Judy fights back to give Mr Punch a modern touch

After 362 years of frankly horrendous treatment at the hands of her husband, Mr Punch, Judy has had enough.

- David Barnett

For the first time, the female half of history's most famous puppet double act has been taking centre stage at a brand-new contemporary version of the British seaside favourite, Punch and Judy, at London's Covent Garden.

The show has been developed by a team at the University of Exeter as part of the Judy Project, a three-year investigation into the roles women have played in the puppetry tradition and how gender is portrayed.

The man in the booth or "professor", as Punch and Judy puppeteers are known -is Spike Lidington.

Aged 20, he is part of an emerging scene of younger people who are getting interested in the art of puppetry in general, and Punch and Judy in particular.

"Our challenge was how to work with, and update, a traditional form of entertainment that comes with a lot of audience expectation," Lidington said.