 | |
 Cover ofRazzle magazine, Vol 2 No 5 (1984) | |
| Editor | Julia Jones |
|---|---|
| Categories | Pornographic men's |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Paul Raymond Publications |
| First issue | 1983 |
| Company | Blue Active Media Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0955-1840 |
| OCLC | 793924276 |
Razzle is a Britishsoftcorepornographic magazine published monthly byPaul Raymond Publications. It was founded in 1983 and is currently focused on girl-next-door stylepornography, offering cash for any photos of "readers' wives" printed; in the past, however, several notable glamour models were featured, including minor celebrityJo Guest. It also includes the traditional feature of sexual fantasy tales presented as "true" stories.
There was an earlier UK men's magazine of the same title, published by Ritz Publishing Co., that dates from the 1930s to the late 1950s. This was a pocket format title, which featured a colour centre spread by the illustrator George Davies.[1] This magazine was banned by theCensorship of Publications Board of theIrish Free State in 1935; the ban carried over to the later title and was lifted in 2011.[2]
Despite the market for softcore pornography decreasing in the UK,Razzle is still successful, having launched some spin-off titles includingRazzle Extreme,The Best of Razzle,Razzle Readers Wives andRazzle DVD.[citation needed]Razzle does, however, offer hardcore imagery and videos of the photosets found in its magazines online, on the official Paul Raymond website.
Razzle is published by the latePaul Raymond's publishing house, whose other publications includeClub International,Escort,Mayfair,Men Only andMen's World.[3] All of the Paul Raymond magazines are widely available in newsagents, although some larger retailers require a modesty bag in order to protect minors from seeing partial nudity on display on the cover. The magazine is also available in digital format from the Paul Raymond website. It was available from the Paul Raymonddigital newsstand between 2013 and the closure of the newsstand.[4]
Nicholas Whittaker, journalist and author ofPlatform Souls, Blue Period and Sweet Talk, worked for the company from 1982 to 1987,[5] and played a major role in establishing the newRazzle magazine. In its first format,Razzle was 48 pages and sold for 50p. He wrote of his experiences and the formation of the new magazine inBlue Period.[6]
The earlier men's magazine (1930s–1950s) was later immortalised in theIan Dury song "Razzle In My Pocket" (1977, the 'B' side to "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll", Dury's first single under his own name), a story of a boy who steals a copy ofRazzle from a newsagent. The song also appears on the 1981 compilation LPJuke Box Dury (side 1, track 6).Razzle is also mentioned inDavid Lodge’s 1970 novelOut of the Shelter. In the book, the magazine is passed from hand to hand at the protagonist's school, and its readers are annoyed that the parts they are most interested in are covered up.[7]
The Paul Raymond magazine (1983–) has been referenced in the mainstream media, with the nameRazzle having been mentioned in numerousBritish comedy TV programmes, includingMeet Ricky Gervais,Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, and in an episode ofAbsolutely Fabulous where it is implied that Patsy once posed for the magazine (albeit in the early 1970s when the magazine was not actually in production).[8] It is also mentioned inMen Behaving Badly andBottom, and inLittle Britain, when Lou buys the magazine forAndy.[citation needed]