DEVON & CORNWALL

Beautiful Days Festival

Vaughn Parade Torquay

Agatha Christie Festival

Torquay Carnival

Dartington Cider Press Centre

Woodlands Leisure Park

Pennywell Farm

Paignton Green - Various Events

Riviera Centre

Torquay Christmas Shopping Event

Dartmouth Christmas Light switch on

Newton Abbot Christmas Shopping Event

Dawlish Christmas Shopping event

Dawlish Warren (on the green)

Dawlish (in the park)

Teignmouth Beach

Goodrington Sands (1989, 1994 - 2003)

Paignton Beach (2004)

Trago Mills Christmas Events

Cockington - Various Events

Torbay Children’s Week

Fermoys Garden Centre

Morwellham Quay

Dartmouth Christmas Event

Grange Court Holiday - Paignton

Beverly Park Holiday Park - Paignton

Lands cove Holiday Park - Brixham

Hill Head Holiday Park - Brixham

Finlake Holiday Park - Newton Abbot

Inn on the Green - Paignton

The Palace Hotel - Babbacombe

The Queens hotel - Babbacombe

Golden Sands Holiday Park - Woolacombe

Blackpool Sands

Tedburn St Mary - Firework Display

Trevelgue Holiday Park - Newquay

Trebarwith Strand

Saltash May Fair

Newquay's 1900 week

Also many fetes, schools, pre-schools and birthday parties.

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

The Tropicana

Main Beach

Marine Lake

Grove Park

Ashcombe Park

LONDON

Covent Garden

Millennium Dome

Tower Hill Pageant

The Brit Awards (Earls Court)

British Icons Launch (Globe Theatre)

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Gloucester - Docks

Gloucester - City Centre

Gloucester - Waterways museum

Gloucester - Folk Museum

Gloucester - Teddy Bears Picnic

Stroud - Fringe Festival

Stroud Town Centre

Dursley Rugby Club

Also many fetes, schools, pre-schools and birthday parties

OTHER PLACES

Aberystwyth Puppet Festival

Aberystwyth Seafront (1987)

Llandudno Seafront (1988)

Broadstairs Viking Bay (1992 +1993)

Weymouth Beach (2005 - onwards)

Moonfleet Manor - Weymouth

Bridport - Firework Display

St Davids Centre - Cardiff

Merry Hill - West Midlands

The Trafford Centre - Manchester

Lakeside - Essex

BUSKED THE SHOW

Bath - City Centre

Paignton - Sea Front

Totnes - High Street

My story

My story starts when I first saw Punch & Judy at Weston-Super-Mare in the early 1970's. The performer was Reuben Staddon and although I never met him, I've never forgotten that very first time watching a show on the beach. Weston was our nearest seaside as we lived in Gloucestershire.

After that, we always went to Weymouth on holiday, so would watch 'Prof' Guy Higgins every performance. I must have been his best customer...

At one of his shows I decided I too was going to do Punch & Judy and when we returned to the B&B we were staying at, I ripped the stuffing out of my teddy bears and proceeded to do Guy's show word for word.

Once we travelled home I quickly set about making a booth and put shows on in the garden for the neighbours.

I carried on performing all through my school years and in 1987 I visited Bill Dane and did some shows for him on his Aberyswyth seafront pitch.

Also in 1987  I won the search to find the 'Most Promising Young Professor' in Covent Garden. That was an amazing honour for me.

I was then invited by Mrs Codman to perform a whole summer season using their booth on Llandudno seafront, so my dream of performing at the seaside had come true at last!

1989 was a very important year for me. In May I passed my driving test, a week later, left school and moved from Gloucestershire to Devon. A week later made I my debut as a full time performer at the age of 17.

My first season in 1989 was at Goodrington Sands, Paignton, Devon and was fantastic but a real life experience too.

As I was 17, I could not apply for any financial help for starting my own business as you had to be 18. So I started out with very little but as the years went by, taught myself how to wood carve, paint and sew.

Seasons after that included … Weston - Super-Mare 1990. …Newquay -1991. Broadstairs - 1992/93. …..Goodrington 1994 - 2003. …Paignton - 2004. …

Weymouth - 2005 to present.

So my journey so far has led me back to where I made that decision to be a Punch & Judy man at Weymouth, where I perform on the beach from mid July to early September, relying on contributions. A strange way of life but I love it!

September until mid July I am based at Paignton where not only do I still undertake bookings but also design, make, paint and sew puppets, I also paint signs and show frontages.

Mr Punch & I were presented to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in 2009 on Weymouth beach.

I've organised two memorable Punch & Judy events - the Punch & Judy College's 'Jolly' in Paignton and the Big Grin Maritime Mix, Mr Punch's 350th birthday party at the seaside, held in Weymouth.

I was told by a very well respected Punch & Judy showman that if I was serious about being a 'full time' performer, then I must try to master every aspect of the show. NOT just the performance but the look, puppets, pace & rhythm, timing, advertising, promoting, book keeping etc....

I've tried to do this, even now, as I type for my own website!! I'm really not a business man or very academic but do try to do everything to the best of my ability.

Every performance I do, I give it 100%, I try to find new 'bits' that I can include in the next show. Every performance I try to improve on the previous one and so on.

The winter 'creative' work is my therapy and totally opposite to the full on summertime of giving performances.

I've taken the show to some fantastic places, met some amazing people and stayed in some strange places including my humble old VW Camper van and my VW T5.

Below are just some of the places that over the last 20 years I have had the pleasure to perform the show at.