IN CONVERSATION...
In every issue of The New Cartoonist we poke and probe political journalists and those with influence within the cartoon industry and more...
CLIVE GODDARD
The Chairman of the Professional Cartoonists Organisation
Where do you find a collection of professional cartoonists when all the pubs have shut? Well The Professional Cartoonists Organisation of course! A very handy website.
The PCO promotes the work of its members and champions the cartooning arts across the board and around the world. They organise and support exhibitions and festivals and also stand up for, and have campaigned on behalf of oppressed artists.
Members can be found gracing the pages of national newspapers and many popular news-stand magazines including The Guardian, The Daily Mirror, The Metro, The Financial Times, The Independent, The New Zealand Herald, Private Eye, The Oldie, The Spectator, The New Yorker and many, many more.
TNC grabbed a moment with Chairman and all round good egg Clive Goddard to find out more about the PCO and its work.
BETH BRYAN
The Director of The Cartoon Museum in London
Where do you go to view a collection of over 6000 original cartoons from the 18th century to the present day?
Well, The Cartoon Museum in central London of course! It’s a great hub for learning, with its library of over 8000 comics and books documenting the history of British comics, and has many fantastic exhibitions throughout the year. Now in its 20th anniversary year, the museum has recently been on the hunt for a new Director after the departure of Joe Sullivan in November 2025.
TNC grabbed a moment between pencil sharpeners and ink blots with newly appointed Beth Bryan, to find out all about what 2026 and beyond holds for The Cartoon Museum.
JENNY KLEEMAN
Journalist, author, and broadcaster
The news cycle never stops, loves dragging us up hills and seems to always avoid getting pesky punctures.
If it’s not plots to oust Keir Starmer, prisoners on the run, budget leaks and Trump being just, well...Trump - suing the BBC, it’s global news with Russian spy ships, the Epstein files, Ukraine in stalemate and Gaza still not free,
As political cartoonists we need to consume it all, and to try to make some kind of sense of it. One way to do that is to listen to and watch reputable news organisations, which often means staying up late and watching the paper reviews for differing perspectives.
My personal choice is Sky News, and so it was an absolute pleasure to catch up with Jenny Kleeman, a regular political pundit on their paper reviews. Jenny is a journalist, author and broadcaster. She presents programmes on BBC Radio 4 and has reported for Channel 4’s foreign affairs series Unreported World and BBC One’s Panorama.
ADAM MCQUEEN
Senior Journalist & Historian, Private Eye
It seems these days a week can’t go by without another atrocity, or a Trump (Grandad’s got out again) comment causing global panic again. As a political cartoonist it can be quite the challenge but what’s it like for someone working on a political magazine? Adam Macqueen is a Senior Journalist and Historian at Private Eye and he found sometime between deadlines to answer a few questions.
OLIVER WRIGHT
Political & Policy Editor, The Times
What a lively few weeks it has been within the political sphere. Labour U-turns, TacoTrump and Musk splits, whilst wars and conflicts continue. As a political cartoonist it’s rich pickings, but what’s the view from the news desk? TNC caught up with Oliver Wright from The Times.
Based in Westminster, Oliver leads The Times’ coverage of government policy with a particular focus on Brexit. A former health correspondent and news editor at The Times, he was previously the political editor of The Independent.