THEY are as much part of a seaside holiday as a paddle in the waves or a stick of rock.

Comic postcards have catered for every possible message that a day-tripper or holidaymaker might want to send back home. Click on the link below to view a saucy seaside postcard gallery.

Now a man who has tried to capture all that's best about the Bamforth saucy postcards is to tell all.

Author Marcus Hearn is to take part in an evening of history, fun and chatter about the postcards as part of the Holmfirth Arts Festival .

Marcus, who has just completed work on a book charting the history of the cards, will join businessman Ian Wallace, who owns the firm Bamforth & Co, and seaside expert Tony Lidington for an event billed as Holmfirth on Sea.

The event, at the Old Bridge Hotel at 8pm tomorrow, is part of the festival.

Marcus will chat about the new book due out next month, the postcards and the role that censorship played in the company's history.

Performer and seaside historian Tony will take the audience on an illustrated journey through the history of the seaside and end of pier entertainment.

Huddersfield-born Ian bought the firm Bamforth & Co 12 years ago and owns the rights to about 50,000 of the famous images.

Two years ago he signed a new deal to bring out the saucy cards on a new range of products ranging from mouse mats to boxer shorts.

Mr Wallace said: "They always look good and they always make people smile.

"Maybe they're not to everyone's taste but if you cant laugh at Bamforth postcards, what can you laugh at?

"They are classic images which have really stood the test of time.

"The company was making films before Hollywood and then they went on to produce these postcards, which are a British institution. They sold millions and millions and millions of them. They were sold all around the world.

"People like a good laugh, particularly at times like this, and I think we should laugh more.

"We know that aspects of the Bamforth range of daft, comic ideas will appeal to many people in many countries worldwide."

It was photographer James Bamforth who set up Bamforth & Co in Holmfirth in 1870.

They specialised in photographs but then went on to become a pioneer of early film-making.

It was in 1910 that they branched out into postcards.

Many were sentimental ones or views of different areas but the ones that made the firm famous were the saucy cartoons depicting buxom blondes and henpecked husbands.

Saucy Postcards: The Bamforth Collection is due out on July 18.