Welcome to the website of
Tony Lidington & Promenade Promotions (Prom-Prom) Limited
“The art of British popular entertainment”
This website is for booking Prom-Prom’s accessible, family-friendly acts for 2026… it is also a treasure-trove of vernacular entertainments, containing Dr Tony Lidington’s research outputs, publications and archives on British popular performance forms.
Tony Lidington
“… some sort of unreconstructed music hall anarchist”
– John Fox, Welfare State International & Dead Good Guides
“A national treasure…”
– the late Duke of Edinburgh
This website is for booking Prom-Prom’s accessible, family-friendly acts for 2024/5… it is also a treasure-trove of vernacular entertainments, containing Dr Tony Lidington’s research outputs, publications and archives on British popular performance forms.
Tony Lidington
“… some sort of unreconstructed music hall anarchist”
– John Fox, Welfare State International & Dead Good Guides
“A national treasure…”
– the late Duke of Edinburgh
“Come and see the wonders of all wonders that ever the world has wondered at!” – Gustavus Katterfelto
– Wise words –
“One of the ways to avoid being beaten by the system is to laugh at it” – Peter Cook
“We don’t have a plan, so nothing can go wrong” – Spike Milligan
“This too shall pass…” from Hebrew and Sufi folklore
Latest Socials and Posts
As part of their cuts to the Humanities across the board at University of Exeter, my post of senior lecturer in the Drama Department is now being made redundant. I have worked there for 16 years years (although only the last 2 years as a permanent member of staff) and even during all the tricky times of Covid and the departures & deaths of so many significant figures in the department in recent years, I have always enjoyed my time there. I have valued the wisdom, understanding and patience of my colleagues, but particularly the energy and spirit of enquiry that was embedded in so many of my students. I like to think that I leave the place with popular entertainment and mischief firmly embedded in the ethos of what is learned there and that many of the little time-bombs of subversive nonsense that I have planted in my cohorts of students will detonate at various times in the coming months, years and decades. To you all, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks and wish you every success in maintaining the community of practitioners, thinkers and activists that has been so important to Exeter over the past half a century. I am sad to be taking my leave, but I shall now pursue even more opportunities to share my fleas, my nonsense and the serious art of being silly, as widely as possible... Anyone got a gig?
This Bank Holiday weekend we are at Hollycombe Steam for their Fairground Extravaganza!!You can catch a us in the Bioscope throughout the 3 days with Uncle Tacko’s Flea Circus, Spike Bones’ Punch & Judy, Clive Pig’s stories and on Monday a special guest appearance by The Great Divinator!#fleacircus #punchandjudy #storytelling #divination #fairground
Tomorrow! (Thursday 27th) Penny Plonk, Uncle Tacko and Nephew Spike Bones with be entertaining at Dawlish Bandstand all day. FREE family entertainment! Grab an ice cream and come and join in the fun!#dawlish #whatsondawlish #FreeFamilyEvents #whatsondevon #dawlishanddawlishwarren
Lots going on this weekend! Let’s hope we haven’t all melted by then….On Saturday the Pirate Galleon will be sailing INSIDE Exeter.Library Saturday and Sunday Uncle Tacko and his Fleas will be at the glorious MEDICINE in Reading.On Sunday Nephew Spike Bones will be at Tiverton Proms in the Park, a lovely free community event on Westexe Recreational Group 2pm-5pm.#fleacircus #punchandjudy #familydayout #summer
This weekend we’re at the rather lovely Dartmoor Folk Festival with Spike Bone’s Punch & Judy and Uncle Tacko and Captain Ginger with The Dom-Tink! Come and find us and try your strength!!Nephew Spike Bones #dartmoor #familydayout #folkfestival #punchandjudy #whatsondevon
