0:00:02 > 0:00:05Blackpool's 2012 season is about to begin
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and if the weather holds up, it should be a good year.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13In its heyday, half the population came to Blackpool.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17NEWSREEL: Take a train to the place name on the ticket and where shall that be?
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Margate, Southend, Scarborough, Weston-super-Mare? Blackpool? Blackpool has it.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Most of Britain's seaside towns thrived right until the '70s.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29But once foreign holidays became cheaper,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31the flow to the coast began to dry up.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37By the '90s, Blackpool's visitor numbers were down.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And the slide continued.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44But now, there's a £300 million drive to bring them back.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I want somebody big on that stage.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50I want this place full and I want people saying,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52"Bloody hell, he made it happen."
0:00:52 > 0:00:56If we do handle this wrong, we could be cut off for ever.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59But with the recession continuing to bite
0:00:59 > 0:01:02and one of the wettest summers on record to deal with,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06how did the town they call Las Vegas on Sea cope?
0:01:06 > 0:01:10This is what we're aiming for. What has happened with this street?
0:01:10 > 0:01:11This is the whole point.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The mother and my wife, they are just both barmy.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17They would go to the opening of a fridge if it had something to do with Blackpool.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21This is what Blackpool needs.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25A nice sunny day... Uh-oh, maybe I spoke too soon. Look at them clouds.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Howard Plant is owner and manager of eight central car parks.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Today, his younger brother Warren is helping out.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- I'm cured of this. - Get it in here, come on. Time is money, money is everything.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Stick it in here. Come on.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56A lot of people don't see this, but you have to do this every day.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Warren, we'll do this later.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01There's a van down there with a load of rubbish behind it.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- We'll have to wait till it goes. Come on.- Just let me get this last bit.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10Howard started out as Blackpool's first car clamper in the 1980s.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Now he's in the car-park business.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15With being the eldest brother in the family,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18he tends to take the father-figure role.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22And he always looks after us and points us in the right direction.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26He's not always right, but he's always the boss.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Howard and his brothers came to Blackpool from Manchester
0:02:31 > 0:02:32in the 1970s.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I can honestly say I came to Blackpool with no shoes.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Not a penny in my pocket and no shoes on my feet.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Howard's business relies almost entirely on visitors coming to the town.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49But it's still weeks before the season starts.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56This was the site of a beautiful church. It was lovely.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Unfortunately, nobody attended it and, er,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02it was in a great location for a car park.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Surrounded by hotels, double yellow lines on the road.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08So, you know, I bought it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Demolished it, and since then it's been a car park.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Blackpool's Grand Theatre, famous for its summer variety season.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Holland, as you know, is very flat.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31In fact, the wife left me and, three days later, I could still see her.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32LAUGHTER
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Tony Jo is Blackpool's number-one variety promoter.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44He books acts for all the town's major venues.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47If Jimmy can't do it, I need to know now.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50The offer we made to you was every Wednesday night in the summer season.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54If you're going to Bournemouth, you're not coming to Blackpool,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57so let me know now which way it is.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Tony's trying to book comic Jimmy Cricket
0:04:00 > 0:04:02for the summer season at the Grand.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I went to the doctor I said, "I've got a right toe on my left foot and a left toe on my right foot."
0:04:06 > 0:04:09He said, "You've got myxomatosis." LAUGHTER
0:04:09 > 0:04:12All right, so Jimmy Cricket is now not available for the summer season
0:04:12 > 0:04:15in Blackpool, he's going to Bournemouth?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Cheers. Bye-bye.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22There you go, we've lost Jimmy Cricket for the summer. We'll move on.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23There are other artists that will...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I've got to be honest with you, everybody and his brother
0:04:26 > 0:04:29wants to do a summer season in Blackpool because
0:04:29 > 0:04:34of the ilk of the people we deal with, Blackpool is still the Las Vegas of England.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Near Blackpool's South Shore stands Howard's dream.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49I'd like to show you something else, if you can spare a few minutes.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I'm just going to pull up on this car park and take you in this place.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00I came in with a view to demolish it and I looked at this and thought,
0:05:00 > 0:05:01"No way."
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Howard wants this to be Blackpool's first major new venue
0:05:05 > 0:05:06on South Shore for 50 years.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I want to make people happy.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I want to put a comedy club on, I want to put headline bands on,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17I want to do the things that people say, "I went that venue,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22"I had a great night and Mr Plant made it happen."
0:05:22 > 0:05:26When I leave this Earth, I want to be remembered fondly.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I want people to talk about me and smile
0:05:29 > 0:05:31and have nice things to say about me.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35And car parks... Nobody loves you for a car park.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Onwards and upwards.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Variety promoter Tony Jo knows Howard well
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and is always on the look out for new venues.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50He fell in love with the building, didn't want to damage it. He thought, "I'll have a go at this."
0:05:50 > 0:05:53To be fair to Howard, it's something he knows nothing about.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55He's never gone down that road before.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02I want somebody big on that stage, I want this place full
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and I want people saying, "Bloody hell, he made it happen. He did it."
0:06:06 > 0:06:07I would love to see it full.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10You know I'll support you as much as I can.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12I'm not arsed about making any money out of it, you know,
0:06:12 > 0:06:13I just want you to do well.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- I'll do anything I can to make this work for you.- Thank you, Tony.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Most things I do are successful
0:06:20 > 0:06:23because I endeavour to make them successful.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Howard plans to renovate the theatre ready for the summer season.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29He just needs to find the cash.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32I'm very worried.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Currently, we're going through the worst time ever
0:06:34 > 0:06:39because of the recession, but that's not just me, it's everybody.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The recession has hit Blackpool's B&Bs, too.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48But in the 1960s,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53the height of the summer meant every room was taken in the town.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Along the promenade every single house is either a boarding house,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01or sometimes more grandiloquently called a private hotel.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06Back then, it wasn't hard for guest-house owners to find a winning formula.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Everything's just ordinary, simple, good food.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13They have that, they go out and enjoy themselves.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17To the Pleasure Beach, the young ones, to the parks, the old ones.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18That's Blackpool.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Guest-house owner Claire Smith has lived in Blackpool all her life.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25It's just wonderful,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28especially driving the full length of the promenade, and in the summer,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32when you've got all the promenade filled with people,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and you can hear the noise and the laughing, it's lovely.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38It's absolutely lovely.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Together with her husband, Mark,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49they've been running two five-star guest houses for over ten years.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57So this is Drama, one of the rooms in the hotel.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59If I tell you all the rooms have got exactly the same facilities,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01so no room is better or worse,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03but they are completely individual in style and decor.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06You have to think about who's going to use your room
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and what requirements those people have
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and then try and get the room to suit that.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15So the lighting works from a key-card system and we have a remote
0:08:15 > 0:08:18that we sit by the bed, which means that guests do not have to get up
0:08:18 > 0:08:22after watching TV or whatever they're doing, to turn the lights off.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23So all individual.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It's about bright, bright light for a business person
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and then tone it down, dim it all down for a romantic person.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33The couple's only son Ben
0:08:33 > 0:08:36has returned from university down south to help out.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41When people put "luxury hotel", what exactly does it mean?
