Pleasure Beach Resort appoints new head of wardrobe from Strictly Come Dancing

A wardrobe mistress who has worked on the likes of Strictly Come Dancing and Gavin and Stacey has joined Pleasure Beach Resort to lead its wardrobe function.

Abbie Farnell has been appointed as head of wardrobe for the Blackpool theme park’s entertainment division as it re-opens for the 2025 season.

As head of wardrobe, Abbie will lead the department and be responsible for overseeing all aspects of costumes, including purchasing, maintaining, altering, and managing the presentation of clothing worn by dancers, skaters, singers as well as ensuring the costumes align with the artistic vision and design of director Amanda Thompson OBE.

Abbie’s career started out in hair and makeup on the set of Gavin and Stacey, from where she continued to work across multiple industries including film, theatre and stage – before moving into wardrobe and also becoming a specialist in wig design.

She has worked on a variety of notable productions including Jesus Christ the Superstar, Robbie Williams: One Night At the Palladium, Simple Minds Tour, ITV’s The Voice and most recently BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Abbie said: “I’m really happy to have joined Pleasure Beach Resort, a place with such a rich history of creativity and entertainment.

"Costumes are a vital part of storytelling, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in that and adding to the experience for audiences and performers alike.”

Amanda Thompson said: “Abbie is so incredibly talented, and we’re so excited to have her on our team. We’re known for the quality and beauty of our costumes, and we think Abbie’s skill-set lends itself perfectly to that.”

The wardrobe department falls under the Stageworks Worldwide Productions arm of the business, which includes wardrobe, an agency, lighting technicians, stage setting, special FX and sound engineers.

Stageworks has also made costumes for renowned productions across TV, the West End and Royal Ballet, expanding across places like Europa Park in Germany, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Bangkok. The team also provided a showgirl costume for Kate Moss which featured in Vogue.

The wardrobe team are starting to gear up for the resort’s biggest production of the year, Hot Ice, with this year’s production titled XS.

Hot Ice combines sport and theatre and showcases 30 world-class skaters in a show with high-tech special effects and nail-biting stunts.