They’re one of the country’s most famous married couples. You just need to spot his colourful jester outfit and the long tassle bobbing from his sugarloaf hat, and you know it’s Mr Punch and his wife Judy. But now, with the Covid restrictions, this familiar sideshow is under threat. Mr Punch may be swinging his final blow.
Punch and Judy’s red-striped puppet booth has been popping up in Weymouth, Dorset, since 1880. Mark Poulton first saw the mayhem caused by hooked-nosed Mr Punch and his giant baton in the 1970s when he was four years old. He was transfixed and decided that when he grew up he would become a professor, the title bestowed upon a booth operator. In his teens he taught himself the necessary skills — sewing, woodcarving, sign-writing and how to run a show. After an apprenticeship of 16 years, he graduated to professorship with his own Weymouth pitch. It is one of just a handful of independent shows still operating. […]
First published in The Spectator on 10 October, 2020. Read online here.
Image by Steve Bidmead from Pixabay