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Everything one sees, smells and touches
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- is just that little bit better than it needs to be.- That's the one.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Claire and Mark have high hopes that the business
0:08:52 > 0:08:55will continue into the next generation when they retire.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Blackpool is definitely in my blood. You can't get away from it.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59It's a bit like Marmite.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03It's a horrible cliche, but you either love it or you don't.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05And I definitely love it, yeah.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12The Smiths' guests houses are regularly full,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15but visitors have changed the way they come to Blackpool.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23For Howard, this and the motorways spelt the beginning of the end.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28This is the end of the M55.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33The M55 being a one of the major causes of the demise of Blackpool
0:09:33 > 0:09:34as a week-holiday resort,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39or a fortnightly holiday resort in the old days.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43The M55 caused the people to just come for day trips.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48If we look, this is the main vein road into Blackpool.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51We need to see the traffic backing up along here.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55If we see the traffic going that way, it's no good for Blackpool.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57So we need to see a bit of a queue heading that way.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Blackpool does need people to stay longer
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and a lot rests on the millions spent
0:10:06 > 0:10:09on renovating Blackpool's facade.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17It is three weeks before schools break up
0:10:17 > 0:10:19and then the season really begins.
0:10:20 > 0:10:26The iconic Blackpool Tower has been given a £20 million make-over.
0:10:26 > 0:10:32Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, Blackpool Tower was built shortly afterwards, in 1894,
0:10:32 > 0:10:37using 93 tons of steel to reach over 500ft.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Today, there are high winds blowing in from the Irish Sea.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45When that happens,
0:10:45 > 0:10:50the lifts can't make it up to the newly restored Tower Eye platform.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55When the lift's off... Obviously that's our main headline attraction,
0:10:55 > 0:10:56if you would.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58If we can't operate it,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02our number-one-selling attraction is out of action.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05The forecast today for wind speeds over 40mph
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and, obviously, for when we're operating the lift,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10anything over 40mph, it's an automatic - we close down the lift.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14We obviously keep monitoring it through the day. I don't what the latest forecast is.
0:11:14 > 0:11:1649 miles an hour, 20 minutes ago.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19We check the reading every hour, at the moment, just to make sure.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22If it starts to die down, we can start getting ready to open.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Well, if you're to believe the weather forecasters,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and I don't know, we're all in the same boat with it.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29But, yeah, they mentioned it was going to be a bumper summer.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32That we're expecting, you know, one of the hot ones.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36WIND HOWLS
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- 47.- Yeah, 47.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Yeah.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53LAUGHTER
0:11:53 > 0:11:57The Tower engineers have set to work on a solution.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Be careful. Be careful.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Blackpool Tower was designed as a venue for mass entertainment.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17The circus sits under the Tower's four legs.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Once, there were elephants and all manner of species.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Now, a human circus performs three times a day.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The Tower Ballroom, home to Strictly Come Dancing
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and one of the last ballrooms in Britain.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39ORGAN PLAYS
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Chris Hopkins is one of the four ballroom organists.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48The ballroom has got... It's just got this world of its own.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54It's like going back in time.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59The thing hasn't changed since it was built. It's over 100 years old.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Wurlitzer organ, that's been here since 1928.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09NEWSREEL: Mr Blackpool, Reginald Dixon,
0:13:09 > 0:13:10gives recitals in the ballroom.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14The idol of millions, he's played to audiences here for 30 years.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20The Tower Ballroom has been open to the public for almost 120 years.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Ever since we were young, everyone went out dancing.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30And that's where the young men met the girls, originally.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Always at the dance.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The men were one side of the ballroom and the girls the other
0:13:35 > 0:13:39and when the music started, there was one rush across the ballroom
0:13:39 > 0:13:42to pick the best-looking girl in the bunch.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I love watching the dancers.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- Liked to have got up and danced. - Yes, I would.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50If I could have found a fella, I would have done!
0:13:53 > 0:13:55It's the be all and the end all, really, for an organist.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59To play here is just absolutely amazing.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06MUSIC STOPS
0:14:06 > 0:14:08APPLAUSE
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Tony Jo is finalising his last act
0:14:13 > 0:14:17for the summer season schedule at the Grand Theatre.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21He's decided to give a club comedian a big break.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Billy Hunter had a reputation.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25I went along to see in Manchester
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and this guy was only one of the top clubs in Manchester,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31packed, and he absolutely paralysed the audience.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And I was crying laughing at this guy, he's so funny.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I sent an e-mail to him asking for his dates,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39so I could give him a bit more work and he sent this e-mail.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41I'll read it to you. Listen to this.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45"Can I take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your interest...
0:14:45 > 0:14:48AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
0:14:48 > 0:14:53"..I've been deflated now and confused and frustrated for so long
0:14:53 > 0:14:56"that to be honest, I was going to honour what shows I had in
0:14:56 > 0:14:58"for the rest of the year and then quit,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01"as I was just struggling to make an income.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04"So whatever it is you can see in me, I can't thank you enough.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08"Any road, dates for 2013.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09"BLEEP all.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12HE LAUGHS
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Right, come and have a look at this.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Wow.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- Eh?- It's a bit dark at the moment, but magnificent, isn't it?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23- So ornate, beautiful.- It is.- And you don't need a mic in here.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25One! One!
