Can it really be 4 years since we lost Mr. Splosh or as you knew him Bill Shipton!
WSM continue to pay tribute to a WAM legend.
What a shame that much of his work is forever lost.
In the Wetlook Forums we look again at an unusual image set from 1995 featuring Mayen, set W180.





SLAPSTICK
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His original Forum site has now been replaced by www.sploshuk.co.uk.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).
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.
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.

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 TRIBUT 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.









Click here to go to www.wsmproductions.co.uk

We now have a UMD Store and are transferring movies
Click here to go to the new UMD Store

That's lovely Mike!

Bill was a legend!
Anybody who was around pre-internet knows what a massive contribution Bill made to building this fantastic community. I was lucky enough to meet him and know what a lovely man he was.

I can't believe it's just 4 years since he sadly passed away.
I only chatted by email with him. It's I big regret that I never managed to sink a few pints with him.
One in a million kinda guy.
A diamond.

I met Bill for the first time in 95 when he was working from his home on Hastings seafront, A great introduction for me on how to produce wam videos, The after shoot chat over a pint or six was an eye opener also.

A very nice man indeed, Much missed.

I only ever met him once, at the Birmingham Splunch, we had a fantastic conversation and as everyone else has said, what a thoroughly nice man to talk to, even though he was an absolute legend of the scene. I bought many of his fully clothed scenes, and his genius for comedy comes through in all of them, he wasn't just producing fetish material he was creating genuine slapstick comedy. It's right that we should continue to remember him, huge thanks to Mike at WSM for creating this thread. R.I.P. Bill, you will long be remembered.

Bill was brilliant, I only ever exchanged messages with him on the Splosh forum, and would love to have met him. I loved his sense of humour and the Benny Hill type sexy slapstick he created.

Thanks for all your responses.
Fantastic when everyone has only good things to say by a man who was so liked by all!
Shocking that much of his work has gone, but at least WSM have some gems.
Mike Ellison
www.wsmprod.com

I still visit Splosh! but it's really lost its soul without Bill's presence despite the great effort a number of individuals made - initially - in an attempt to keep it going (I believe DungeonMaster still hosts the sploshuk site at his own expense).


This is very sad - and frustrating. His legacy (apart from Mike's productions) are 'lost' in a kind of legal and commercial 'limbo'.

One thing we can do, though, is ensure we safeguard any copies of the media we do individually own. Even if it can't be sold or distributed in the foreseeable future, it certainly deserves to exist for future generations (in 50 years plus once the statutory copyright period has lapsed).

Correct about the Splosh forum, Trous, I don't really bother that much with it any more, when Bill was running it it used to be a great laugh. I remember once we ended up with a three page discussion on old buses!

It was like a kind of pub chat where you could drift off topic then back to the serious business of pieing girls

That's EXACTLY what it was like! Quite British in that way

I really liked this tribute. I loved the bits at the end. Shows the true spirit he had. I love the candid moments when you see the real people.

Bill is a legend and is truely missed.

Met him a few times due to doing a few sessions at Splosh studios and he was very funny and great to chat to.