Undercover Boss - Butlins Minehead - behind the scenes  

I worked at Barry island my first day I met my husband that was 51 years ago anyone remember 1972 I was a nursery nurse he was a waiter we’ve got two children and four grandchildren ❤

Great place to go on holiday when i was a kids in the 70s/80s

No, it was way better pre-make over...There were 2 games rooms (Beachcomber and Windsor) - free snooker, table-tennis, darts. There was a fabulous theatre for free shows, and doubled as a free cinema showing movies in the afternoon. There was a free roller-skating rink, free monorail around the front buildings, free chairlift from front to back of the camp. There was even a small train that went all round the camp - and guess what? It was free too. There was a free-funfair, free outdoor pool (and free indoor pool) and free mini-golf. Donkey-derby, 3 amusement arcades (not free). So how is getting rid of nearly all the fun things to do (mostly free stuff) an improvement??? Money well wasted...

Butlins has always been a magnet for slappers🤪

This was before the skyline ( possibly mid 90's), I've taken my family to minehead since 2003 at least 25 times and have no complaints. We are always busy there, and my kids have always loved it. The only problem we have had is the cost of food on site which is daylight robbery tbh, so we Land up going to Morrisons or Tesco across the way......... oh, and no fridges in bronze or silver rooms.......... but it is a cheap holiday at the end of the day 👍🏻

My Daughter worked at Butlins Minehead in 2011 the staff accommodation was nothing short of disgusting frankly I wanted to take her straight home but she insisted on staying. She was paid on a zero hour contract so she would be on site but only paid when she worked and in low season thats was next to nothing for weeks. She phoned me in tears as all her gums started bleeding and when we got her home and to a doctor she was found to be suffering from malnutrition because as mentioned they had to pay for food but often couldn't afford it

I worked at Minehead as security in 1990, and the staff accommodation was diabolical. Food was disgusting I'd go off site to get non perishable food, mainly because we were not allowed to cook in our room. I had a fantastic time working there, but would never go back for a holiday. Yes the old butlins had a family atmosphere unlike the new pavilion type.

He's the boss for a reason not any easy job to update a business such as this

Butlins, Minehead. One soul destroying road in and the same soul destroying road out to normality.

I stayed there in 1966 when I was 12. It was really Hi Di Hi. Our accommodation was in a chalet which was basically beds in a shed. We had a wire curtain cubbyhole for a wardrobe. I can't remember if we had an in house bathroom. We had our meals on huge long tables. I don't remember much about the food except bread and butter. I did have a great time with all the rides and the pools though and the disco in the evening and there was a cable car that went over the tops of the roofs of the chalets. We used to get woken up in the morning with a wakey wakey Radio Butlin jingle over a loudspeaker in the chalet.

They need to hire more staff because the staff who work on the frontline are fantastic and patient but they need more! I bet he doesn’t know about the damage to the pool in Skegness!

They were all smirking and smiling when Tony was de-breifing them.... But from. What I saw, Tony seemed to be the only real one switched on with improvements and moving forward. I would of brought their smiles to attention, explain their self's.

I went in 2023 - it looks the same - room was a massive let down due to lack of fridge or any kitchen for that matter, no space for food prep or cutlery, so you cannot even store milk for children. Plus its always fully booked, so if you dont like your room for any reason, you have absolutely no alternative

Can't imagine anything worse. My mother in law loved it. Always telling us everything is free. She couldn't see that you pay for everything. Its all in the cost of the booking. I have some pictures of my husband and his family at Skegness in the 60s in the canteen. What a cattle market!

It was much better value for money in the past. Now you have to pay for everything seperate. Pity they got rid of the monorail and cable cars as well.

Ah fond memories of working here. And pleasantly surprised to see a young Vinnie Healy, the man who sacked me in 2010. Deservedly I might add.

I think we need to see this again but maybe a bit on each site

The best idea for all CEO's is to work at a low level in the companies the run to get a realistic idea of how the company functions.

Worked there in the late 60,s one summer, a game we had in the kitchens was egg racing , you flick 4 or 5 fried eggs onto the wall and bet which one would slide to the floor first, then you put them back onto the tray 🤣🤣

As a consumer, we (my wife and i) stayed at Butlins Minehead for a fortnight in 2008. It proved to be a great base as we left on a daily basis to visit family and friends all over the county. Far cheaper than staying in a hotel but stayed in the self catering chalets. Didn't seem to be too dilapidated then and was good value for the money. I had friends who met when working at Butlins in the 1970s and have been married ever since.