0:15:25 > 0:15:27This is your home for 14 weeks, pal.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- Once a week you're going to be here and you'll love it.- Lovely. - Absolutely love it.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42The summer season acts meet Blackpool's media.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46The buzz starts here and everybody, as you can see, is quite excited.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50We got Bobby Ball over there and Roy Walker, Joe Longthorne,
0:15:50 > 0:15:55all being interviewed by different parts of the media, television, radio.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57It's great, because it's a bit of a catch-up for everybody
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and it's passing ships in the night all meeting up.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03If you're doing the summer season in Blackpool for, like, four months,
0:16:03 > 0:16:04you've cracked it.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08For Billy, it's his first Blackpool summer season in a theatre,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13which, in any entertainer's diary, is like Las Vegas.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16We're trying to present the best we possibly can this summer
0:16:16 > 0:16:18here in Blackpool and I promise you we will.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20APPLAUSE
0:16:24 > 0:16:26We're three weeks away from the opening of the summer now
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and it is about hope, because it's how long is a piece of string?
0:16:30 > 0:16:34We don't know how busy, or not busy, Blackpool's going to be.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37But if the weather stays like this, it'll be cracking.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38DOG BARKS
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- So you're from Rhyl?- Yes.- Right, and how long have you lived in Rhyl?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- 22 years.- 22 years and you come to Blackpool on holiday.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- So how's Rhyl doing?- Crap.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54HE LAUGHS
0:16:54 > 0:16:56He-he, that's why you're in Blackpool, isn't it, eh?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- See ya!- See you. - HE CHUCKLES
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I have got five Americans
0:17:05 > 0:17:10and they're all here for an international magician's convention.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14It's held every three years internationally.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Last time, it was in Beijing, this time, it's in Blackpool.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So it's very, very exciting.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21And Americans are always good fun, aren't they?
0:17:21 > 0:17:23There are things to do in Blackpool.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27I'm a walker and I just love walking along the promenade.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32It was just wonderful to see the beach and the sun was shining,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34it did shine yesterday in Blackpool!
0:17:34 > 0:17:36LAUGHTER
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Yeah, it was beautiful.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Are you ready? This is it.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- Oh, my gosh. - Crumpets!
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Crumpets!
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Oh!- Yes.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51So you see, they've got holes in. Little holes.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55It's very rare that you don't hit it off with someone, but if you don't,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58you think yourself, "Well, it doesn't matter, they're gone in a couple of days."
0:17:58 > 0:18:00But nine nights they're staying.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Can you imagine if I hadn't liked them, or they hadn't liked me,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06the other way around? But, fortunately, we're having great fun.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- They are really, really lovely people.- Thank you for the crumpets.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- A special treat.- My pleasure, my pleasure.- Have a good day.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Have a good time, yes, enjoy yourselves.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- Will do, will do. - OTHERS: See you later.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I'm kind of calling it our season of opportunity.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23So this is the year that it's kind of all come together,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26all the past seven years of hard work.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30The new promenade is now absolutely stunning.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35So a lot of stuff happening and all come together, really, in one year.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38What we think of a summer resort is warm, warm weather
0:18:38 > 0:18:41where you could go bathe, the sunbathing.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43That's not what this is.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I think all of the UK isn't exactly sunny all the time.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Liquid sunshine, that's what we call it in California. Liquid sunshine.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Claire and Mark have spent years building up their business
0:19:02 > 0:19:05and Ben is the heir apparent.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07I kind of knew that the business was here
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and that they'd done so much effort.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14And it seemed to me to be a waste to go and do anything else.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Whilst at University, Ben met his current girlfriend
0:19:18 > 0:19:19and it's serious.
0:19:21 > 0:19:27So we have a lovely girlfriend, who is great, beautiful, good for him,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29but lives down south.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34And that's where her next, at least few years are, while she forges her career
0:19:34 > 0:19:38and does her training and gets where she wants to be.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43So, um, he's looking at getting a job down there
0:19:43 > 0:19:45and relocating down there.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47It's serious enough to warrant me leaving Blackpool
0:19:47 > 0:19:52and anyone who knows me, that must be pretty serious for me to disappear down south.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56At the moment, it's this bit of a curve ball that's kind of swung in
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- and thrown everything.- We weren't expecting it, were we?- No.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02This was not on the books at all.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08As a day-trip destination,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12the weather forecasts often don't do Blackpool any favours.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19So what's Blackpool in the rain then, what's it like?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Does anybody come here in the rain?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25No.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29It devastates you. You just...you just can't take any money.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34Er, I mean, really, this car park should be full.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It's half the price of the council's
0:20:37 > 0:20:40and look at it, it's empty.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42If you look around, it's just empty.
0:20:44 > 0:20:50Howard has always made sure his car parks are close to the seafront and main attractions.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52You've got 2,000 hotels or so,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56and they've all got a little bit of parking, two or three spaces.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Now, if they're all empty, what chance have the car parks got?
0:21:00 > 0:21:03And if the car parts are all empty, it means the hotels are empty.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07If the hotels are empty, the life blood of the town is dying.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10The Pleasure Beach is just over there, the promenade is just over there
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and if you scan the area...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- And the Sandcastle. - ..it's deserted.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16And yet when we first came to Blackpool,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18this was alive at this time of year.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I get phone calls off my pals in the town and they ask me
0:21:22 > 0:21:24what the car parks are doing,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27how busy they are, how many people are in.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28And I let them know.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31They know whether they are going to be earning any money at the weekend.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37- Are you worried that things could collapse for you?- I'm very worried.
0:21:37 > 0:21:43At this moment in time, I've never ever, ever had a problem.
0:21:43 > 0:21:49I've never had any vision of being able to go bump or go bankrupt.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53If business is bad for Howard,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56it could spell real trouble for his theatre venture.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05Elaine Smith is Ben's grandmother.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- She likes knowing everything. She's nosy, so she likes knowing everything.- And knowing everybody.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12She's always known everybody.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Elaine is a retired hotelier and chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Right, come on, lads, where are you now?
