Punch and Judy shows have been a fixture of British seaside resorts for centuries but they are having to adapt to changing audiences.
Generations of Britons have flocked to puppet booths to watch the irascible, hook-nosed Mr Punch whack long-suffering wife Judy with his "slap stick", drop their baby repeatedly and tangle with a grumpy policeman, a crocodile and a hangman.
. BRIGHTON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
The anarchic humour remains as central as ever to the Punch and Judy experience, say the puppet-masters, traditionally known in the trade as "professors", but some elements have had to be toned down or are often omitted now.
"Today's public has a different point of view than an audience 100 years ago, so you have to take traditional themes and play them in a way that works for a contemporary audience," said Glyn Edwards, who performs shows in the southern English seaside town of Brighton.
One thing that has changed is the treatment of the baby. In past ages, when families were large and child mortality high, people could more easily laugh at the scenes of slapstick cruelty, not least to relieve the pain of knowing kids died all the time.
. SIDCUP, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Judy has more of a say in today's shows, a bossy bureaucrat from the local council might take the place of the traditional 'beadle' character and the hanging scene - harking back to a time when criminals were publicly executed - is often omitted.
The interactiveness of a Punch and Judy show can come as an enjoyable surprise to kids used to passively watching their television or computer screen, said 'professor' John Styles.
"It's a show very much about audience participation. I think that's a major secret of why it has survived," said Styles, who has performed for the Beatles and for the late Princess Diana and her sons Princes William and Harry.
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. WHITSTABLE, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Punch and Judy professor David Wilde prepares his booth before a show.
. WHITSTABLE, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
David gets ready to begin.
. BRIGHTON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Punch and Judy professor Glyn Edwards sets up before a performance.
. WEYMOUTH, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Visitors watch a Punch and Judy show performed by the puppeteer Mark Poulton.
. WEYMOUTH, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Children react during a Punch and Judy show performed by Poulton.
. BRIGHTON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Mary Edwards, who is an assistant, or ‘bottler’ sits on chair before a show performed by her husband Glyn.
. BRIGHTON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
The puppets are seen in Glyn’s booth.
. LONDON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Professor John Styles prepares to perform his show.
. LONDON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
John performs in his booth at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham.
. ENFIELD, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Punch and Judy professor Adrienne Press holds a photograph of her father, Percy Press Junior, who is posing at Forty Hall in Covent Garden, London in 1992.
. ENFIELD, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Adrienne poses for a photograph inside her booth at Forty Hall.
. ROCHESTER, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Puppeteer Robert Styles prepares before a show.
. ROCHESTER, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Robert performs during a Dickens Festival in Rochester.
. ROCHESTER, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Visitors watch his spectacle.
. ROCHESTER, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Robert poses for a photograph.
. ROCHESTER, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth