Basil Newby

Last updated

Joseph Warren Basil Newby MBE (born 1 October 1951) is an English entrepreneur and businessman. Simply known as Basil, he was born in the Fylde coast town of Blackpool, Lancashire, where he has lived and worked all his life.

Newby worked as a bluecoat at Pontins in the early 1970s. [1] His first business was the 'Gone Gay' fancy goods shop in Blackpool. [1] In 1979 Newby took over The Flamingo, a nightclub on Talbot Road, which he reopened as Blackpool's first gay nightclub, later expanding to use more of the building, with capacity for 2,000 customers. [1] [2] He has since expanded his In The Pink Leisure Ltd empire to include several bars. [1]

The Flamingo building was demolished in 2007, but Newby went on further success with his burlesque show Funny Girls, which has been described as "a Broadway musical meets rock concert meets Lily Savage", adding millions of pounds to his fortune. [1] [2]

In 2003, Newby reportedly had a personal fortune of over 15 million pounds. [1]

Newby was awarded an MBE in the 2014 New Year Honours list. [3]

Related Research Articles

Blackpool Coastal town in northwest England

Blackpool is a large town and seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool and 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Manchester. At the 2011 census, the unitary authority of Blackpool had an estimated population of 139,720 while the urban settlement had a population of 147,663, making it the most populous settlement in Lancashire, and the fifth-most populous in North West England after Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton and Warrington. The wider built-up area had a population of 239,409, making it the fifth-most populous urban area in the North West after the Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Birkenhead areas. It is home to the Blackpool Tower, which when built in 1894 was the tallest building in the British Empire.

Paris Las Vegas Casino hotel located in Las Vegas, Nevada

Paris Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment and has a 95,263 square-foot casino with over 1,700 slot machines.

Pete Tong BBC Radio 1 disc jockey from Dartford, Kent, England

Peter Michael Tong, is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records and for his own performances at nightclubs and music festivals. Tong has also worked as a record producer and is regarded as the "global ambassador for electronic music."

G-A-Y Gay nightclub in London

G-A-Y is a long-running gay nightclub, based at Heaven in Charing Cross, London. It originally started in 1976, and for many years was based at the London Astoria.

Flamingo Las Vegas Casino hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, US

Flamingo Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment.

John Barry Mason was an English singer and songwriter. A leading songwriter of the 1960s, he wrote the bulk of his most successful songs in partnership with Les Reed. Mason gained many gold and platinum awards for his work including five Ivor Novello Awards, the most recent of them in 1998.

Joseph Patrick Daniel Longthorne was an English singer and impressionist. He performed on stage and television, and released three platinum albums. Longthorne started his TV career at the age of fourteen when he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series Junior Showtime, and rose to popularity in 1981 through the London Weekend Television series Search For a Star, leading to his own television series The Joe Longthorne Show.

John Amaechi British-American psychologist, consultant and basketball player

John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi, OBE is a British-American psychologist, consultant and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Vanderbilt and Penn State, and professional basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Amaechi also played in France, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Since retiring from basketball, Amaechi has worked as a psychologist and consultant, establishing his company Amaechi Performance Systems.

Funny Girls

Funny Girls is a burlesque cabaret showbar on the North Shore of Blackpool, England. It is owned by Basil Newby. The cast of the show comprise male dancers and drag performers. The showbar is in what was once the Blackpool Odeon, which was Odeon's largest original cinema in the United Kingdom.

Pollyfilla is a drag queen originally from Wellington, New Zealand. The drag persona of Colin McLean, Pollyfilla, through the years has become well known not only to Wellington's queer community, but the wider community and New Zealand as a whole, performing regularly at social and community events, attending LGBT rights rallies, entertaining on stage, film and television, as well as being the mainstay for drag entertainment at Wellington's popular gay venue POUND Nightclub and Bar.

Winter Gardens, Blackpool UK entertainment complex (opened 1878)

The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, operated by Blackpool Entertainment Company Limited on behalf of Blackpool Council, which purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010.

Owen Money MBE is a Welsh musician, actor, comedian, and radio presenter. He was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

Nigel Owens Welsh former International Rugby Union referee

Nigel Owens, is a Welsh former international rugby union referee, who retired in December 2020 after a 17-year career. He currently holds the world record for the most test matches refereed and is one of five international referees listed as professional within the Welsh Rugby Union, alongside Craig Evans, Adam Jones, Dan Jones, and Ben Whitehouse.

William Sledd

William L Sledd is an American internet celebrity and former video blogger. His vlogs, which included the popular "Ask A Gay Man" series launched in 2006, made him one of the first YouTube celebrities. William's YouTube videos focus on his work as a social media manager and also frequent his own personal interest in fashion and style.

Mr Gay UK

Mr Gay UK is a British annual beauty contest for gay men, with regional heats held in gay nightclubs with a grand final usually at a gay venue.

Pink money Term referring to the purchasing power of LGBT people

Pink money describes the purchasing power of the LGBT community, often especially with respect to political donations. With the rise of the gay rights movement, pink money has gone from being a fringe or marginalized market to a thriving industry in many parts of the Western world such as the United States and United Kingdom. Many businesses now specifically cater to gay customers, including nightclubs, shops, restaurants, and even taxicabs; the demand for these services stems from common discrimination by traditional businesses.

The Knights Templar School Academy in Baldock, Hertfordshire, England

The Knights Templar School is a co-educational secondary school with academy status located in the market town of Baldock in North Hertfordshire, England. In a February 2006 Ofsted report, the school was described as "outstanding", one of only eight secondary schools in Hertfordshire to be so recognised. It retained its "outstanding" status following a further Ofsted inspection in February 2009. The Knights Templar School gained academy status on 1 April 2011. Following an Ofsted inspection in October 2012 the school was categorised as "good" against a newer, far more demanding Inspection framework.

The Rodillian Academy Academy in Lofthouse, West Yorkshire, England

The Rodillian Academy is a mixed secondary School and sixth form with academy status located in Lofthouse, West Yorkshire, England. The school has 1,556 pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school also has Specialist Arts College status. The name 'Rodillian' is derived from the name that was given to former pupils of the Rothwell Grammar School.

Aslie Pitter M.B.E. is a British footballer who joined Stonewall F.C., Britain's first and most successful gay football club, in 1991. For his work in combating homophobia, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Amusement park in England

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Collinson, Paul (2003) "Signing up for the millionaire's club as a winner in the mind game", The Guardian , 11 October 2003, retrieved 2011-07-17
  2. 1 2 Parveen, Niza (2007) "Gone But Not Forgotten", Blackpool Citizen, 23 November 2007, retrieved 2011-07-17
  3. "Show bar owner given honours award". Bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2017.