0:22:20 > 0:22:25My mother and my wife, they're just both barmy.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- They're just... They're both obsessed with it, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35- To extremes, aren't they?- Yeah. - They are, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And they just go... I'm sure either of them would go to
0:22:37 > 0:22:40the opening of a fridge if it had something to do with Blackpool.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Today, Elaine is spearheading Blackpool In Bloom.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52I think it's fine down here. I think they've really tried down here.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58This is what we're aiming for, what has happened with this street.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02This is the whole point of Hotel In Bloom, Blackpool In Bloom,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Beautiful Blackpool - to get people to do what they've done in this street.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08I mean, you can see what they've done.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12She never looks on the down side and if it is down,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16she's on everybody's backs to get it back up again.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18SHE LAUGHS
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- You're Mrs Blackpool, aren't you? - Aye.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- Are you Mrs Blackpool? - Well, I don't know.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Laurence Llewelyn Bowen calls me that.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32If she thinks that something is not right, she will work at it.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Whoever it is, they don't stand a chance,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38because she'll work on them until they change their mind.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40That's how determined she is.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43I came to live in Blackpool in 1945
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and I thought I'd landed in fairyland.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52It's now reinventing itself. It's getting all these up-to-date things.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But it still must never lose its fun.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57And we're getting better and better, aren't we?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01But however long it takes to change, it's then going to take even longer
0:24:01 > 0:24:03to change perceptions, isn't it?
0:24:03 > 0:24:08Elaine and her husband Jim ran a hotel in Blackpool until 1999.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15You know, you hope. You work hard, I hope we've taken what you and Jim did
0:24:15 > 0:24:20and taken that forward, and then you hope that, in time...
0:24:20 > 0:24:24We thought he would take it forward with his partner, wife, or whatever,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and it would all continue and we'd all be involved.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33I think a lot of what we do is to improve the town for future generations, isn't it?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And he is our future generation.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40- He'll miss us too much, won't you love?- Of course, Grandma.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- You're a bit of a home boy, aren't you?- Yes!
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- He does love Blackpool, don't you?- Of course.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49I mean he's had that instilled in him.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Do you think you'll ever talk Rachel into coming back to Blackpool?
0:24:52 > 0:24:53Yes.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56We bought this business with the intention of him coming into it
0:24:56 > 0:25:00and then this young lady has come on the scene and changed all that.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04So do I feel good about it? No, I feel really bad about it.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And he keeps saying, "I'm coming back, I'm coming back,"
0:25:07 > 0:25:09and my feelings are that he won't.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Because I know...- He will. He'll miss us too much.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16- I know women better than he does. - It's just a minor blip.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19It might be a minor blip for you but it's not a minor blip for me.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Just stop, now. Right? Now.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- So when are you thinking of going? - Soon as I get a job, as soon as I can.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32CLAIRE: But there's a future here, isn't there?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- That's a big difference, as well. - We were building a future.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37That was the whole point of it, wasn't it?
0:25:42 > 0:25:46At the north end of Blackpool, Dave Simmons is getting ready for work.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50What it is, I'm a landau driver,
0:25:50 > 0:25:56which is basically the old-fashioned taxis, that's drawn by horses.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58It's a good life, really. I enjoy doing it.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Dave drives a traditional horse and carriage known as a landau along the promenade.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Walk on, son. HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Come on, son.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Just walk, loosen you up.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Landaus have worked the promenade for 130 years.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20There are 44 licensed landaus.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Dave's father did the job before him.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I've still got the passion now, as to what I had
0:26:35 > 0:26:40when I first started driving horses on the promenade. I love the job.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Nothing will ever, ever turn me away from it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I'll do this job till the day I die and I'll have the passion all the way through.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51It's not a job, it is a hobby. And that's what it is.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59On the south side of Blackpool, Mark Morris also works for a landau company.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01He's driven landaus for six years,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04but has decided to move with the times.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10This is the Cinderella carriage.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15They became popular after Jordan got married in one of these styles.
0:27:15 > 0:27:21But, yeah, these are the modern carriages, as we'd like to put them.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25There are only three Cinderella carriages operating at the moment.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35We've been on the pink Cinderella-style carriage.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40You'll see that it's very popular with the girls, little families.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44The popularity of the Cinderella carriages has come at a price.
0:27:44 > 0:27:51They've been so popular, it got a lot of the other landau owners,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56and drivers, it got them very resentful of us.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59There are very few people speak to me within the industry.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04I can only assume that they are jealous,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08because they've not thought outside the boxes themselves.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12We're more popular than the traditional ones at the moment.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20To me, the pink Cinderella', they shouldn't be on here.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21They're not tradition.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26They should've kept it as just traditional landau carriages.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29You get your old ones that come here,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33that when they come on the carriages, and I've had it said to me many a time,
0:28:33 > 0:28:39you know, "Oh, I remember these when I was a child, I used to come on them."
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Without tradition in Blackpool, it would been nowt.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- Is it the traditional ones you want, or the princess one?- This one.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54Do you want to be a princess, then? Come on then. Look at that face!
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Oh, we've been on the other carriages and they're nice carriages to go up and down on,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04but when the daughter says she wants to be a princess for the day,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08who am I to let her down not to be a princess?
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- INTERVIEWER: Is that right, you wanted to be a princess?- Yes!
0:29:13 > 0:29:17I can't tell the public how to spend their money.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20It's their money and their choice.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22It is a fun ride, don't get me wrong.
0:29:22 > 0:29:28It's a novelty ride. It should be in amusement park, giving rides around the park,
0:29:28 > 0:29:33you know? That would be absolutely well suited.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34What winds a lot of people up
0:29:34 > 0:29:40is when other drivers, that drive the Cinderellas, just load them in,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44then come past laughing at you, as if they're better than you.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48That's what's out of order, really.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53People come for that magical moment and to enjoy themselves
0:29:53 > 0:29:58and this is what we're doing. They've moved forward. We're the 21st century.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02We're here and I'd like to think we're here to stay.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10People in the south, in London in particular, OK,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14consider Blackpool as shabby, worn out.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17What it has always been is what it will always be.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20It will be the place for families and people with not really
0:30:20 > 0:30:24a lot of money, to come and have a couple of good days.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Are you encouraging your son to consider staying in Blackpool
0:30:27 > 0:30:29and becoming B&B owners?
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Since they can get an investment relatively inexpensive.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37The tendency here is for our children to be educated well,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39then go off to uni and then go off.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43So we train them up, but we're not able to retain them.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Now, we have an issue with Ben,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49whereby he wants to be in the business.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52He wants us to buy more, but he went off to uni,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55in Guildford, in Surrey, down south,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59- and met a lovely, lovely girl. - ALL: Oh!
