"Pin yourself to the spinning wheel as the knife thrower aims his blades", writes Dee Burkett, "Take a Northern Soul twirl on the talcum-powdered floor. Play ‘With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock’ on George Formby’s banjolele. At last popular entertainment, from Sooty to Strictly, is being given its rightful part on the nation’s stage. These fabulous artforms, nurtured in Britain’s seaside resorts, are getting their own interactive museum."

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"Showtown museum, a neighbour to Blackpool’s iconic Tower, is an extravaganza. You won’t find critical analysis on the role of the ventriloquist’s dummy as a created performative persona, but an unashamed celebration of British popular entertainment in all its glittering, flashy, cheesy glory. It’s long overdue."

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"Six galleries sum up the charm and wonder of British seaside culture – magic, circus, seaside, dance, shows and the world-famous Blackpool illuminations. The museum relies upon the whizz-bangery of designers Casson Mann, who had a budget of £3 million."

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"There are more photo booths to pop your head through than along the whole of Blackpool’s Golden Mile, and opportunities to juggle six clubs, design a Strictly dress and create your own unique sound for a Whoopee cushion. The museum is flush with toilet humour. There’s a harp made from a toilet seat played by Charlie Cairoli, Blackpool Tower’s resident clown for 40 years until 1979."

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"Danny La Rue costumes sparkle in Showtown’s cabinets and The Funny Girls Drag Show is showcased as a Blackpool entertainment staple. Whatever your beliefs, you can’t help succumbing to the allure of this unadulterated joy."

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Read the full article here.