I became one of the world’s best cartoonists after starting my career at the Shields Gazette

David Haldane is set to be a star attraction as he plays his part in the 200th anniversary celebrations at the prestigious Lit & Phil, in Newcastle.

‘An Evening with David Haldane’ will see one of the world’s best cartoonists, who started his career at the Shields Gazette, talk about his work from across his long career.

Having started at the Gazette in 1979, David went on to create cartoons for the likes of Punch, The Express, The Mirror, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Sunday Times.

Despite his work appearing in many well known titles, it is his work producing daily front page cartoons for The Times, from 2005 until 2017, that David was able to make his historical mark.

Now 70-years-old, David retired from The Times five years ago but his latest cartoons regularly appear in Private Eye.

David has reflected on his career, saying: “It has been an incredible 50 or so years learning about drawing cartoons and then creating them for the leading newspapers and magazines in the country."

Ed Waugh, a South Shields playwright, is set to host the evening at the Lit & Phil, on Westgate Road, in Newcastle city centre.

He commented: "I've known David for 20 years or so and he's both very sharp and very funny.

“You have to be to create top-class satirical cartoons every day, often at very short notice, for national newspaper front pages.

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“David's career stories are both deep and hilarious.

“It will be a fantastic evening for people who want a laugh and those who want to find out about some of the stories behind the many thousands of tremendous cartoons David has created and had published."

Tickets for the Lit & Phil cost £5 can be purchased online at: https://www.litandphil.org.uk/event/david-haldane-in-conversation-with-ed-waugh/ or over the phone via 0191 232 0192.

Further events with David are set to be held at Blyth Library on Monday, May 12, at The Word, in South Shields, on September 24, and at Gosforth Civic Theatre on September 30.

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