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Who is very good for him.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Who is very good for him,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05but she doesn't want to move up north.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07The person of love will rule what he wants to do.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Whether he loves the bed and breakfast or whether
0:31:10 > 0:31:14he loves the girl, whatever he loves the most, that's where he's going.
0:31:14 > 0:31:15You can't control it.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Your influence at 23-years-old is over.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22And our fear is that if we do handle this wrong,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25- we could be cut off for ever.- Right.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Does Ben have your passion?
0:31:27 > 0:31:28Oh, yeah. It's not just me.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30There is Mark's mother.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32She is chairman of Blackpool's Civic Trust.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34So Blackpool is absolutely within all of us.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Every dinner that we have ever had amongst the family
0:31:37 > 0:31:40is about what's going on in Blackpool.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Everybody has to make their own way in the world.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53We bring our kids up, bring our families up to
0:31:53 > 0:31:56the best of our...way we can,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59we teach them right from wrong.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Then you've all got to go out in the world and make your own way
0:32:02 > 0:32:06and just hope that you remember that we're still there
0:32:06 > 0:32:08and that we still love you.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10I hope he goes for a little while,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12but I want him to come back.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15And I think he will come back.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17He loves Blackpool as much as the rest of us,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19but he'll definitely come back.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22I have no doubts about that.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25PEOPLE SCREAM
0:32:25 > 0:32:26From Monday to Thursday,
0:32:26 > 0:32:30most visitors to Blackpool come for the attractions and shows.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34But, at the weekends, it's party time, and even more flood in.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Howard Plant's car parks fill up, and his brother, Warren,
0:32:39 > 0:32:41runs a clamping and towing business.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45What we're doing is pay and display car park
0:32:45 > 0:32:49and just checking that all the vehicles
0:32:49 > 0:32:51have paid adequately.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57People don't come back when they should do
0:32:57 > 0:33:00and that's where I earn my wages.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05So, if they pay, Howard wins.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08If they don't pay, I win.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15The clamping came into the town many years ago
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and it was Howard that brought clamping into Blackpool.
0:33:19 > 0:33:26He got clamped in London and he thought, "This is a great idea."
0:33:27 > 0:33:31At Howard's car park near the Pleasure Beach,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Warren's found the day's first victim.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40- Is it a lucrative business?- It is.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Unfortunately, it's going to be over
0:33:43 > 0:33:45in the next three months, because
0:33:45 > 0:33:49the government, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to ban it.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Thing is, at the end of the season,
0:33:57 > 0:34:00they're going to ban the clamping and the towing.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Then it's going to go over to a ticketing service.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05And his income, basically, at the end of the season in October,
0:34:05 > 0:34:06ceases to exist.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09He'll have no income. And you know what he's going to rely on?
0:34:09 > 0:34:12God. I've asked him. He says, "God will provide.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15"Don't worry, God will provide."
0:34:15 > 0:34:18But the problem with that he is, is he thinks I'm God.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21TOY SQUEAKS
0:34:21 > 0:34:23MEN LAUGH
0:34:24 > 0:34:26I love Blackpool.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31SEAGULLS CRY
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Blackpool is famous for its stag and hen's
0:34:35 > 0:34:39and landlady Dolores has a party of girls from near her
0:34:39 > 0:34:42home town of Stoke coming to stay this weekend.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43I don't do hen nights,
0:34:43 > 0:34:46but these girls are absolutely lovely.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49They're family orientated,
0:34:49 > 0:34:50the majority of them are,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53and they're just really good girls.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Now, any normal hen night or stag night,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59they'd just wreck your place.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01They know me, they know my rules
0:35:01 > 0:35:04and they abide by them, actually.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Dolores bought the B&B with her husband, Jim, a number of years ago,
0:35:08 > 0:35:13but tragically for Dolores, Jim died just before the summer.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19'I love having the girls, especially this time,'
0:35:19 > 0:35:21because they've boosted my morale a lot.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- We love our Dolores!- We do!
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- He would have loved it.- He would.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- He's near us.- I know he is.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32He's standing here, now, laughing with his kilt on with us.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36- Don't start.- Ain't he? - No, don't start.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41Blackpool's stag and hen parties boomed when the council relaxed licensing seven years ago
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and the stag and hens haven't stopped coming.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Dolores' B&B is at the quieter, southern end of town.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Where are we going, girls?
0:35:52 > 0:35:56But the weekend action happens further north towards the centre of Blackpool.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Go out, have a good dance, have a laugh.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Have a few shots, have a few dances. Mingle with the crowds.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Get involved with the whole Blackpool atmosphere.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Lots of drinking and lots of dancing.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19# Girls they wanna have fun
0:36:19 > 0:36:23# Oh, girls, just wanna have fun. #
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Tonight, thousands of revellers will descend on Blackpool's
0:36:27 > 0:36:28bars and clubs.
0:36:31 > 0:36:32My feet hurt.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35It's so crowded in there, it's untrue.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38We got pushed and shoved everywhere, didn't we?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40You can't even hold your drink before it being spilt down you.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43Literally, can't move anywhere, it's that busy
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and I was getting attacked by a random man.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49# Girls just wanna have fun
0:36:50 > 0:36:52# Girls just wanna have fun... #
0:36:55 > 0:36:58Howard started clearing the old Apollo.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02He's hit on a plan to raise the cash for the real work to begin.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06God's not making any more land. I own this. I don't owe any money on it.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10One day, it'll come good.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11Then, payday.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16Then the Apollo will be getting finished.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19He thinks the work will cost almost £1 million.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24He is already buying equipment to kit out the kitchen.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27All this equipment, and a lot more, the container that's over there
0:37:27 > 0:37:31and all this, was the entire contents of a restaurant in the north-east
0:37:31 > 0:37:37that, in these current climates, they opened at the wrong time, should we say.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42They spent £750,000 kitting out a restaurant and went bankrupt
0:37:42 > 0:37:45and I got the entire contents of the restaurant for 25,000.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49It's heavy. Here we go.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Christ, Almighty! I can't believe how heavy it is. Are you all right, lads?
