Skip to content

'I will be a showman as long as humanly possible'

The 80-year-old head of a travelling showman family that dates back five generations has vowed never to retire.

Nipper started working for his father at the age of nine and travels across the East of England running funfairs.

He has since been joined by his two granddaughters, Monique and Britney, who say the job is in their blood.

He said: "I wouldn't want it any other way than being a showman and entertaining - I will carry on as long as humanly possible."

You can watch the full story in We Are England at 19:30 BST on Friday, 25 November on BBC One or afterwards on iPlayer.

25 November 2022

Explore More

Liz Truss on stage waiting to hear the election result

Slow hand claps for Liz Truss as former PM loses seat

World War Two veteran Walter Nixon

Walter Nixon: 'It was hell on earth'

Dad embraces son on football pitch after first goal since cancer

Watch: Dad celebrates son's first goal since cancer

A TV report from 1964 explains how King's Lynn failed to convince city-dwellers to relocate there.

BBC Rewind: 'Desolate' town rejected by Londoners

Police release pictures of Helen Hewlett's arrest after she is found guilty of soliciting murder.

Watch: The moment woman held over hitman hire bid

George Russell

'I'm not proud of my fourth-place F1 finish'

Kai Widdrington and King's Lynn, the football club his dad manages, are both on BBC One on Saturday.

Strictly Come Dancing star backs dad’s FA Cup team

Ceiling props at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in King's Lynn

'I know it's safe, but it doesn't look safe'

Seal with flying ring around neck

'Nobody wants to see the seals harmed'

Angel Lynn

Angel Lynn: 'The fact that she's alive is hope'

Suzie Vaughan and her daughters

'I thought I would never see my mum again'

Matt Hancock

Hancock 'looking closely' at rebuilding hospital

Prince Williams speak to man receiving Covid vaccination

Royal visit for Norfolk vaccination centre

David Wilson was arrested by police

Child abuser's arrest caught on police bodycam

Norwich City owner Mark Attanasio

Attanasio wants Norwich in top flight in five years

Mark Attanasio says he will "feel like I've failed" if Norwich do not get promoted in that time.

Three men including former New Zealand rugby player Zinzan Brooke are seen doing the haka in a pub.

Watch: Ex-All Black does haka in city centre pub

The pub-goer who filmed the footage says it was an "amazing surprise" to witness the dance up close.

A fireman walks away from flames at a fire at Carrow Road on 25 October, 1984.

Watch: Forty years since Carrow Road fire

Archive news reports show the extent of the damage to Norwich City's ground in 1984.

Norwich Library on fire in 1994.

Video shows 'total devastation' of 1994 library fire

Archive footage shows the aftermath of a blaze that destroyed a library and more than 100,000 books.

Ex-PM Liz Truss waiting to hear the result of the South West Norfolk count.

Watch: The moment ex-PM Liz Truss lost her seat

Slow hand claps can be heard as the candidates wait for Ms Truss to appear on stage.

Robby West with footballer Shane Duffy

Footballer avoids questions after drink-driving

The Norwich City player is banned from driving for three years.

Replica of 17th Century Spanish boat sailing towards Great Yarmouth.

Watch: Hundreds gather to greet Spanish tall ship

Aerial footage captures the moment a replica of a 17th Century boat sails into town.

Cars waiting at a flooded ford in Holme Hale, Norfolk.

Flooding: High water at Holme Hale ford

Video footage shows cars waiting at the edge of the ford as water rushes across the road.

CCTV footage of a car crashing into a postbox.

Car mounts pavement and crashes into postbox

The driver swerves to avoid a car turning a corner and narrowly avoids a mobility scooter.

Woman talking about Norwich City's loss against Leeds United

Norwich fans 'disheartened' after play-off drubbing

Fans criticise their side's "awful" performance as Leeds win the Championship play-off match 4-0.

Car crashes through barrier at level crossing.

Truck crashes through level crossing barrier

Dashcam video shows the moment a vehicle smashed through the closed barrier at high speed.

Peregrine falcon in its nest box on at Cromer parish church looking down at its egg

Church tower peregrine lays first egg of the year

The birds' nest is monitored by CCTV which shows both parents taking care of the egg.

CCTV footage shows the sports car bouncing off the bike racks and mounting the opposite pavement.

Ferrari crashes into city centre bike racks

CCTV footage shows the sports car bouncing off the bike racks and mounting the opposite pavement.

A starling murmuration flying over Great Yarmouth.

Stunning starling murmuration filmed over seafront

A drone photographer's footage shows thousands of birds flying in formation above a seaside town

RNLI hovercraft commander Charlie Parfitt piloting her craft.

'It's easy to forget how amazing what you do is'

Charlie Parfitt is thought to be the only female rescue hovercraft commander in the UK.

New launching carriage for lifeboats being tested at Wells-next-the-Sea in 1958.

BBC Rewind: New lifeboat launcher tested in 1958

Archive footage shows the RNLI launching a lifeboat using a caterpillar-tracked vehicle.

Thetford Town Football Club manager Matt Morton, who came out as gay in 2019.

Footballer welcomes increase in openly gay players

Thetford Town manager Matt Morton says he is pleased other players have come out since he did.

A convoy of vehicles driving over Herring Bridge in Great Yarmouth to mark its official opening.

Convoy of vehicles marks official bridge opening

Cars, lorries, buses, bicycles and school children are the first people to cross the new bridge.

Caitlyn who lives in the Queen's Hills area of Costessey where police found four bodies in a house.

Norwich bodies: 'It's just very scary'

Caitlyn, 17, tells the BBC the whole estate is "worrying" after the discovery.

BBC Verify tracking down the location in Attleborough where a laser was shone at an air ambulance helicopter

BBC Verify pinpoints laser incident location

The team uses geo-location software to locate the area of the town the laser was shone from.