Can it really be 5 years since we lost Bill Shipton on 5th July 2013?
Sadly it is, but WSM continue to pay tribute to a remarkable man, forever known as 'Mr. Splosh!'




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It was a huge shock to the WAM community when Bill Shipton of Splosh fame suddenly passed away on 5th July 2013 at the age of 57.
His original Forum site has now been replaced by www.sploshuk.co.uk.
But very few contribute and it is a pale shadow of what went before.
WSM will continue to remember Bill each year even if most forget.

WSM TRIBUTE to BILL SHIPTON
I (Mike Ellison) first met Bill under his true name of Clive Harris in 1983.
He was the presenter of a custard pie caper held at a venue near Hammersmith, London.
I believe I still have some pics somewhere among my large library of slides.
I next remember meeting him a year or two later, this time hosting a mud wrestling event on the 1st floor of a pub also down London's West End (cameras banned!).

As a freelance writer, he had many fingers in many pies, but was a dynamic, yet irreverent, innovator.

I next met Clive (now renamed as Bill Shipton ) 11th March 1989 at the 1st Aquantics Convention held at the Harbour Heights Hotel (now converted to flats!) in Tenby.
Bill had decided to launch a wet and messy magazine under the name of 'Splosh'.
WSM girls Carol and Debbie provided the 'splosh' entertainment that time (see image set S058 which we republished in last week's update (go to www.wsmprod.com 'What's New' for week 29th June).
Bill formed a good working relationship with Shaun Kendall (the WSM film editor) and they went on to make the 'Buff' range of videos.

Bill's writing and comic skills were well apparent, so WSM signed him up as our script-writer and Bill produced the scripts for the WSM Vintage Films numbers 3 to 9.
In fact, it was better than that, as Bill was only too happy to show his versatility by taking a number of roles in the videos. So Bill had real 'hands-on' experience in the 90's.

Bill's 1st issue of Splosh magazine was shot in the basement of the Harbour Heights Hotel in Tenby.
WSM assisted Bill by supplying much material for issues 2 through to 11.
There were 40 issues of Splosh.
But Bill realized at the end of the 90's that a new phenomena was changing the world.
So the internet made magazine production too costly as sales fell away.

The introduction of a studio and a devoted 'Splosh' website changed Bill's direction.
But new technology is a curse and Bill struggled to master all the aspects of video production.

I last met Bill in 1999 when we completed Vintage Film 9.
Since then we had many a phone conversation which always ended in the same manner.laughter!
We ended up as two captains in the worldwide sea of WAM, me on the container ship WSM with weekly drop-offs.
Bill had his cruise ship SPLOSH. Everyone was welcome to sit at the Captain's table and Bill was recognized as the talented, witty comic genius he was and great company to be with!

The magazine and latterly website, brought many different people together as a community.
Bill had a huge influence on many lives and his term Splosh entered our language.
I would think the NHS owe him a huge thanks for reducing their therapy costs!
Latterly, life was a struggle for him as he showed devoted care to his elderly parents.
But we all know that he cared very deeply for his Splosh family.
He was the kindly, caring, compassionate, yet always willing to be amusing, face of WAM.

So a legend departed!
Few people had such a legacy to have been loved by all.

But the greatest sadness is that his work does not live on as a single body.
This is a great warning for all WAM producers.
I have duly taken heed and ensured that the movies and images of WSM will live on.
Why the big man in the sky takes some people far too early yet allows others (me) to fester on for many more years, is just a mystery. But let us enjoy Bill for what he was!

WSM have put together a 9 minute Download Tribute so you can see the real Bill Shipton.
Our current film editor freely gave his time to output this, such was his respect for one of the grandfathers of WAM.
These Clips owe much to the former WSM film editor Shaun Kendall, a good friend of Bill.
So, watch genius at work:

>>>>> SEE CLIP


If you enjoyed that film tribute to Bill, here are a few further Clips from the WSM Vintage Films range, which may all be accessed free of charge.

Film 6 'Mucky Kind of Magic' Clip 3 the disappearing yolk trick!

>>>>> SEE CLIP


Film 8 'The Ring' Clip 3 Carol has her boobs Sploshed!

>>>>> SEE CLIP


Film 4 'WSM'll Fix It' Stream 1 Clip 02 with introduction by Bill Shipton.

>>>>> SEE CLIP

Such a tragic loss to the WAM community.





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My fetish is a secret but I once met bill and bought him a pint to say thanks. And for a brief part of my lifetime I didn't feel weird. Such a lovely guy. Plus, probably the most important one in this world. So much respect.

Thanks for the tribute. Bill and his wonderful magazine played a big part in my early adult years and thanks to him I'm proud to call myself a splosher

I've posted this before somewhere...but stumbling across a copy of Splosh (after longing to after seeing it in FHM) was like a lifeline to a pre-Internet gunge fetishist. Ok..I was too young to buy it but that didn't stop me and that led me to The News Stand in Liverpool where I could get more! Also it had a phone number in the back which I rang just to hear the voice of another splosher. So I spoke to Bill from a phone box just in case my mum queried the itemised bill. I mad up some shit about writing for a uni newspaper in order to ask a few awkward gunge based questions. In hindsight, Bill CLEARLY knew I was a sweaty, nervy, spotty Splosher reaching out into the void...bug he answered my questions, never hung up, chuckled and was...er...kind. Kinder than he needed to be to an irritating pervy teen shobing 10ps into a phonebox. Kinder than most in this online age. God bless him.

It's really good that you keep the memory of the great man alive on this forum. There are loads of people who owe him so much.

beautiful words, thanks for the tribute