0:37:55 > 0:37:59Anywhere down here. Careful. Careful, slowly.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02David? I need you in the office.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06David Gardner is Howard's close friend and business advisor.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16If I sell this land, we'll be able to get open on time
0:38:16 > 0:38:21because the sale of the land is key to this development.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Otherwise, I don't know where we're going to go with it, I really don't
0:38:24 > 0:38:27because we getting no help from the bank.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Because you've got that, I know you think that's a ridiculous offer from our friend
0:38:31 > 0:38:34but this guy, somewhere along the line if we can meet...
0:38:34 > 0:38:39I'll put it to you like this, he's offering twice as much as Darren offered me.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42What's the hold-up? What's the hold-up?
0:38:42 > 0:38:44I need a planning reference number.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46I wouldn't have been sleeping last night.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47I wouldn't have slept last night.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51That makes this place open for the height of the season.
0:38:51 > 0:38:57- Come on, let's chase it up.- I will do. First of all, I've tried Fred.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Now I'm going to have two ring the town hall.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01- You can ring the town hall. - It's now 10:15.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Dave, I've had a delivery this morning.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08- I've not been to the bathroom yet. - This is priority.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11- This is my first cup of coffee.- We want to be open for the first.- OK.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12Let's get on.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22As far as I'm concerned, that Apollo is going to be his last venture.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26I want it to succeed. I want it open as soon as possible.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30When they talk about summer season, to me, August is the prime month
0:39:30 > 0:39:33cos there's no schools, no colleges.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37That is prime holiday time. That is when I want to be open for.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40The only way we are going to do it is by bunging more money in
0:39:40 > 0:39:41and that's coming in at the moment.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44As far as I'm concerned, this is just a dead plot.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57We're about to meet Joe Longthorne, who is one of the stalwarts
0:39:57 > 0:40:01of variety and the biggest earner of money in Blackpool.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04He always turns up for me. Joe loves Blackpool.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Joe could live anywhere in the world.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08There are more stars living in this town than anywhere else
0:40:08 > 0:40:12in the country, including London, from variety.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17- Are you all right? You're looking good.- I feel all right.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19I'll name that tune in one!
0:40:22 > 0:40:25The variety club has recognised him as the most,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28promising artist of 1983, Joe Longthorne.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30APPLAUSE
0:40:30 > 0:40:32He's performed all over the world,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36including London's Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41And he still has a devoted army of fans.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45This is going to sound really strange but I've requested
0:40:45 > 0:40:50that goes into my coffin with me when I die so that I get Joe.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53I will take him to the other world.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57# If I can make it there
0:40:57 > 0:41:02# I'll make it anywhere... #
0:41:02 > 0:41:07Because he's so down to earth and you can get to speak to him.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09I think that's what everybody likes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11He's got a very rare,
0:41:11 > 0:41:15unique characteristic is something he possesses,
0:41:15 > 0:41:21whether it's from his background, his parents but he is exceptional.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23You know, many people imitate him,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26many people claim to be the Joe Longthorne experience
0:41:26 > 0:41:30around these tribute bars and that but seriously there is only one Joe Longthorne.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32# My little town... #
0:41:35 > 0:41:37Actually, I've got a very, very understanding husband.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41I been with him 27 years and he's...
0:41:41 > 0:41:45And I've known, I've been seeing Joe 25 of those.
0:41:45 > 0:41:50He's never said, "No, you can't go".
0:41:50 > 0:41:54Is your husband in any way jealous of your attention to Joe Longthorne?
0:41:54 > 0:41:57He says he isn't that I think if it was the other way round,
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I wouldn't let him go and see a female artist
0:42:00 > 0:42:02as much as I go and see Joe.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08So we are going to see my friend, Marjorie,
0:42:08 > 0:42:13who has come down from Barrow for the whole summer season,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17that's 13 weeks, just so that she can see Joe every Thursday night.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Hi, Marjorie.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22I thought I'd come and say "hello" because I know you're here.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24- Are you all right?- Not so bad, are you?- Jolly good, yes.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- Was your journey down nice? - Quite good.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I'm looking forward to it.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34- You don't take as many now though, do you?- No. I've got so many.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37- Yeah, what do you do with them? - What do you do with them? - This is the point.- Yeah.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Look at all his flowers. Those are exquisite, aren't they?
0:42:41 > 0:42:42Oh, that's a nice one.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44I think that was one at the Opera House
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- because you can see his hair is a bit longer on that one.- It is.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51There's something about Joe that you cannot put your finger on it.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55His singing, and as a person, there's just something about him.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57We've always said if we knew what it was,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00- we bottle it and sell it and we'd make a fortune.- Yeah.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04"Joe Longthorne, I love you", with a felt tip pen.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11Blackpool is now filling up steadily with tourists.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Just near the Pleasure Beach, Howard is on his rounds.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23It's doing all right, actually, today.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27I think you can't really beat Blackpool, can you?
0:43:29 > 0:43:31The sunshine puts a lot of smiles on the faces.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35School holidays, so if we're not full this week,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37then it's time to give up.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42We'll see how much money's in here.
0:43:42 > 0:43:43Oh...
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Oh...
0:43:45 > 0:43:46We've got a heavy one.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57We've had a good week. That's mostly this last two days.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Howard's busiest car park is just off the town centre.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08This is the school holidays. This is what Blackpool needs. Nice sunny day.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Uh-oh! Maybe I spoke too soon, look at them clouds.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16Erm, a nice day, gets them all here, school holidays.
0:44:16 > 0:44:17We need 26 weeks of this.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20Look it's full, it's full, thank you God!
0:44:23 > 0:44:26- Are you managing OK? - Yeah, it's fine.- See you later.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31Even away from the centre, and close to the back street bars,
0:44:31 > 0:44:33it's busy there too.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Right, first part of the job, look around.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42If you see anybody with knives or guns, don't do this.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52- Can I help you, girls?- We're trying to get on change on the bank card.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54I can help you. I have plenty of change.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57- Whereabouts do you stay, usually? - We don't come here.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59- You don't come here?- First time.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01First time ever, we're Blackpool virgins.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03We're going to the Brunswick to have a bevy.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Listen, girls, seriously you can't break these boys hearts.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11There's men that have come to Blackpool, they're going to be out in the bars drinking,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13they're going to bump into yous lot.
