Editing Razzle (magazine)

{{Short description|British softcore pornographic magazine}}
{{Infobox magazine
| image_file        = Razzle_Pornographic_Magazine_Cover.png
| image_size        = 
| image_caption     = Cover of ''Razzle'' magazine, Vol 2 No 5 (1984)
| logo              = Razzle magazine outline logo.svg
| total_circulation = 
| frequency         = Monthly
| circulation_year  = 12 issues a year
| category          = [[Pornographic magazine|Pornographic men's]]
| publisher         = [[Paul Raymond Publications]]
| company           = Blue Active Media Ltd
| editor            = Julia Jones
| editor_title      = 
| firstdate         = 1983
| country           = United Kingdom
| language          = English
| website           = {{URL|https://www.paulraymond.xxx/magazines/razzle.html}}
| oclc              = 793924276
| issn              = 0955-1840
}}
'''''Razzle''''' is a British [[softcore pornography|softcore]] [[pornographic magazine]] published monthly by [[Paul Raymond Publications]]. It was founded in 1983 and is currently focused on girl-next-door style [[pornography]], offering cash for any photos of "readers' wives" printed; in the past, however, several notable glamour models were featured, including minor celebrity [[Jo 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Men's magazines: an A to Z|website=Magforum|url=http://www.magforum.com/mens/mensmagazinesatoz10.htm#111|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118191405/http://www.magforum.com/mens/mensmagazinesatoz10.htm |archive-date=18 January 2009}}</ref> This magazine was banned by the [[Censorship of Publications Board (Ireland)|Censorship of Publications Board]] of the [[Irish Free State]] in 1935; the ban carried over to the later title and was lifted in 2011.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Censorship of Publications Appeal Board |title=Censorship of Publications Act 1946 |journal=[[Iris Oifigiúil]] |date=25 November 2011 |issue=94 |page=1623 |url=https://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2011/november/Ir251111.pdf#page=5 |publisher=Government of Ireland }}</ref>

Despite the market for softcore pornography decreasing in the UK, ''Razzle'' is still successful, having launched some spin-off titles including ''Razzle Extreme'', ''The Best of Razzle'', ''Razzle Readers Wives'' and ''Razzle DVD''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} ''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 late [[Paul Raymond (publisher)|Paul Raymond]]'s publishing house, whose other publications include ''[[Club International (magazine)|Club International]]'', ''[[Escort (magazine)|Escort]]'', ''[[Mayfair (magazine)|Mayfair]]'', ''[[Men Only (magazine)|Men Only]]'' and ''[[Men's World (magazine)|Men's World]]''.<ref name=sigel164>Sigel (2005) p.164</ref> 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 Raymond [[digital newsstand]] between 2013 and the closure of the newsstand.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalmagazines.xxx|website=Paul Raymond Digital Magazine Store|title=Sadly, DigitalMagazines.xxx has now closed for good|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806213303/https://www.paulraymond.xxx/digitalmagazines.html|archive-date=6 August 2020}}</ref>

==Early days==
[[Nicholas Whittaker]], journalist and author of ''Platform Souls, Blue Period and Sweet Talk'', worked for the company from 1982 to 1987,<ref name=sigel162>Sigel (2005) p.162</ref> and played a major role in establishing the new ''Razzle'' 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 in ''Blue Period''.<ref name=sigel166>Sigel (2005) p.166.</ref>

==In popular culture==
The earlier men's magazine (1930s–1950s) was later immortalised in the [[Ian 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 of ''Razzle'' from a newsagent. The song also appears on the 1981 compilation LP ''Juke Box Dury'' (side 1, track 6). ''Razzle'' is also mentioned in [[David Lodge (author)|David Lodge]]’s 1970 novel ''[[Out 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.<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Lodge|title=Out of the Shelter|year=1970|page=50}}</ref>

The Paul Raymond magazine (1983–) has been referenced in the mainstream media, with the name ''Razzle'' having been mentioned in numerous [[British comedy]] TV programmes, including ''[[Meet Ricky Gervais]]'', ''[[Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere]]'', and in an episode of ''[[Absolutely 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).<ref>''[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]'', 20 November 2001, p.44</ref>  It is also mentioned in ''[[Men Behaving Badly]]'' and ''[[Bottom (TV series)|Bottom]]'', and in ''[[Little Britain (sketch show)|Little Britain]]'', when Lou buys the magazine for [[Lou and Andy|Andy]].{{fact|date=December 2022}}

==See also==
* ''[[Fiesta (magazine)|Fiesta]]'', its main competitor
* [[Outline of British pornography]]
* [[Pornography in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources consulted ===
* Lisa Z. Sigel, "International exposure: perspectives on modern European pornography, 1800-2000", Rutgers University Press, 2005, {{ISBN|0-8135-3519-0}}

==External links==
*[http://paulraymond.xxx Official website of ''Razzle'' publishers Paul Raymond Publications]
*[http://digitalmagazines.xxx Exclusive Paul Raymond digital newsstand]

{{British pornography}}

[[Category:1983 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Pornographic magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1983]]
[[Category:Men's magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Pornographic men's magazines]]
[[Category:Softcore pornography]]