Its almost that time of year....or it used to be! This post is from my archive of illustration and memorabilia. It was about this time of year that millions of households would buy their copy of The Radio Times.
It would give the details of every television program for the festive season and I would work through the magazine page by page with a Biro, circling all the programs I wanted to see at Christmas.
But it wasn’t just about the TV programs that fascinated me. The Radio Times was the ultimate showcase for British Illustration and the December issue was packed with the best that the craft had to offer. Mick Brownfield’s cover Illustrations captured all that the BBC and the Radio Times wanted, Christmas after Christmas.
Morecombe and Wise, The Generation Game, Parkinson and Mick Brownfield Illustration. His nostalgic style provided a warm comfortable feeling, and if Mick wasn’t commissioned to do the cover I always felt disappointed.
His airbrush style had a distinctly 1950’s quality. Typically, Dad would be seen enjoying his new pipe, John would be playing with a gleaming new train set and Janet would be in a world of her own playing with her dolls house. Mum would be in the Kitchen ! Every member of the family would be happy, Santa always came and life was both simple and good.
Mick did a lot of Radio Times covers and he would either sign his work with with a dramatically letter spaced, B r o w n f i e l d, or a simple abstract letter ‘B’ placed in some discreet location on the illustration. I loved his work then...I still love it.
Radio Times. December 1991