Why Punch went to the seaside

[Chris]

I often think it must be quite difficult for those born later than the 60s to fully understand why Punch became so firmly and almost exclusively established at the seaside. Today profs who do attempt to work a seaside pitch find it very hard to make a living. There just aren't enough paying customers.
When I was a kid everyone went to the seaside, every year. Just have a look at this picture of Blackpool sands taken in the late 1950s and you'll see what this really meant.

[Nick Jackson]

An incredible – and wonderful – sight. I remember drawing a line in the sand with my spade at Llandudno from my parents' deckchairs to the sea so I could find my way back to them.

Punch has always gone where the crowds are. No surprise then to see him performing outside IKEA on sunny Sundays. Sad though: I wouldn't swap my childhood for anything. To this day I'd rather have a weekend in Llandudno or Scarborough than a fortnight in the Canaries.

[Trevek]

A few months ago, i did a show at an English teachers' conference in Poland. I was doing about how teachers could use Punch in class to teach about British culture, history etc as well as for teaching English.

One conference participants asked what I was doing, although he was going to a different talk (his girlfriend's). When I told him, he said, "Ooooh, Punch and Judy? I haven't seen one of those since Weymouth beach in 1953!"

I hope to meet him again someday and pass him this...