0:45:13 > 0:45:14We're going to break their hearts.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17You'll tell them, "I'm sorry, mate, it's half-past 11,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19we've got to get home before 12 o'clock. Ta-ra.
0:45:19 > 0:45:20Where shall we go to drink?
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Soul Suite, Litton Tree, Che Bar...
0:45:23 > 0:45:24Get to town.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Just think of the hearts you're going to break tonight.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30You have a nice night tonight. See you later.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32They were nice girls. They'll have a laugh.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35They've come to Blackpool to the day for a laugh.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39They just come for a day trip. So, er...
0:45:39 > 0:45:41..that's what we need.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Fans of Blackpool variety star, Joe Longthorne,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47are getting ready for opening night.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49- Does that look all right, mam?- Yes.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53It must be a wonderful sight for Joe, don't you think
0:45:53 > 0:45:57when he comes on stage and that theatre is absolutely full
0:45:57 > 0:46:00and they're all standing up in the stalls like they do for him.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05- Oh, gosh, what a welcome.- I think the theatre will be full tonight.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- Really full.- Is going to be really warm in that theatre tonight.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10That's why I put this short sleeved top on,
0:46:10 > 0:46:12instead of one with longer sleeves.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14- We're excited, aren't we? - I am excited, yeah.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20It's almost curtain up at the Grand Theatre.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24- Are we walking in?- Yeah.
0:46:24 > 0:46:25- Are you all right, Flo.- Yeah.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32I can't get in.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35I won't push, you know what I'm alike.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Are you all right, girls?
0:46:37 > 0:46:41- Do you like me new boots and things. - Yeah, smashing.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43- Are you OK?- Yeah, fine.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46I've had 12 opening nights with Joe Longthorne,
0:46:46 > 0:46:49that's how we all know these people personally because they come to every show.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Every show.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Hundreds of tickets have gone in advance
0:46:53 > 0:46:56but more are being sold at the door.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Before Joe's set, it's comedian, Roy Walker.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Is any vegetarians in?
0:47:02 > 0:47:04Hands up, any vegetarians.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08See that, they don't even have the strength to get their arms up.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10LAUGHTER
0:47:10 > 0:47:12Goodnight!
0:47:12 > 0:47:16Joe will perform a 90-minute set of old favourites.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29# I can feel a new expression on my face
0:47:30 > 0:47:35# Every time that you...
0:47:35 > 0:47:38AUDIENCE: # Walk in the room...
0:47:51 > 0:47:55# Oh, oh, yeah
0:47:55 > 0:47:56# Love is in the air
0:47:58 > 0:48:00# Love is in the air. #
0:48:01 > 0:48:03CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Anyone will tell you, there's nothing like being
0:48:19 > 0:48:22on the stage like that and receiving a round of applause, like that.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23It's what it's all about.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Fantastic show, wasn't it?
0:48:25 > 0:48:29When he sang, Somewhere, it was amazing. Absolutely amazing.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31It made me cry, actually.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Very high, very high. I don't sleep.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36It takes you a long time to come down after you've seen Joe.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40I've got my son and daughter and my mum here.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44Sophie comes with me very often, she really loves him as well.
0:48:44 > 0:48:49Richard doesn't come very often but he does love him. He does like him.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53Some of those people have been with me for more than 35 years.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56It's good because you get the young ones there but my fan club
0:48:56 > 0:49:00we have people from ten years old up to 110, would you believe.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Another good night and thanks.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12- David is supervising the centre of town's car parks.- Yes, sir.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16Feel free, Park up there. Have you got change for the machine?
0:49:16 > 0:49:17- I haven't, actually.- What?
0:49:17 > 0:49:20You need change, I'll give you change, that's what I'm here for.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24Dave's crucial, he's the oil that makes the engine run.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28He's er...
0:49:28 > 0:49:31It's his enthusiasm.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34When you get down, he spurs you on.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36He wants me to be successful.
0:49:36 > 0:49:41He wants me to win, he wants me to achieve goals.
0:49:41 > 0:49:46- Good morning, are you well? Good weekend?- Not bad.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48It's all part of the job, you know.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51We don't want to just stand and take the money.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Anybody can do that but we want them to come back.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56They'll remember this car park and when they come back to Blackpool,
0:49:56 > 0:49:59they'll come to this car park because they'll remember how we looked after them.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02I want to ring Dave now, anyway.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06- Hello?- Morning, how are you doing?
0:50:06 > 0:50:08What are you up to?
0:50:08 > 0:50:12I've got some really bad news about that lad that was looking at the land.
0:50:12 > 0:50:17He gave me the plans back and said it was just not viable right now.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19So...
0:50:19 > 0:50:22That's gone by the way.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30The land sale has fallen through and so too have plans for the renovation.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Along the promenade, next to Blackpool Tower,
0:50:39 > 0:50:44someone has beaten Howard to the punch and opened a new entertainment venue.
0:50:44 > 0:50:49David and Howard can't resist the chance to check out the opening night.
0:50:49 > 0:50:50A lad called Leye D Johns.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55I think he's called Leye D Johns.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58After the duet, I'll then come on and join you for the Meat Loaf.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01- Emma, you'll stay on.- OK. I like the comedy in Meat Loaf that you do.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Will keep it in. Tonight is the opening night of Viva,
0:51:04 > 0:51:05all the hard work has paid off.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08We've got 500 people coming through the doors, pre-booked
0:51:08 > 0:51:11and, I'm elated.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Leye D Johns has negotiated a long and cheap lease on an ex-bingo hall.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22It took him just six weeks to get it ready for tonight's show.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26It's good, isn't it? An escalator, how are we going to top this?
0:51:28 > 0:51:30The venue is sold out.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Do you know what, it's lovely to see somebody opening something in Blackpool
0:51:33 > 0:51:35instead of bloody closing.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:51:37 > 0:51:40It's the Viva! Showtime!
0:51:47 > 0:51:50- I think the show's great.- The effort he puts in, is unbelievable.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52He does work hard at it.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55I think he's let himself down with the sound system.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57The main thing about the place...
0:51:57 > 0:51:59It's a modern building and an old building, isn't it?
0:51:59 > 0:52:04There's no character in it. It's just a simple, simple building.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09Where's the character in it, where's the pillars? It's just not there.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11We have a golden venue.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I think it's sensational.
