Extract from the biography Fred Pontin -The man and his business” by Peter Willsher (St David’s Press)
The little boy opened his eyes and, just as quickly closed them. It must be a dream. This wasn’t his usual bedroom or was it?
Again, John Sharples, aged 5 and a half years, opened his eyes. Yes, he could hear the soft sound of his brother breathing in the bed opposite but this really wasn’t their usual sleeping place. Then it dawned on him! It was Pontin’s! In that case it must be Southport, his favourite holiday camp; yet he had dropped off to sleep back home in the family’s terraced house in Preston.
A shout of pure joy leapt from his young lips “Mum, we’re at Pontin’s. Come on mum, let’s get out there!”
John was brought up on Carry On Films and Holiday Camps, on cheesy seventies sitcoms and a good dose of healthy innuendo was the order of the day in his teenage years. His Grandfather, Bernard Youens, was a regular face on British Television for Twenty Years as Stan Ogden in Coronation Street. Entertainment was destined to be his career.
"I never thought about following in my
Grandfather's footsteps, and I don't think
that my love of entertainment was inherited. It
was my love of the holiday camps that drove me
on. I wanted to be a Pontin's Bluecoat. I didn’t
care about anything else".
His parents weren't delighted about this and he ended up going to British Aerospace in Preston and Warton to serve his time as an electrician on the Tornado aircraft and other such aeroplanes.
Just before he started there, he served six weeks as a Bluecoat at his favourite holiday camp … Pontin’s Southport. "That was the best six weeks of my young life. I was only sixteen and I loved every minute of the job. The wages were terrible and so were the job prospects, but I loved it! I went from living in a comfotable home with my parents to sharing a one room chalet with a small rug and a sink in the corner. The showers were comunal and the Toilet was 1 between two chalets. It was great. What fun. We would eat in the staff restaurant, and there were strictly no seconds"!
16 & happy, despite the hair and the rather large "Jon Pertwee" Dicky Bow Tie!
During his time at Aerospace, John took three weeks out of his last year to attempt the break the world record for Marathon Disco Dancing. He did it. He danced for 15 days and 11 hours. "It was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life, but it taught me a lesson that sticks with me today. There’s no such thing as Can’t! A person can do anything that he or she wants to do".
John came out of his time at 20 years of age, and managed to endure a few more months as an electrician as the wages were pretty damn good!
By May he was working in a small Pontin’s camp in the South of England called Bracklesham Bay. He was given the post of Assistant Entertainment Manager, even though he had never worked a full season. He wasn’t happy with that, He felt that he was ready to be Entertainment Manager, but he would just have to bide his time.
Debbie Medlicott was the Entertainment manager. Some of the team were already known to her. It wasn’t an easy season, but it was great fun. John managed to steal the limelight wherever possible and the audiences seemed to like him. He still wasn’t as happy as he could be.
At the end of that season, Debbie left the company and John finally got the promotion that he so dearly wanted.
During that first year at Bracklesham bay, he broke his world record for Disco Dancing by dancing for 15 days and 16 hours. This time it was harder than ever. Some of the Entertainment team weren’t happy at having to cover his duties whilst he got the limelight. Some of them never even came to see how he was going on!
"It was the other staff on the camp and the cabarets who really got me through the record attempt this time. Gary Wilmott who was working as a Cabaret at the camp was wonderful, even scrutineering for a three hour stint on a couple of occasions.
The kindness and togetherness of the staff is something I will never forget".
It was because the Guinness book of records stunt that John was invited onto various TV Shows and had the pleasure of meeting his comedy Idol "Kenneth Williams"
"I loved Bracklesham Bay. I felt that it was made for me". The place buzzed as he tried to put the magic of his childhood years at Pontin’s into the Entertainment Programme. It worked! The campers were wonderful, and the comments on the customers questionnaires would make him feel on top of the world. It was a fantastic time, and John stayed there for two years until he got a dreadful shock! Pontin’s had sold the camp. It was going to be bulldozed and turned into housing. "I was mortified. Brack Bay had the most amazing atmosphere of all the Camps that I have visited or worked at. A couple of years later I revisited the camp and all that was standing were the main gates and the security hut".
The final weekend of the season was a “Farewell Weekend”
On the last afternoon all the staff and some of the Campers went down to the local pub “The Pond Barn.”
It was too much for John, he cried and cried. He set everybody off. Ellie and Amanda cried. Even tough nut Jack cried. Then to top it off even General Manager manager Brian Eadie started.
