Punch Relaunch Issue Review

Punch magazine has been relaunched with its first issue since April 1992. Looking a lot like a cross between a women’s glossy magazine and the American magazine New Yorker on the outside and resembling something less interesting on the inside. There are a hundred pages of which 29 1/4 pages are given over to advertising. Major advertisers include BMW, Harrods, English National Ballet and Vauxhall.

Editor Peter McKay says on the inside of the magazine that he wants to restore Punch back into the affections of English-speaking people everywhere as a reliable, amusing friend, but on the basis of this first issue it looks as though he needs to go back to the drawing board. With a line-up that includes Marje Proops it is hardly surprising that a lot of the articles seem to fall a little flat. An article by former Tory MP Alan Clark complaining that he’s not as rich as people think he is and a particularly dull questions and answers page featuring Nigel Dempster give the impression of the magazine being a middle-aged version of Private Eye.

Punch‘s competitors aren’t very impressed with its return, as these quotes from today’s Guardian indicate.

Ian Hislop of Private Eye says “It just looks like it always used to. I’ll be very interested to see what the sales are like.”

John Brown founder of Viz says “Very unadventurous. It’s gone right back to Punch 15 years ago, which is a lot better than going back to how it was in its last few years, but I think it’s very old.”

Richard Ingrams editor of The Oldies says “I don’t want to be unkind, but I’m very gloomy about it. You want to be able to see the seeds in it of something promising. I can’t see any of that.”