Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp in 1936, in the Lincolnshire seaside town Skegness. A few days into it , his customers were struggling to get into the holiday spirit and in order to whip up some enthusiasm, Butlin had his staff involved in entertaining the guests. Soon after he dressed them in red blazers so they would be more noticeable.
Employment as a Butlin Redcoat was to prove a stepping stone for many a famous funnyman. Long days ( and often rainy days at that ) trying to make the British working class laugh, was a great training ground. The following list is ten comedians who were Redcoats before they had their big break into TV or radio shows :
1 Roy Hudd
2 Jimmy Tarbuck
3 Dave Allen
4 Charlie Drake
5 Michael Barrymore
6 Freddy 'Parrotface' Davies
7 Terry Scott
8 Ted Rodgers
9 Johnny Vegas
10 Colin Crompton
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