Andy Capp


Andy Capp is an English comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe, seen in The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Mirror newspapers since 5 August 1957. Originally a single-panel cartoon, it was later expanded to four panels.
The strip is syndicated internationally by Creators Syndicate. The character is also licensed as the mascot for a line of snack foods.

Characters and story

Andy is a working-class figure who never actually works, living in Hartlepool, a harbour town in County Durham, in northeast England. The title of the strip is a pun on the local pronunciation of "handicap"; and the surname "Capp" signifies how Andy's cap always covered his eyes along with, metaphorically, his vision in life.
Andy's hobbies include pigeon racing, darts, snooker, playing football, occasional cricket and rugby, betting on horses, getting drunk in the local pub, ending up in the local jail, fishing, unsuccessfully mooching money from everyone for beer, unsuccessfully flirting with barmaids, picking up other bargirls, loafing on the sofa, and fighting with his long-suffering wife Florrie.
Andy's iconic checked cap is always pulled down over his eyes, even when he is napping or bathing. He is often unshaven, frequently intoxicated, lazy, freeloading, belligerent, and confrontational, but just as frequently lovable. Until the 1980s he was often seen with a cigarette dangling from his lip. When Andy gave up smoking in 1983 some readers blamed political correctness. However, Fergus McKenna, head of syndication at Trinity Mirror which publishes the Daily Mirror, denied that the newspaper had put pressure on Smythe to change Andy's habits, saying: "The truth is that Reg himself gave up smoking and he said there was no way Andy was going to carry on enjoying cigarettes when Reg couldn't". Similarly, Andy no longer beats his wife, because of concerns about the depiction of domestic violence; instead, Andy and Florrie now attend marriage counselling.
Andy and Florrie are always on the verge of poverty. Although Flo works regularly as a charwoman, Andy is unemployed and lacks motivation. Rent on their terraced house and its contents is constantly in arrears, and the rent collector, Percy Ritson, despairs of ever being paid. Their furniture has been repossessed on several occasions. Somehow they always manage to retrieve it, and Andy is always able to afford beer and gambling money, usually by borrowing from Florrie. The "Rose and Crown" barman, Jackie, is regularly seen as well. Almost all the characters occasionally "break the fourth wall" by delivering asides directly to the reader, or even as a very terse 'thought bubble', usually referring to Andy's low character. The 24 October 1972 strip revealed that Andy once worked as a sign painter, but had not worked at that trade for many years. Should anyone suggest he get one, his response is often very terse and along the lines of 'Don't be so ridiculous!' He is occasionally shown finding excuses why he cannot take a job that seems suitable for him. On more than one occasion, it was mentioned that Andy had served in the Royal Air Force. According to Don Markstein,
The strip takes place almost exclusively in one of three locations: the pub, the street, or inside the Capps' residence at 37 Durham Street. Less-frequently visited places include the racetrack, the marriage counsellor, and the football pitch.
Andy's and Flo's best friends are their neighbours Chalkie and Rube White. Chalkie is a hard-drinking working-class type like Andy, who can often be seen sharing a pint with him at the corner pub, but Chalkie seems mellower than Andy, and more tolerant of his wife. Rube is Flo's confidante, and the two often trade gossip over the clothesline about their husbands' latest escapades. The local vicar is also often seen. Andy despairs of his holier-than-thou attitude, as he is constantly criticising Andy for his many bad habits and vice-ridden lifestyle. He often lets his opinion be known to Flo, who agrees with his low assessment of Andy's character.
At times, Flo will forcibly remove Andy from the pub when she feels he has been there for far too long. When he comes home, especially in the earlier strips, Flo often confronted him about his doings, sometimes striking him. However, Flo is not without her own vices. She goes to Bingo as often and with as much frequency as Andy goes to the pub. Whenever this happened, the roles are reversed, with Andy usually confronting Flo for being late and sometimes striking her. Flo is also not a good cook, regularly ruining the meals with her lack of ability.
Flo's mother, an unseen character whose dialogue appears from out of frame, often chimes into the conversation, mostly with sarcastic criticism of her son-in-law. Flo's "mam", whom Andy addresses only as "Missus", is often the subject of Andy's pointed barbs about her weight and less-than-sunny disposition, but she has been known to give as good as she gets. Andy's mother was similarly mentioned and also delivered dialogue from offstage, but her "appearances" were cut back significantly as the years passed. Andy's father has also been mentioned. Flo has an older sister named Polly who is seen once, and never-seen brother. Andy had a pet whippet, Nancy, and has always kept pigeons.
Two of the constables who observe Andy's drunken behavior are named Alan and Trevor.

Continuation

Reg Smythe died on 13 June 1998, but the original strip has continued. For some time, the writer and artist were uncredited, but in November 2004 the strip began to carry a credit for Roger Mahoney and Roger Kettle. Circa 2011, Kettle discontinued his work on the strip and was replaced by Lawrence Goldsmith and Sean Garnett, while Mahoney continues to draw. The appearance of the characters has not changed perceptibly since Smythe's death.
In May 2012, Andy Capp appeared as an animated series for the first time in promotional material for The Trinity Mirror-owned MirrorBingo.com website. The animation was created by Teesside-born Chris Hunneysett, who drew from his own background to place Andy Capp in Middlesbrough. Andy Capp had previously appeared in animated form in television adverts for the Post Office and Kit Kat.

Awards

Smythe received the National Cartoonists Society's Humor Comic Strip Award for the strip in 1974.
A statue of Andy Capp was erected in Hartlepool on 28 June 2007. It was sculpted by Jane Robbins.

Book collections and reprints

United Kingdom

Stage

In 1981 a stage musical based on the strip had a short run at London's Aldwych Theatre, with songs by Alan Price and Trevor Peacock, starring Tom Courtenay as Andy and Val McLane as Florrie. The stage show also produced an original West End cast recording, released on LP record by Key Records in 1982. The musical was reprised in 2016 at the Finborough Theatre in London, with Roger Alborough portraying Andy.

Television

An attempt to transfer Andy Capp to television in 1988 met with little success. The well-known British character actor James Bolam played Andy on ITV. The Thames Television series consisted of six episodes that were shown once and have never been repeated. The series was poorly received and attracted some criticism for the way it played up to supposed stereotypes of Northern working class men.
In 2012 the series was released on DVD in the UK, licensed by Fremantle Media Ltd to the Network Label.

Computer game

In 1987, a computer game based on Andy Capp, entitled Andy Capp: The Game, was released for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum in Europe and North America. Players had to borrow money in order to replenish Andy's alcohol supply while avoiding fights with his wife Flo and the police.

Around the world

A Konkani language adaptation of the comic strip, known as Anton Chepekar used to feature in the Konkani daily Sunaparant.

Related comics

When the children's comic Buster was launched in 1960, its masthead character was entitled "Buster: Son of Andy Capp". Buster wore a cloth cap similar to Andy's until 1992, but the connection was not recognised in the parent strip and had limited development in the children's comic. Buster often referred to his father, and Andy was seen in the comic attempting to find a gas leak in three frames of the 18 June 1960 strip. He was also shown in two drawn photographs in the 2 July 1960 issue, the first of which was displayed by Buster's mum with the pronouncement "It's a photo of Buster taken with Andy! You can see he's got his dad's fine straight nose". Buster's mum was often referred to by name and was consistently drawn to resemble Andy's wife Flo.