Bob Monkhouse’s Showbiz Start in Blackpool
Amongst those luminary entertainers in Blackpool's past was the quick-witted, sharp-suited comedian Bob Monkhouse. Though widely remembered as a master of television game shows and a consummate broadcaster, Monkhouse’s live stage roots ran deep, and Blackpool played a significant role in the evolution of his career. First Steps in Blackpool: 1957 Bob Monkhouse’s relationship with the resort began in 1957, when he appeared in his first Blackpool summer season at the Winter Gardens Pavilion. Already gaining recognition for his polished humour and lightning-fast delivery, Monkhouse was not the stereotypical seaside comic, yet his performances captured the energy and glamour that...
The Frightening World of 1950s Blackpool Pleasure Beach
On 8 August 1957, ITN’s Reggie Bosanquet travelled to the British seaside resort of Blackpool. On a mission to enjoy the famed attractions of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and explore the town’s booming tourism industry, Bosanquet captured a number of colourful characters and a culture quite alien to the 21st Century. Among them, the fearless men responsible for cleaning Blackpool Tower, the no-nonsense nurse charged with reuniting lost children with their families, and a man with a special job at the fair… There are more Pleasure Beach related posts on the timeline: The Big One, The Pleasure Beach, Pleasure Beach Fire,... Read more »