British Punch and Judy performer and showman. Together with his brother Leslie, Percy Press II continued the work of his father, Percy Press I, as a Punch showman. He appeared in the films Success Story (BBC, 1975) and Punch and Judy (Arts Council, 1980), playing the part of a 19th-century Cockney showman, after the description by Henry Mayhew (1812-1887, creator of Punch magazine and author of London Labour and the London Poor, 1851-1852).

Percy Press II is perhaps best remembered in Great Britain for founding the Punch and Judy Fellowship in 1980, of which he remained President until his death in 1997. For many years he was a familiar personality around Covent Garden, London, where he performed irregularly; and a popular contributor to innumerable festivals abroad with his Punch show in which he liked to incorporate different languages, to great comic effect.

(See Great Britain, Percy Press I, Punch and Judy College of Professors, Punch and Judy Fellowship, Punch and Judy, Swazzle.)

Bibliography

  • Francis, Penny. “Percy Press II: Punch Professor Demeritus”. Animations. Year 15, No.5, London: Puppet Centre Trust, 1992.