0:52:16 > 0:52:21Next week we might not take no money but hey-ho, we've opened a venue on Blackpool promenade.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23How many people can do that?
0:52:27 > 0:52:29Not a lot of people can do that.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34Ours is a unique building. This is something on the top of a load of shops.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37It's a nothing. You know, a complete different ball game.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41I can promise you when the people come, it'll have the character,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45it'll have the professionalism. It'll have the acts and will get the people in.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54It's the end of the summer and 20,000 people brave another
0:52:54 > 0:52:58torrential downpour to watch the Illuminations being switched on.
0:52:58 > 0:52:59CHEERING
0:52:59 > 0:53:04Hello, and welcome to Blackpool 2012.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Celebrating 100 years of the Illuminations.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09We've never seen it before, it's Jennifer's 21st,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12so we thought it a perfect occasion to come down and celebrate.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15My mum and dad come to Blackpool every year.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18They were like, your 21st, why not go to the Illuminations?
0:53:18 > 0:53:21There's a big concert. Yeah, good times, good times.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Emergency ponchos... Ponchos.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27Someone told me it was going to rain so I thought I'll just take the risk,
0:53:27 > 0:53:31buy some ponchos, come out here, bang them out for £2.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Make some quick money.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39It's been 100 years since the Illuminations were first switched on
0:53:39 > 0:53:45and this long-standing tradition has brought in stars and celebrities to turn on the lights.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52In 1959, Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield pulled the lever.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55This is the most fantastic thing I've ever seen in my life.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57I'm completely speechless.
0:53:57 > 0:54:02In 1977, racehorse Red Rum had a go.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04You know, there's only one thing better than Red Rum
0:54:04 > 0:54:06and that's his wife, Blue Nun.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08THEY LAUGH
0:54:08 > 0:54:12More recently Robbie Williams threw the switch.
0:54:12 > 0:54:13CHEERING
0:54:13 > 0:54:18It's carnival, it's Britain's answer to Rio.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21The Mardi Gras in New Orleans, if you like.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23It is carnival, it's a great atmosphere.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26The whole attitude of people changes
0:54:26 > 0:54:28once the illuminations are switched on.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33Look that way, look at the people. It's wall-to-wall people.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36This year five of Britain's Olympians did the honours.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37Here we go!
0:54:37 > 0:54:39CHEERING
0:54:39 > 0:54:40Oh, yes!
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Here we go.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Get in!
0:54:44 > 0:54:45LAUGHS
0:54:45 > 0:54:48That's Blackpool, that's Blackpool Illuminations.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50What a fantastic moment.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54It's absolutely stunning, they're on.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56I wouldn't like the electric bill, though!
0:55:00 > 0:55:04We've just had the Blackpool 2012 Illuminations switch on
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- and it's been fantastic. - The 100th switch on.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10The 100th switch on, that's absolutely right, yeah.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13We felt very, very proud this evening.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15I promise you, I wish it were like this every night.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18The people, this is what we need.
0:55:21 > 0:55:26- Carnival, carnival.- Do you need him to play for Newcastle?
0:55:26 > 0:55:28It's feel good, it's feel good.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36- And it's rained again. - Of course it's rained.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Rain, rain, go away, come back another day.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Who comes to Blackpool for the weather? Nobody.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01The peak of Blackpool's season is now over.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Howard still has no takers for his plot of land.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06SIGHS
0:56:06 > 0:56:09And his dream is put on hold.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14You're better setting the target for next year
0:56:14 > 0:56:18and launching it perfect, finished, ready with plans
0:56:18 > 0:56:22so we know exactly where you want to go with it and 12 months is good.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23You're right, you're right.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27I'm doing me very best to perfect everything
0:56:27 > 0:56:30so that there's no problems when we get open.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34You're right, this season's been diabolical so it's good that
0:56:34 > 0:56:39when I do open, it opens as a success, rather than a struggle.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47The season is never what you're hoping for
0:56:47 > 0:56:49because you always want it to be better than it is.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53So, no, it hasn't been as good as we expected it to be and it hasn't
0:56:53 > 0:56:57been as good as we hoped it would be but it hasn't been that bad, either.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59What's the worst part of the season?
0:56:59 > 0:57:02The worst part of the season is quiet nights and the weather working
0:57:02 > 0:57:05against you, not enough people being in town blah, blah, blah.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07If you say what's the best part of the season?
0:57:07 > 0:57:11The best part of the season is the Joe Longthorne show with Roy Walker.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15It's been packed and he's broken box office records again.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17Better than last year, which is fantastic.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20When you work for yourself, it's always a worry.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24You put everything in place for it to be a good year
0:57:24 > 0:57:29but you are always fearful of the events that happen outside of that.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31The weather, the football,
0:57:31 > 0:57:33all kinds of things that you hold no control over.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36You can do everything you think is right, spend the money,
0:57:36 > 0:57:38look after the guests, make the place look lovely
0:57:38 > 0:57:40but it's about bringing the visitors in.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44Thank goodness, 2012, business wise, has been a really good season.
0:57:44 > 0:57:49I have every confidence Blackpool will rebound out of this.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52I've devoted my whole life to Blackpool. I'm not going to leave.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56It's amazing. If we got sunshine in Blackpool, this town would be a goldmine.
0:57:57 > 0:58:02I'm looking forward to next year cos next year I'll make things better.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08So you better get me some stars.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12Got it, mate, it's all ready, I'll tell you. You can have anybody you want. It's simple as that.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14I'm looking at Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17You know, we're looking at bands... Status Quo would be good.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19- Yeah, Madness.- Madness, absolutely.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23We can have Engelbert Humperdinck, we can have Joe Longthorne, we can have Chubby Brown.
0:58:23 > 0:58:24There's anything...
0:58:24 > 0:58:26# That will always
0:58:26 > 0:58:31# Lead me back to you
0:58:31 > 0:58:35# Baby, I know I can make it alone
0:58:35 > 0:58:38# It's such a hard way to go
0:58:38 > 0:58:41# And I can't make it alone
0:58:41 > 0:58:45# There's something in my soul
0:58:45 > 0:58:47# In my soul
0:58:47 > 0:58:52# That will always lead me back to you. #
0:58:52 > 0:58:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd