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Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre

Angus Og and the news

The adventures of Angus Og appeared in the Daily Record and Sunday Mail Newspapers from 1960 – 1989. The topical satirical cartoons were often inspired and influenced by contemporary affairs.

A black-and-white cartoon showing two people talking. One person excitedly holds up a newspaper and says, “Did you see it, Lachie—did you see it! My story is on the front page of the Gazette!” The other person replies, “I see the editor hasn’t put your name on it though!” The newspaper in the first person’s hand has a small illustration and text, but details are not clear.
Angus Og and the News

Spanning almost 30 years the Angus Og cartoons offer a snapshot of key local, national and international news stories from the second half of the 20th century. 

The stories reflect contemporary popular opinion about these events and often frame world affairs from an island perspective. 

Ewen Bain saved clippings of news stories and images of politicians and celebrities in the pages of his working notebooks, the ‘Og Logs’ allowing us to see his original sources of inspiration for many of the adventures. 

A black-and-white cartoon strip featuring three characters and two newspapers. On the left, one character excitedly holds up a newspaper titled Outer Hebridean Gazette with headlines such as “Lovely Wedding in Uig,” “Sheep Grazing in Mull,” “Peats Cut in Harris,” and “Revolt in Drumbeg.” The character says, “Hello—here’s a bit about us in the Gazette!” Another character responds, “By Chove—wait till the lads in Fleet Street get a hold of the story!!” In the next panel, a third character holds a newspaper titled London Daily with a bold headline reading “Foreign News: Unrest in Outer Hebrides.” The second character says, “Yes! And I’m sure they’ll have it in its proper place!” The third character exclaims, “Good heavens—have you seen this, Michael?” The cartoon humorously contrasts local news about weddings and sheep grazing with a sensationalized headline in a London paper about “unrest.”
Angus Og and the Fete

Ewen Bain frequently used a cartoon newspaper to make a point or provide the punchline of a joke. Sometimes the news was reported in a generic ‘News’ paper but often it was printed in the ‘Utter Hebridean Gazette’, a publication that Angus himself briefly wrote for. 

A black-and-white cartoon showing two people sitting by a fireplace with a kettle on top. One person is reading a newspaper with the headline “News: Miners Strike.” The other person asks, “Anything in the paper today, Angus?” The person with the newspaper replies, “No, nothing much—put another peat on, Tonald!” The cartoon humorously contrasts a major national event—the miners’ strike—with the characters’ indifference, focusing instead on adding peat to the fire.
Angus Og and the Inquiry

What stories might Ewen Bain write about today? Share your ideas with us using our short online survey or by emailing us. 

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