Blackpool is known for its extravagance, flamboyance and celebrations of individuality – but there was a time when the city and the world looked very different.
In 1979 an unknown artist took it upon himself to change this landscape and create the scene and corner of Blackpool that is known and loved by thousands today. Basil Newby MBE started his career as a bluecoat at Pontins in the early 1970s before making a name for himself in the business world.
As the 1970s drew to a close, he took over The Flamingo, a nightclub in Blackpool. In his mid-20s, Basil reopened as the city’s first gay nightclub. It was the start of an incredible journey.
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Today, you’ll still see Basil’s name in lights as the founder and owner of Funny Girls, a cabaret bar with burlesque drag shows and an eclectic restaurant. It will celebrate its 30th year in 2024.
Basil, now 72, from Blackpool, told Lancslive: “When I bought the old Flamingo in 1979 I went to the lawyer to get the license and he said are you going to be openly gay about it? I said yes! who I am!
“He said well, you will be the first openly gay person to be licensed in Britain and you will be classified as an unfit and inappropriate person to be licensed. He said don’t let the police or anyone know that you are gay.
“I did, but there was bigotry and hard work in the beginning, but it gave me the inspiration to keep going.”
Basil says the resistance he experienced early in his career fueled a fire. One that inspired him to create a place where everyone can feel comfortable. And Funny Girls, on Dickson Road, was born.
“Even in the beginning, there was all this negativity around the whole thing,” Basil recalls. “People were saying, ‘oh in the middle of the city, people are going to kick off and there’s going to be fights.’
“Now we’re here celebrating 30 years of Funny Girls and there’s never been a fight in the last 30 years. We’ve done two Royal Variety shows.
“It has become so well known that I think it is the fifth tourist attraction in Blackpool. We have come a long way since 1979 when I was classed as an unfit and inappropriate person to hold a licence!”
But even in the 1990s, Basil still faced a wave of negativity. He describes the decade as probably the “worst” his companies have had to endure.
“Then they did clause 28 because if I went to the council or the magistrates to get a license and I said it was something to do with a gay bar, they couldn’t grant it to me because it promoted homosexuality. 28 has stopped you from doing that.
“I opened a business here in Blackpool called Basil on the Strand and they turned me down. The people on the magistrates’ bench said, I didn’t turn you down because of the bar, I turned you down because of your sexuality because we can clause 28 do not promote.
“I then took it to Preston Crown Court and it was the judge who was there. He was so sympathetic and said it should never have come to the Crown Court and he granted me the permit.”
Opened in 1994, Funny Girls has been described as Britain’s premier “Drag Show Extravaganza” and has been captivating audiences with costumes, choreography and comedy routines for 30 years. Wanting to create a place where everyone feels comfortable, Basil says it’s important to have these places now – a big difference from when he was growing up.
He said: “I came out when I think I was about 17. I knew I was gay but I told them at 17. They accepted it and were brilliant with me but because we came out came into town, my father said when you go out, don’t go out.
“So I went to Manchester and to Liverpool and at that time I went to a club in Manchester and you had to knock on the door and a latch opened and you said, ‘I’m a friend’ of Dorothy’s and then they showed up they let you in. The DJ said they were going to play a special song and that you weren’t allowed to touch each other on the dance floor.
“If they thought the police were in, the DJ would play a song so you knew there were undercover police, and then you didn’t touch your partner. You were arrested for touching.”
Wanting to know the secrets of Basil’s youthful appearance, especially at the age of 72, he said, “I never smoked, never drank, never dated women.”