MATT BUCK (HACK)
Er...Mel Calman. Ralph Steadman memorably described him as being able to draw the human condition in a space the size of a nutshell. I always thought that was pretty high praise.
He also made me laugh.

ROGER PENWILL
As barely a teenager in the early sixties, I was mad keen on cars and bought The Motor magazine every week. Towards the back of this was always a splendidly drawn and funny cartoon by Russell Brockbank.
For motoring gags he was in a league of his own. The accuracy and quality of the cars he featured and his characterisation of the drivers was always perfect. Nobody drew a 1930's Le Mans Bentley hurtling along an English country lane with a moustached gung-ho type at the wheel better than him. A very visual cartoonist and definitely my first cartoon hero.
At the same time I was a Goon Show fanatic. Milligan's daft illustrations for his books A Dustbin of Milligan and Silly Verse for Kids were a big influence.

IAN ELLERY
Well my first introduction into the wacky world of cartoons came from my Mums' Titbits magazine. It was very different back then to what it is now - less Tits, more bits! It was always peppered with dozens of Roland Fiddy cartoons plus many other artists whos names escape me I'm afraid. I also was very fond of 'Do not adjust your set' then later 'The Goodies'. I used to draw lovely little adventures for Bill, Graham and talented Timbo. Unfortunately they always seemed to end with the Earth being invaded by Aliens. Lots of gore! Lovely.

NOEL FORD
I have never had, nor expect to have, any cartoonist heroes! All I can remember is that I was incredibly jealous of EVERYONE who was getting cartoons published in Weekend, Reveille, TitBits, The Daily Mirror, etc.! I have a memory of drawing cartoons on the pavement, in chalk, as a child, so goodness knows where the earliest influences came from.

DUNCAN BOURNE
I started drawing cartoons as a kid, because that is what you do when you are the class clown and you aren't into slapstick or getting hauled before the head every five minutes. I did an on going cartoon strip called "Changeman" about a dubious and often violent superhero. This was passed around amongst my classmates to massive acclaim ( which was pretty good for class 4B). Decades later I took up the pen of humour once again in earnest when I got fed up of the council work I was doing at the time and decided that I wanted to do something more worthwhile and rewarding. I never got that but I stuck with the cartooning :of)
Influences: Gibert Shelton - "Fabulous Furry Freak Bros.", "Fat Freddy's Cat" "Wonder Warthog" and many more.
This guy made me want to do my own cartoons as a teenager.
Phil Foglio - "Buck Godot zap gun for hire", "Mythadventures (the early comics)" brilliant expressions, story telling and above all humour.
Bill Watterson - "Calvin and Hobbes" what can you say.
Dave Sim - "Cerebus the Aardvark" currently the longest standing independent comic book. I was drawn in by the humour of the early stuff but the styling and artwork of his later stuff has no equal
Brian Talbot - "Luther Arkwright" plus loads of stuff for 2000AD another brilliant artist