Puppet man 'too noisy' for Great Yarmouth

The Puppett man entertains a large crowd in Yarmouth

SARAH HALL
11 August 2009 11:44



He has long been a cult figure in Norwich, but The Puppet Man's attempt to win himself a new audience in Great Yarmouth has not been well received by businesses in the town.

David Perry's bizarre routine, which sees his puppet dancing to the sounds of classic pop tunes while he “sings” along, have earned him legions of fans and tributes on video-sharing website YouTube.

But businesses in Yarmouth's Market Gates shopping centre got so fed up with the noise he makes that staff have forced the 66-year-old to move across to the opposite side of Regent Road outside McDonald's.

One shopkeeper said the noise was so loud outside her jewellery business she could not hear customers speaking. She believed he was putting off potential customers to the shopping centre.

Janet Varney, manager of the 99p Store, said when he was performing outside Market Gates he regularly obstructed the entrance to her ground floor shop making it difficult for customers to get in.

She said: “When he first started off he was actually outside our door so that was why we complained to the centre management about him and he has moved.”

She was also concerned about the noise levels from his act.

Angela Lowe, manager of Clinton Cards in Regent Road, yearned for him to change his routine. She said: “The noise gets really bad. I am not really against him, but we can't hear ourselves think at times. He is there all day. Perhaps he could find somewhere different like the seafront.”

However, Dawn Gibbs, manager of Lloyds Pharmacy, did not mind him even though he had moved to her side of the road during the last couple of weeks.

She said: “I like to see characters in the town and it does not bother me that he is out there.”

Mr Perry was bemused by the negative response to his act and said only 10pc of the people who spoke to him had complained about his performances.

The performer, who is living in Ordnance Road, Yarmouth, said: “I noticed that the louder you have it, the better. If you have got a record on and it is loud enough then you could earn maybe £2, but as soon as I drop the volume, the money dries up.”

The Puppet Man has been “entertaining” shoppers for more than 20 years and fans have uploaded films of him to the video sharing website YouTube, while he also appeared in a series of post cards claiming to capture unappreciated parts of the county.

But he sparked anger last August when he announced he was hanging up his puppets because he was no longer making enough money, only to reappear in Norwich city centre the following week.

What do you think of The Puppet Man? Write to Evening News Letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1RE or email eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk

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