or detriment, Smithy could be relied upon to serve up the reader with a good story. In the post-1930 Magnets, he often provided a welcome change from the antics of Billy Bunter. In the issues to be found within this volume, Bunter is relatively bearable. His character is fairly well formed but CH hasn't yet taken to using him to pad out the stories as he was to do in the late 1930s. 'The Fall of the Bounder', issue 487, sees Smithy take the fall for his study mate, Harold Skinner. (This is before Tom Redwing came to Greyfriars.) Quelch finds cigarettes in their study and Skinner denies ownership.

Smithy is gated and decides that if he is to be given a bad name, he will live up to it. In 'The Bounder's Match', issue 488, he is simply outrageous and the reader (myself, at least) couldn't help smiling as he plays a series of remarkable tricks on his form-mates. Wharton isn't amused and I have to admit to being guiltily amused at seeing the Captain of the Remove taken down a peg or two! Unlike later and similar series, Smithy does not carry on a personal vendetta against Wharton. He does end up having to fight his Captain, but this is done without bitterness or rancor. In short, Smithy in this series is not only a brilliantly drawn character, he is as believable as any other fictional character ever committed to paper. He doesn't indulge in dirty tricks because of any evil thoughts, it is his way of triumphing over authority. 'The Last Straw!', issue 489, sees Smithy consorting with Ponsonby and the other cronies from Highcliff on a regular basis but only for the sake of 'playing the part'. His heart is not really in it.

A meeting with the lovely Marjorie Hazeldene of Cliff House causes Smithy to make a frank admission: "I've dropped into my old ways".."You used to dislike me then; and now I'm the same chap again, only worse." Marjorie asks: "Is it worthwhile?" Says Smithy: "No, it never is. But a fellow often will do things that are not worth while..." and he goes on to explain why Quelch had come down on him. "But I don't want to whitewash myself, even to you. It's in my blood. Some fellows are born with a kink in them, and I'm one. I was getting fed up with going straight - that's honest! I was going to stick it out- I meant that. But I found it a horrible bore sometimes..." From this point on, the reader is on Smithy's side. This reader was, at least! His path after that point leads ever downwards but my sympathies were with him, especially after Wharton - but that would spoil it for you. After 490. 'The Bounder's Way' comes 491.

'Sir Jimmy's Pal', in which the arrival of a down and out friend of Sir Jimmy Vivian at Greyfriars gives Hamilton the opportunity to display his abhorrence of snobbery and class distinctions. This is CH at his best. His study of the attitudes of the various members of the remove concerning the arrival make this story worth reading again and again. Sir Jimmy, missing from later stories, was a fascinating character. He had lived on the streets of the city until found by Lord Mauleverer's uncle. (His story was told in an earlier issue.) Not one to forget his old friends, Jimmy neglects to think of how the arrival of 'The Spadger' will embarrass the latter. As Mauly says: "I'm quite sure this Spadger is a rippin' kid - better than Skinner or Snoop, anyway. I'd pal with him with pleasure, as far as I'm concerned - ...But he's trampin' it from London. You can guess the state he will arrive in. - It's a shame that poor kids live in such a state in this country.

With seven million quid goin' on the War every day, it seems odd that we can't afford to keep kids in boots." Smithy, against the wishes of Skinner, shines in this issue as you will discover, and again in 492. 'Sharing the Risk'. Not so, Sidney Snoop, who features in it. Smithy is 'Against His Own Side' in 493., in an amusing an relatively light-hearted story, while Skinner receives a shock in 494. 'A Lesson for Skinner'. Probably the best series of 'The Magnet' read, up to this point. Thirteen years later comes: ACTION AT GREYFRIARS, Magnet issues 1161 to 1168 (1930) and available as Greyfriars Book club Volume no.25, limited edition of 500, Howard Baker London, 1979.*[Fish Kidnapping] and **[Pop of the Circus] The contrast in style between this volume and the previous as reviewed above is remarkable. Rather than an intriguing plot and intricate character studies we find a light-hearted story concerning various attempts to kidnap Fishy.

