Punch and Judy performer plans to take on an apprentice

One of the few remaining seaside Punch and Judy performers is planning to take on an apprentice to make sure the show goes on.

Joe Burns has completed another summer season on the beach in Swanage, Dorset, attracting thousands of fans, young and old, after bouncing back from putting away his puppets during the Covid years.

But the 31-year-old fears for the future of the traditional knockabout seaside entertainment so wants to offer the chance of an apprentice to learn the ropes – or rather, sausages.

“I am keen for a young person to perform Punch and Judy shows and keep the tradition going,” he told the PA news agency.

Children and their parents still crowd around to see Joe’s traditional Punch and Judy show in Swanage (Joe Burns/PA)

The professional puppeteer has been giving three shows a day during the summer in Swanage for several years and believes Mr Punch is as popular as ever.

“Beaches across the country used to have a Punch and Judy show but there are only a few left now. I want to make sure the legacy continues.”

Joe says he loves hearing the squeals of delight from children or pantomime-like calls of ‘he’s behind you’ as he serves up well known storylines, peppered with a few gags for parents.

Shows have been given a boost this year because of the 60th anniversary of Tony Hancock’s film The Punch and Judy Man, which has sparked renewed interest in the history of the puppets.

The film is being shown in Swanage on Sunday as part of the Purbeck Film Festival, which is screening more than 80 films in dozens of venues over the next two weeks.

Venues range from cinemas to village and church halls, and a restaurant.

– Information can be found on purbeckfilm.com.