A ne'er do well who always manages to land on his feet whether he's out to the local for a few with his mates, avoiding household chores, shooting a game of snooker or playing football, Andy Capp has a style (and temper) that's all his own. Andy's an everyday bloke who can, and does, philosophize on just about anything. Andy and Flo have stuck it out together all these years - and he is still drinking (but not smoking since 1983), still playing football, rugby and snooker and still unemployed.

     Andy's long-suffering wife Flo - also known as "Pet" or (in Andy's circle of friends) "t'other woman"- is always by his side to pick him up (sometimes literally!) and quick to show him the error of his ways. With the exception of an equally wicked temper, she's everything that Andy is not ... loyal, hardworking and self-sufficient (with a special penchant for gossip).

     "Andy Capp," was created by Reg Smythe, and is one of the most successful comic strips in the world. Reg Smythe was born in West Hartlepool, England, where his father built small boats. Smythe joined the British army and for 10 years served in the ranks of the Northumberland Fusiliers. During World War II, he served in the North African campaign and was promoted to sergeant. After the war he took a temporary job as a telephone clerk, and he began to draw -- with no guidance at all. His style was simple but effective. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he managed to sell a drawing from the first batch he ever submitted to an editor.

"My gross earnings for the two cartoons came to more than I was making at the post office," he once said. "That was all the incentive I needed."

     Andy Capp first appeared in The Mirror on 5th August 1957. Smythe called the character his "best friend yet." In 1960, Smythe became a founding member of the Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain. He won the club's prize for five consecutive years, an unequaled achievement. The strip made its American debut in 1963.

     Smythe, who left London many years ago, lived a quiet life in Hartlepool on England's north sea coast until his death on June 13, 1998 from cancer. He was 81 years old. As Andy might say - "Lets all raise a glass 'o stout (can yer see yer way clear to spot me one, mate?) to 'onor this creative genius"

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