It’s time to run away to the fair and join a selection of family firms who bring the shows to towns and villages across the country.
In Showpeople Licensed to Thrill, we follow Scottish showpeople including the Taylor family and the Hiscoe family as we take a look behind the curtain of those involved in providing funfair entertainment for us all to enjoy.
From the Showmen who build the rides to the Showwomen who are the heart and soul of the business side of things this 6-episode series follows all generations of travelling showpeople.
Getting a hands-on look at this incredibly fascinating lifestyle is great as there are so many interviews with the very people who are living and breathing this lifestyle as family-life and work-life balance is certainly a blurred line situation.
There is something for everyone intrigued in funfairs as we go into discussions over rides costing half a million pounds in one episode to quiet days and how the showpeople deal with this rollercoaster (up and down) income.
From weather forcing fairs to close and more, there are many an obstacle that gets in the way of showpeople putting on their shows and this struggle is explained in quite some detail but is nicely balanced with the camaraderie and family bond that ties them all together through the good times and the bad.
What I liked about the series is that every episode focuses on different firms which is great to see, it’s not just following one family it’s following a few and it’s great to get different perspectives and insights despite the core values/business being much of the same.
Seeing the rides assembling together is always fun to see, in fact I go down to Winter Wonderland Stoke annually and document some of the rides being constructed as part of our promotion of their event.
It’s great to see the rides that arrive on the back of a truck that simply unfolds and is built within hours ready to operate. It’s great to witness if you’re interested in it and it really is something that goes underappreciated by the general public. The hard work and effort that goes into making these events happen and constructing these rides just has to be commended.
From a Star Flyer ride to a KMG Freak Out and even the very scary KMG Speed ride may all sound foreign to you but if you click the little blue links you’ll see a video of them all being constructed and I guarantee you will have seen them all before!
Showpeople licensed to thrill adds the fun to funfair. It’s great to see it all coming together and getting a small glimpse inside was nice to see although I would have personally preferred more in-depth ride building and assessment.
A quick walkthrough of the Ghost Train for example or any other number of assemblies could have been displayed and this was more of the side of things I was interested in to add balance to a show that predominately focuses on relationships overrides, but a fun show all the same!
Our Rating
Summary
A great insight behind the life of a travelling showman but there’s just a slight unbalance as the rides themselves take a backseat in favour of focusing on the showmen and women involved.
