Captain Moonlight

OH, CALAMITY] Bad news, indeed. Nudge yourself, wink and shed a tear for a world of downtrodden little men and enormous wives, a world where blondes are always bending over and innocent words take on the most extraordinary meanings. The, er, bottom is dropping out of the rude postcard market. Bamforth, purveyor of the work of the legendary Arnold Taylor, is losing money and leaving Holmfirth for Scarborough, home of E T W Dennis and Sons, its parent company. John Lilley, sales director, pinpoints it all to Larkin's year, 1963, the liberation of Lady Chatterley, the end of innocence and the beginning of foreign package holidays. Orwell had it right when he wrote: 'It will not do to condemn them on the ground that they are vulgar and ugly. That is exactly what they are meant to be . . . Like the music halls, they are a sort of saturnalia, a harmless rebellion against virtue.' John Lilley talks about updating them and is enthusiastic about his latest issue and his new artist, Sid Kitchen. This sounds ominous, but the good news is that the one the Captain is featuring is in fact an exclusive preview.