Once upon a time in the bustling 1970s, the concepts of diversity and inclusivity were about as popular as disco pants at a church function. And no one knew the labyrinthine path of that era’s bigotry better than Basil Newby.
Born in that charming seaside gem known as Blackpool, Basil kicked off his career in the entertainment industry as a bluecoat at Pontins. In 1979, he took the helm of The Flamingo but not without receiving a rather unhelpful memo: “Keep your sexuality under wraps, darling.”
Basil recounted his journey in 2024, stating, “When I bought the old Flamingo, my solicitor had the audacity to ask, ‘Are you going to be openly gay about it?’ To which I blurted out, ‘Of course! I am who I am!’” Because, you know, being yourself was just too revolutionary back then.
The solicitor had the gall to warn, “You’ll be the first openly gay person to hold a license in the UK and, spoiler alert, they’ll label you as ‘unfit and improper.’” So, clearly, he was going to throw a party—and maybe invite the police, just for kicks.
Fast-forward fifteen years, and Basil opened Funny Girls right there in Blackpool. Today, it stands as an iconic nightlife spot, regularly stealing the spotlight as the fifth most popular tourist attraction in the area. Go Basil, turning bigotry into Saturday night fever!
“It became a bit of a big deal,” Basil quipped in 2024, reflecting on his journey from being deemed ‘unfit and improper’ to running a bar where everyone is welcome—if only the folks back in ’79 could see him now, bartending like a superhero in sequins.
Basil’s fire was undoubtedly fueled by the resistance he faced early on. “Even when everybody kept warning me, ‘In the middle of town, people will kick off and there’ll be fights,’ I thought, ‘Well, they can’t kick off if we all just dance away!’” But seriously, Basil endured tough times, especially during the 1990s when prejudice was officially sponsored thanks to the controversial Clause 28 law, which insisted on keeping the conversation about non-heteronormative relationships behind closed doors. Because who wants to talk about reality?
When Basil sought licenses for a gay bar, he humorously noted, “If I mentioned it was a gay bar, they nearly threw me out with the bar stools. Apparently, I was too much of a fabulous risk to society.” Thankfully, a sympathetic judge eventually saw the light and granted him the license, allowing him to officially promote his flamboyant feats to the masses.
Reflecting on his personal coming-out story, Basil mused, “At 17, when I told my parents I was gay, their acceptance was like a warm hug—well, until Dad added, ‘Just don’t go out!’” So, off to Manchester he went, navigating through clubs that required a secret password and played a game of ‘Dodge the Police’ like it was an Olympic event. The creativity behind nightlife in the 70s and 80s was nothing short of spectacular, if you were dodging arrests instead of dance partners.
