Current research shows that there are as many – if not more - Punch and Judy performers than in any previous time. The tradition is certainly not dying out.
The Punch and Judy Fellowship
The Punch and Judy College of ProfessorsThere are two Punch and Judy organisations in the UK today, both founded in the 1980s and currently working in partnership.
Membership of The Punch and Judy Fellowship is open to all interested parties and membership of The Punch and Judy College of Professors is solely by invitation. Some performers are members of both and some are members of neither. A show is only as good as the person performing it and anyone may choose to take up Mr. Punch. That’s how he has survived so long.
Click on the links above to enter the world of the Punch and Judy societies to find out more about them or to search for the right performer for any event from a small private birthday party to a large international festival.
‘Professors’ letting go
Mr. Punch on the streets
Performers of the show have been known since Victorian times as ‘Professors’. Many of their fellow street entertainers of the era – from acrobats to musicians - used the same title to give their performance an air of authority and respectability. Only in Punch and Judy has the custom remained in use.
Not all performers choose to use ‘Professor’ as part of their stage name, but any Punch and Judy performer may certainly do so. There are no conditions. If you perform Punch and Judy you can call yourself ‘Professor’.
Mr. Punch on the beach
Mr. Punch clowning around
Mr. Punch in trouble
Mr. Punch walking tall
Mr. Punch going small
