Is there any news of the iceberg? - Bill Tidy

With the "Daily Mirror"'s "Fosdyke Saga" of Northern tripe magnates, "The Last Chip Shop in England" and the ruthless folk-dancing "Cloggies" in "Private Eye", not to mention his regular appearances on television and radio programmes, such as Yorkshire TV's "Countdown" and Radio 4's "Sorry I Haven't a Clue" and "News Quiz", Bill Tidy's humour knows no bounds.;Born in Tranmere, Cheshire, the initial Northern flavour of his work soon broadened. His output includes 100,000 cartoons, illustrations and written pieces produced over the last 40 years. His ability to draw and his anarchistic, free-wheeling vision of life combine here to give a funny, satirical commentary on the world as he experienced it, ranging from morris dancing and beer drinking to belching factories and life below the ocean waves. Always avoiding the obvious, he goes straight for the funny bone, even when encountering such diverse characters as Omar Sharif, John Major and The Prince of Wales.;His life has spilled over into army service in Germany, Japan, Korea, working in an advertising agency, television and radio broadcasting, sport, especially cricket - he's an active member of the Lord's Taverners - designing board games, ventriloquists' dummies, stage sets and trophies, playwriting and after-dinner speaking - not to mention the time he spent on board the submarine "Dreadnought" and his 35-year marriage into a large Italian family. All of which provide colourful material for his scurrilous eye.;"Is There Any News of the Iceberg?" is one of thousands of Bill Tidy's classic cartoons to have attracted a variety of comments that range from "hilarious hit" to "baffling miss". It gives its name to this autobiography, in which his observations in words and pictures illustrate his life.