His father having cornered the US Pork Market, Fisher T Fish suddenly becomes attractive to American criminals. This was the period of big crime in the US, both in real life and on the screen. Prohibition had given rise to a dramatic increase in criminal activity so it seems likely that CH was told to write this series. Bunter had now taken centre stage and the rest of the cast had degenerated into 'also rans' - in this series, anyway. The dialogue used by the author for his gangsters is an expansion of that employed for Fishy and soon becomes tiresome. It takes five issues for the action to start moving. Issue 1165 is an excellent read. The second series in this volume concerns 'Pop' of the Circus. 'Pop' is a nephew of Sir Hilton Popper, one of the school's governors. Cecil Popper is a daredevil trapeze artist with Walker's World-Famous Circus. Or he had been until his uncle, endowed with a three hundred pound allowance in return for looking after the lad, sends the latter to Greyfriars. This short three issue series is far more amusing than the Fish series.

The final issue, 1168, had me in fits of laughter. CH at his most amusing. Even Bunter is bearable for a change. THE FLOGGING JUDGE JEFFREYS, Magnet issues as below (1917) and available as Greyfriars Book club Volume no.27, limited edition of 500, Howard Baker London, 1979. This volume consists of 12 copies of the Magnet 496-8, 501-5, 507-8, 510-11. Issues 496-7 feature Hurree Singh in a case of mistaken identity. Not very exciting as 'Inky' hadn't yet developed into the interesting character he would become much later. * 498 stars Horace Coker of the Fifth. A humorous if dated story of his attempts to organise the Greyfriars residents and even Friardale locals for the war effort. Be warned of anti-German content! Apart from the foregoing, it's a great read, more than a laugh a minute.** 501-5 provide the main course in this volume, and a great meal it is!

The very first 'barring out' series from CH, which makes later school rebellion series look rather tame. The headmaster is taken sick and retires from the scene, to be replaced by a Mr Jeffreys. "His face was thin and hard and cold. His eyes were steely, and looked as sharp as gimlets. His grim face presented a startling contrast to the kind old visage of Dr Locke." The new head soon gets Mr Quelch off side, who quits and is replaced by a crony of Jeffreys, Mr Schwartz. This gentleman soon puts the Remove backs up, with the result that a secret society is formed to bring both to heel. Loder, Smithy, in fact most of the regulars feature in this series. Once again, a great deal of anti-Prussian content dates the series but it was after all the middle of the Great War. Readers at the time must have been lining up outside their newsagents waiting for each thrilling issue. And it is a thrilling series with anything you can think of likely to happen; *** dropping to **.

507 is an excellent story of Ponsonby attempting to bring Wingate Minor under his control as a means of getting back at George Wingate.** 508 has Coker making a fool of himself. Average but funny. * 510-11 see Levinson of St Jim's return to his old school Greyfriars with the footer team. Skinner is pure evil while Smithy, the Bounder, is finely balanced. Which way he turns to, good or evil, will be left for the reader to find out. CH at his best. *** BILLY BUNTER'S HAT TRICK, Howard Baker Press London, 1975. Volume no.31. Facsimile issues of THE MAGNET originally published between 1936-1938; numbers 1325-27, 1456, 1531-32 and 1573-74. Issues 1325-26 will keep Bunter fans in stitches.

He 'borrows' Mauly's straw boater and the hat falls into the hands of a crook who hides a one hundred pounds banknote in its hatband. That is the plot. The adventures Chas. Hamilton weaves around the tale of the hat through two issues of 'The Magnet' are priceless. Issue 1327 'The Shylock of Greyfriars' features the Yank of the Remove, Fisher T Fish, up to his old money-lending tricks. Another good'un. 'Bunter's Bid for a Fortune', issue 1456, sees Billy sending off a pools coupon with high expectations. At long last, you'll see the Owl with a postal order in his hand! But for how much? 'Bunter On the Spot' begins a two-parter 1531-32 in which our tuck-raiding hero picks up fifty pounds reward for putting the bobbies onto a couple of smash'n'grab thieves. 'Billy Bunter's Windfall', the second part, will amaze you. This issue sees a side of Bunter not evident in any other story.

'Bound for the Wild West' issues 1573-74 begin the long Texas series which runs through a further 8 issues in another volume, which I lack. Apart from the last two issues, the others are top reading. *** and * INDEX and LINKS C. H. CHAPMAN A page of memories, photos and artwork supplied by the grandson of the famous 'Billy Bunter' artist Page editor's 'for sale' area will be found here . FRIARDALE The ultimate site; CH material available in electronic format. The Gateway Interesting Greyfriars spinoff stories on this wonderful site.

Question: In literature, who was the best known pupil of Greyfriar's School?
Answer: BILLY BUNTER