"We were a family and I felt in my heart that it would never be the same again".
There followed a dreadful year at Broadreeds holiday camp. "Entertainment policy was changing and we were to be dressed in the strangest uniform ever. My dear bluecoat uniform was gone. We were supposed to wear Cream Trousers with Black Patent shoes. We looked like Ice-cream men. The campers were now Guests and we were to drop the fun competitions and try to be more sophisticated. I ignored it, and Carried on Regardless. The knobbly knees became the Mr Legs Competition and it was wilder than ever. It was due to the strong support of my General Manager, Alan Shields that I was able to carry on as I did".
We never wore the cream trousers!
In 1987, John went to Prestatyn with General Manager Alan Shields. He felt very lucky to have the opportunity of working for Alan. "He was a superb Manager who knew what he wanted and had a single mindedness that all successful people need. He taught me well! Thanks Alan, wherever you are, you are one of the few people who have had a lasting effect on my life"!
They were happy years and the results were fabulous. John was Awarded Entertainment Manager of the year in 1987. It was Country and Western Week, hence the daft outfit! It still didn’t have the family feel of Bracklesham Bay, but life was good and his wages kept going up without him ever asking for a rise!
John found managing his staff in a fair way very difficult, it was a very big team and it was practically impossible to entertain in three rooms and take good care and interest of the individual members of the team. In later years, after Management training, he found it much easier and made sure that all members of the team were happy and included.
After three years in Prestatyn he had a dreadful year at Middleton Tower In Heysham near Morecambe. John thought it was an awful place and doesn't recall any happy moments there. The site was reaching the end of its operational life and he felt like he was flogging a dead horse. After that season John reflected on his childhood, remembering visiting Middleton Tower on holiday as a child and he didn't really like it then either.
John Says, "I remember that one day, I felt that I had to escape. I got up early and left the camp to take the ferry to the Isle of Man. I had a great day because I hadn't told anybody where I was going and I walked around the perimeter of the Camp so no one would see me go. Working on a holiday camp is fabulous fun, but as a Manager, you never really get a day off".
Morecambe was where John first did a bit of Drag, Sitting on the balcony in the theatre he sang live to one of the bluecoats on the stage “If you were the only boy in the world.” It always raised a laugh.
"I remember sitting on the loo in the dressing room one night and there was a horrendous explosion, I thought that the Heysham Nuclear Reactor had exploded. I shot out of the loo to find that it was Thunder and lightning that had caused the bang on the Tin roof"!
Middleton's main building was built in the form of a ship, and was named after the SS Berengaria by the Camp's founder.
Then came the day henever thought would come. John was moved to my beloved Pontin’s Southport. For him, It was like being home again. He had left Southport in 1983 and now in 1991 he was back, but not as a bluecoat, as Entertainment Manager, and he went for it!
"When I arrived at the camp I took a walk around the main entertainment areas and all the childhood memories came back. The Kids Theatre had a particular smell and it was still there, it wasn't an unpleasant smell, just instantly recognisable". John stayed at Southport until March 1997. The place was electric. He did more and more shows with his team and they won the “Show of the year” award. It was a happy time.
"I was lucky enough to get on well with most of the people that worked with me and many of them came back to work with me for more than one season, which meant that things became more slick and professional".
Despite the happiness, once you’ve done something, it starts to wear a bit thin. By the end of 1995 John was getting itchy feet, but didn’t know what to do. In 1996, He felt trapped. People seemed to want to see the same old thing every year and he was getting stale. The only new show that he was doing was a mini drag show that he had been doing with his friend Phil Lorking in the Late Bar.
After a chance phone call with Paul Picton who had been one of his staff a few years earlier and who was now Entertainment Coordinator for Airtours Holidays, John went to to work in Mallorca.
"At first I thought, Oh my God! What have I done.
It was like starting all over again. I learned very quickly. I had always had two resident bands, now I had to work to discs. I only had 5 entertainers."
At Pontin’s John had 18 Bluecoats. Within four weeks he was cooking on gas. The team were all ex-bluecoats who had gone to Mallorca with him!
"I had to make it work for their sakes". By the time they got to June they were the number one property for Entertainment in the World for Airtours.
"Everyone wanted to know how we got the results.
People came in from other hotels, secretly looking for ideas. I loved it. We usually got wind that they were there, so one of my team would go up to them and tease them a bit!
