One of Harrison Mark’s competitors was the photographer Russell Gay. In the fifties, he was best known to the British public as the creator of Sabrina, aka Norma Ann Sykes, the ‘twin-peak’ epitome of feminine allure. He published the magazine QT, dabbled in 8mm glamour films and 1962 his company Mistral produced the nudist picture World Without Shame.
In 1966 he launched the top-shelf magazine Fiesta and followed it up two years later with Knave. His second wife, Patricia Rose, who was born in Baghdad, came to London in the ’60s and worked as a belly dancer in the Labyrinth Club in Bayswater. They married in 1973. She modelled for Knave and also wrote the advice column in the magazine. They eventually divorced in 1976. She went to America where she married John Kluge in 1981. He was a TV mogul named the richest man in America in 1986. I’m very surprised that there isn’t a Wikipedia page for Russell Gay. A bit of an omission. Someone should write one.
I know that station! Would like to have seen her there but I was only 14 at the time. What a lovely body she has.
Fiesta and Knave were my go-to mags in the 70s. I was always intrigued that their publishers were situated in Witham in Essex rather than London. I live near Witham now and it’s not porn central (Priti Patel is my MP).
Priti Patel – I’m sorry to hear that.
I knew Russel in the early 70s when he was married to Patricia who then married John Kluge Billoinaire in NYC I was their houseguest for a few months in London near Hampstead and they were very kind and generous to me.. I liked them both. Lost touch but bumped into Patricia a few times years later in NYC and saw him there once but we never reconnected really. sorry to hear he died