As pleased as Punch with a puppet show
From fairgrounds to the seaside, Punch and Judy have been part of British culture for centuries. Laura Reid takes a look back.
FOR CENTURIES, the Punch and Judy puppet show has been an integral part of British culture – and five years ago a new club was formed with the aim of preserving the tradition’s existence long into the future and entertaining the public for years to come.
The Punch and Judy Club is not the only organisation of its kind, joining the Punch and Judy College of Professors, which since 1985 has encouraged high standards of performance of the show, and the Punch and Judy Fellowship, which cherishes the tradition and is also dedicated to keeping it alive.
That members of the Punch and Judy Club call themselves the ‘custodians of Mr Punch’s heritage’ is indication alone of how much the show has been valued over the decades.
Over the years, it has been associated with theatres, fairground booths and, for many, the seaside.
Indeed, the character duo have even been dubbed Britain’s national puppets, with Mr Punch thought to have featured in puppet shows in the UK for more than 350 years.
They’ve not always been known as Punch and Judy though. In fact, Punch’s wife was originally named Joan.
Despite its popularity, the show has not been without controversy.
Whilst Charles Dickens once described the performance as “one of those extravagant reliefs from the realities of life”, regarding it as “quite harmless in its influence”, concerns have been raised that the show “glorifies domestic violence”.
As the Victoria and Albert Museum sets out in a history of the show: “Opinions continue to be split today between those see the puppet show as making light of or even promoting domestic violence, and those that regard it as a fictional scenario and calls for its banning as political correctness.”