Paul Whicker

Paul Whicker the Tall Vicar is a fictional cleric who appears in the adult Humour comic Viz. He is portrayed as a corrupt, misanthropic, violent and hypocritical character ill suited to being in the Christian Priesthood and often gambles with the church funds. He even complained to his readers that "it doesn't pay for my fags and beer".

In one strip, he commits insurance fraud to maintain them by gambling (which he appropriates for his own use). He is often challenged by his superior, Bishop Bloggs, who tries to thwart Whicker's schemes. At one point, he is about to be arrested by police only to tell the bishop and the arresting officer that he won a bet on the horses and the parish funds are five thousand pounds up as a result. Although amoral, Whicker has ironically been known to expose the hypocrisy of his superiors. Especially as Whicker uses "missionary work" as an excuse for drug trafficking after being shunted from parish to parish, covering up his misdeeds (sleeping with the bishop's wife and daughter). He has even been known to have connections to corrupt officials, such as a customs officer.

Two support characters who appear sporadically are Pat Berger, the fat Verger and Eric The Cleric who are as morally corrupt as Wicker, and often help him in his escapades such as armed robbery.

One early strip has a frame with a skinhead and media studies lecturer sitting on the bench where Whicker plans on getting drunk. The media studies lecturer gives his thoughts on the strip as an indictment of pious hypocrisy, whereas the skinhead thinks he's "A fuckin' magic violent Vikka (sic)". Indeed, the whole strip can be seen as a satire on pious and institutional hypocrisy.

At some point, Whicker is made a bishop as he is seen drinking with Roger Mellie following Roger's rather dreadful attempt to present a religious programme having subsequently got drunk on communion wine and relieved himself in the church font.