Thwaites moves to rescue 100 Funny Girls jobs

The troubled company behind Blackpool's Funny Girls has entered administration, with Thwaites taking on the venue's licence in order to keep the show running.

Funny Girls has been a popular show in the resort since opening in 1994, but in more recent times has been taken to court by HMRC over an unpaid tax bill. Another of the company's venues, the Flamingo Club, had its drinks licence revoked by the council due to complaints about customer behaviour.

Now, company owner Basil Newby, who has been running entertainment venues in Blackpool for four decades, has stepped aside for health reasons, while the Blackburn brewer takes over the drinks licence for the cabaret showbar as well as Flamingos, Flying Handbag and Whippet Inn.

Operating as 'business as usual' has saved around 100 jobs.

A Thwaites spokesperson said: "Funny Girls has been an iconic part of Blackpool's night-time economy for a long time and we will make sure it stays that way.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Basil Newby going back over 20 years and Basil has asked us to step in to support and protect the business and the livelihoods of people who work there.

“Our license will allow the Funny Girls outlets to operate without disruption for the next few months and together with Basil we will resolve these issues. As far as we are concerned, it’s business as usual for Funny Girls and the customers should see no difference.” Paul Dumbell and Howard Smith of KPMG were appointed joint administrators to Funny Girls Limited on September 4.