They could have all the ideas they wanted, but It’s not what you do….. It’s the way that you do it!
We just put the Camp into everything and the people came back for more and more"!
Bitter and Twisted really started properly in Mallorca as Phil Lorking and John learned more numbers for the team Variety Shows. The more the people laughed, the more new numbers they would do. The costumes were a bit dodgy, but it didn’t stop the people from laughing.
An odd Looking ABBA at the Primavera Apartment in Costa Del Silencio
Phil dresses up as an Airtours Rep for the Variety Show
All good things come to an end. When Phil decided to go back to the UK, John took a year or so off from work.
"I pottered about a while until I joined a local Radio Station called Sunsearch FM as the Breakfast DJ. I loved doing the show and went on to DJ on Energy FM and then Waves FM. All three stations have now folded! Could it be me? After that, I had two very happy years of Power FM with my radio show, HELLO CAMPERS".
After about 18 months in England, Phil came back to the Canary Islands and with John, started gigging the bars and hotels as Bitter and Twisted.
After about 12 months, Phil decided that he needed to be in the UK. John had been working in a hotel for some time with the show, where he met Shane Haig. Shane Haigh took over Phil's role in the show.
John and Shane were "Bitter and Twisted for five years. Constantly updating and changing the show.
This is where the Majestic came in. John was tired of touring with the show and teamed up, along with his partner Ronmel, With Neil Kenny and Barry Pugh.
Barry is now the other half of Bitter and Twisted and there are many new things going into the show.
Barry and I are working very hard to update the show. "You can't please everyone" says John, "I gave up trying years ago.
If people think we're the best, I want to be better!"
On my bike with Mary Burgess
Pontin's Southport from the Air
John's Personal Photo Selection
In the Summer of 1991, Jimmy Cricket and Ross King of BBC TV visit Southport for a Three Hour Live TV Show called the "8.15 from Manchester"
Ross King and I in the Ainsdale Bar watching the Children's Talent Show
Ross and Jimmy Cricket entertain the troops
Jimmy Cricket, Hayley Green and Ross King
Anything for a laugh. This Photo was taken at the final John Sharples Reunion Weekend in 1996.
Helen Stannard came back especially to give me a thrashing in real mud along with "Tank" from the Bars Department.
The Mud Wrestling was held in the Ballroom in front of approx 1,000 people and we used soil from the gardens mix with water on a tarpaulin.
We used to sieve the soil first to get rid of any stones.
It's a funny old world. On the left is a picture of my father singing in the talent competition at Southport Camp in the Ainsdale bar taken in the 1970's when I was a kid. Backing him was the Eddie Laver Showband, no cheapo Karaoke in those days!
On the right, It's me on the same stage as Entertainment Manager in the Space Show in the mid 1990's with backing from Steve Gibbons and Rebound
Sat in my pram at 5 and a half months at the bus stop on Higher Walton Rd
Breaking the World Record for Non Stop Disco Dancing for the second time. I5 days and 11 hours
The smallest and probaby the happiest team I ever worked on. We loved it at the Monseñor Apartments really looked after us. We lived in the most beautiful villa overlooking the sea for 2 years in Gran Canaria. The job was a few hours during the day and it was heaven at night. It was all inclusive too, so all our drinks were free! Why did we leave!!!!!!!!!!?
Me with Nicky and Phil
Lily Savage, ME, and Adrella.
A few years later, I was to find myself at Paul o Grady's house, helping him to sort out the buffet for My God Son Reece's Christening Party.
At that time, Paul was only just starting to make his mark and was doing breakfast Television on Channel Four.
This photo was taken at Butlin's during a special weekend called Camp Camp, where all the Pink-Coats were Drag Queens!
Dancing with Radio 2 DJ, David Hamilton whilst being interviewed live on the Air for Newsbeat!
Press Play to hear
John's Pontin's Memories
John and Phil in the Yumbo Centre in Gran Canaria during the late 90's on a fun night out!
At the entrance to Las American in 1989, just before El Camison. How the Island has changed! The Sign is no longer there, but 20 years later, I Live Near here. It's a beautiful Life!
Jojn and Phil in their younger years long before they became friends and worked together as Bitter and Twisted
John with Pontin's Legend, Dame Robert Towell at the 1990 Entertainment Seminar
John's Robot Dancing Days. Presenting the 1990 Bacardi Disco Championships
John's Pink Cowboy Character would appear at various Country and Western Events
Lily, John and Adrella at Butlins!
