This drawing in pen, ink and grey watercolour is one of a series of five that Quentin Blake made to accompany the book “Thanks to Jennings” that was narrated by Ronnie Corbett on Jackanory in 1969. The illustration is of a large scale as it was made to be shown on television. In this illustration Darbyshire, Jennings’ best friend, is shown running from the desk on the right to Jennings who is studying at a desk by a window on the left of the illustration. The spontaneity with which Darbyshire has rushed over to Jennings can be seen in the way his limbs twist away from his straight right leg that he is standing on and to the desk that he has just left. This movement combined with the way that his glasses are perched on his nose also capture the mild manner of Darbyshire, which contrasts with the confident attitude of Jennings as he raises his head to meet his friend’s approach.

“Thanks to Jennings” comes from a series of 25 Jennings books which Anthony Buckeridge (1912-2004) wrote between 1950 and 1994. These humorous children’s books were set in a boy’s boarding school during the years after World War Two. The humour of the books draws on the combination of this setting with the misunderstandings resulting in the actions of by the impulsive Jennings his more cautious best friend, Darbyshire. This illustration effectively conveys the contrasting characters and interaction and friendship between these two main characters of the Jennings books.