A future for Punch and Judy?

Punch and Judy "professor" Robert Styles poses for a photograph during a Dickens Festival in Rochester, southern England, May 31, 2014.

Punch and Judy shows have been a fixture of British seaside resorts for centuries but they are having to adapt to changing social values to attract new audiences in an age of political correctness and digital entertainment.

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Punch and Judy "professor" John Styles prepares his booth before a show at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, west London, June 22, 2014.

Generations of Britons have flocked to puppet booths to watch the irascible, hook-nosed Mr. Punch whack long-suffering wife Judy with his "slap stick," drop their baby repeatedly and tangle with a grumpy policeman, a crocodile and a hangman. The anarchic humor remains as central as ever to the Punch and Judy experience, say the puppet-masters, traditionally known in the trade as "professors," but some elements have had to be toned down or are often omitted now.

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Punch and Judy "professor" David Wilde prepares his booth before a show in Whitstable, southern England, Aug. 9, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" David Wilde prepares his booth before a show in Whitstable, southern England, Aug. 9, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" David Wilde holds a photograph of a show at Llandudno in Wales after World War II at his home in Beckenham, southern England, May 14, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Robert Styles' booth is seen during a Dickens Festival in Rochester, southern England, May 31, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Robert Styles performs a show during a Dickens Festival in Rochester, southern England, May 31, 2014.

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People watch a Punch and Judy show performed by "professor" Robert Styles during a Dickens Festival in Rochester, southern England, May 31, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Adrienne Press holds a photograph of her father, Percy Press Junior, posing at Covent Garden in London in 1992, at Forty Hall in Enfield, north London, June 1, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Robert Styles prepares before a show at a Dickens Festival in Rochester, southern England, May 31, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Adrienne Press poses for a photograph at Forty Hall in Enfield, north London, June 1, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Glyn Edwards reacts after a show at the seaside in Brighton, southern England, June 8, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" John Styles performs in his booth at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, west London, June 22, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Glyn Edwards prepares his booth before a show at the seaside in Brighton, southern England, June 8, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Mark Poulton holds a photograph of himself, taken while on holiday as a child in the 1970s, at the seaside in Weymouth, southern England, Aug. 12, 2014.

Poulton is one of the last professional puppeteers who still operates on the beach most days during the summer season.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Mark Poulton poses for a photograph next to his booth at the seaside in Weymouth, southern England, Aug. 12, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" Glyn Edwards performs in his booth at the seaside in Brighton, southern England, June 8, 2014.

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Punch and Judy "professor" John Styles poses for a photograph at his house in Sidcup, southern England, June 16, 2014.

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Punch and Judy puppets are seen in "professor" Glyn Edwards' booth at the seaside in Brighton, southern England, June 8, 2014.