
520: The Graphics of Core Design - The Retro Hour EP520
From The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast) by The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)
February 27, 2026 · 1h 44m · Episode 520
About this episode
Billy Allison discusses his career in animation and game design, highlighting his work with Core Design and various iconic games.
This week, we’re joined by Core Design artist and animator Billy Allison, whose incredible career spans hand-drawn children’s TV classics like SuperTed and The Forgotten Toys through to iconic 16-bit games including Chuck Rock, Wonder Dog, Bubba 'n' Stix and more. Billy shares how he went from experimenting with animation on a ZX Spectrum and Deluxe Paint to pushing early 3D on Shadow Man and revisiting Alien Breed years later. From sneaking into film school rostrum rooms to pioneering full-screen Amiga cutscenes. Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 51:34 – Billy Allison Core Design Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you’d like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://theretrohour.com/support/ https://www.patreon.com/retrohour Join our Discord…
People in this episode
Guest: Billy Allison
Topics covered
- graphics
- game design
- animation
- retro gaming
- interview
Keywords
- Core Design
- Billy Allison
- animation
- retro games
- ZX Spectrum
- Amiga cutscenes
- Chuck Rock
- Shadow Man
Sponsors
Bitmap Books, Surfshark, Play Expo Blackpool, PCBWay
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Core Design
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