Newsflash – Punch and Judy is not English!!

I know, we all thought it was a traditional British seaside entertainment, it isn’t.

It came from Italy in the 16th-century from the Italian “commedia dell’arte”.   While the “commedia dell’art” in fact had roots going all the way back to Roman times.  So where did it come from.

How did Punch and Judy come to England?

It appears that it all happened because of the Restoration of the Monarchy when Charles II became king and the country had been fun-starved after years of Puritanism under Oliver Cromwell.

The Italians bought over a Neapolitan character called Pulcinella, who went down well with British audiences, unfortunately, the name wasn’t very British.

So, we had to change his name to something simple that people remembered and therefore it was corrupted to Punch, and the name stuck.    He then became a glove puppet, which increased his popularity.  More importantly as a puppet he could be totally outrageous and as he was a puppet he could get away with it.  It could be said that he was first form of political satire. They found a puppet could get away with anything, especially when making his wife, Judy, the butt of his jokes. Imagine trying that today!

The First Punch and Judy Show

Mr. Punch first made his first appearance in England on 9 May 1662, there is now a plaque telling us this on St Paul’s in Covent Garden.   For this reason, it is this date that is traditionally used as Mr Punch’s UK birthday.  

Punch and Judy started and thrived from 1660 as King Charles II the restored king allowed in fact encouraged art and theatre to blossom.  This was such a contrast to Oliver Cromwell who had strictly adhered to his Puritanical belief that theatre was immoral and banned it.

Samuel Pepys in his diaries tells us how popular it was, he watched an early version of Mr Punch in Covent Garden in London. He described it as an Italian puppet play that was performed by Italian puppet showman, Pietro Gimonde.

Punch and Judy in the 19^th Century

By the time we got to the 19^th Century it had become a show that was performed by a single puppeteer inside the booth.  In Victorian times they started calling him the “professor” then the “punchman”. 

There was a problem with the puppeteer inside the booth, he needed someone outside to organise the audience, introduce the performance, and collect the money. This led to:

The bottler in Punch and Judy.

He was the person who collected the money with a leather bottle shaped bag that had a narrow opening and a bulbous bottom. This meant that, it was easy to drop money in but you had to turn it upside down and shake vigorously to get money out. There were two benefits of this, punters could not take money out while pretending they were paying. More importantly the bottler could not slip a few coins in his pocket as the showman inside the booth would hear him shaking the bottle.  Hence, he got the name as the bottler.

Punch and Judy Today

Most “punchman” work solo, since the need for a bottler became less important when street performing with the show gave way to paid engagements at private parties or public events. In modern shows the audience is encouraged to participate, calling out to the characters on the stage to warn them of danger or clue them in to what is going on behind their backs.

Isn’t the History of Punch and Judy fun?

10 questions to discuss:

1. How did the Italian “commedia dell’arte” characters and their performances differ from the Punch and Judy show we know today?
2. Beyond Charles II’s influence, were there other cultural or social factors that contributed to the popularity of Punch and Judy in England?
3. How did the evolution of Punch and Judy puppets, from glove puppets to booth puppets, impact the performance and audience interaction?
4. The blog suggests Punch as an early form of political satire. Can you identify any specific jokes or themes in the show that might support this claim?
5. How did Punch and Judy shows adapt to changing societal norms and cultural sensitivities throughout history, especially regarding humour and violence?
6. What role did Punch and Judy plays have in Victorian society beyond entertainment? Did they offer any social commentary or critiques?
7. What were the challenges and techniques involved in being a single puppeteer performing both Punch and Judy in the 19th century?
8. How has the decline of street performance impacted the presence and popularity of Punch and Judy shows in modern times?
9. Are there any contemporary cultural references or adaptations that draw inspiration from or parody the Punch and Judy tradition?
10. Do you think Punch and Judy’s historical value and cultural significance outweigh any potential concerns about outdated stereotypes or problematic humour? Why or why not?

These questions encourage critical thinking and exploration beyond the blog’s information, delving into the historical context, evolution, and cultural impact of Punch and Judy in England.

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©Tony Dalton