I was security/medic at Bognor just after the revamp and i said that if the kids are happy then the parents are happy i worked on site as i had another job but overall i found it great that was about 96/97.

THE PRISON CAMP LOL

i left a week early it was horrid Drugs , half people pissed , pedofile men and foreigners saying bad things to your kids . its not a family holiday, best part was all the staff were truly amazing

Butlins is so expensive now and its definitely not as good it once was.

there far to expensive now for families

£1.5mil for 8 computers..... In 1999... No chance... Should have hired me... The best computer in 1999 would have been £3,000 Say you wanted 10 of those, that's £30,000... Maybe they needed a server? Call it £200,000 for a nice one.... So there's £230,000 😂 Then some BNC or Cat6 laid out over the offices? Add another £200,000 at the very most 😂 Call it £450,000... So someone made over a million somewhere 😂 Just on I.T. 😂 Shoulda called me 😂

It is what it is cheap and cheerful can't fault the place

minehead was great in the 80s, jeni red a redcoat we were friendly with, i have never forgotten how nice she was with us all. hate the new look undercover thing, way better in the beachcomber bar back in the 80s.

Should never have closed clacton

Yeah it was way better before that refurbishment

ew... calling it "Staff Feed"

Go to Spain it’s cheaper

There's no reason a DJ can't cater for kids as well as teens/adults they were DJ's after all, this was 1998, now focus on Butlins 2024, I know Butlins is still about (my daughter does a yearly trip.)..ARE they any better...? By the way, this was probably a promo for 'UNDERCOVER BOSS' UK ..lol

He should go look at Skegness butlins 🙄🙄🙄

23:16 Kurtan Mucklowes dad?!! Maybe this was the weekend Kurtan was conceived?😂

only admining to £100,000 a year talking his staff 200 a week, if that

like way flies in on a helicopter, one biggest seen, doing be drop off, to check moneys going? hep that everyone of there customer turns up, what that only have private jets how are going land then?

hell

is that debian?

I worked there when this was made, I remember them putting table cloths onto the tables in the staff canteen just because Tony Marshall was coming! I left not long after though because i just did not like the Skyline Pavilion, I much prefer the old skool Butlin's

ITS STILL,ALL THE SAME NOW

Lol says it all @1:37 when his wife say "when we take holidays ( not sure if she was talking about her family OR just the british public in general) its always abroad bookings are down and the poeple they are trying to atract families like us prob dont know about it" NOT to be rude BUT butlins is a well known British institution for holdidays so she talkg out her bum hole with that satament AND yep i bet they never stayed at butlins and went abroad themselves cause they had money and prob never stepped foot in a butlins or pontins or any other british holday camp even Haven caravan sites! ...i know this is at least 25 yrs old now , BUT the tradition of a stay at home holiday ( like i had as a kid in the 70s and 80s cause my parents with 3 kids just couldnt afford to go abroad ..we wern't poor and mum and dad allways made sure we had food on the table ect) such as Butlins ect has NEVER recovered once the jet age and package holidday abroad came in! ....TBH no wonder all of them BUtlins, pontins closed a shed load of camps as they just were not viable anymore and had no invenstment put into them ( especialy Pontins once Brittania took over!) and in 2023 /2024 pontins has closed more sites , these days even with haven its pay pay pay for everything (they took over a lot of ex butlins and pontins sites) but its also not just the pay for everything they have now its also the cost! we stayed Frday to monday morning at a haven site (gold standard caravan) 1st time iv set foot in a haven since i was a kid in the 80s and it cost us £350 ..thats not to bad if you have a group of you sharing a caravan then the cost spreads out BUT if there only 2 of you OR a family of 4 (2 adults 2 kids) then it does work out cheaper to go abroad for 2 weeks full board or all inclusive sadly! i will give Tony Marshall his due he tried his best with butlins his heart was in it its ok pumping money in ect BUT its whats done on the ground at the camps and HOW its followed through with that makes the difference as the red coats, security and customer service staff right down to the cleaning staff on the camps that make or break a holiday and OBV the accomidation if its not up to standard , be it old chalets OR cleaning problems with them then there was ONLY so much he could do ...they should of done like the american undercover boss and sent him in incognito (discuses ect) to a few camps NO POINT IN CALLING IT UNDERCOVER BOSS UK if they go in as them selves?

I worked at minehead in 1969, waiter in the restaurant.How can I find out who owns a holiday home in blue anchor.

Haha the British version the boss just rocks up no silly disguise and fake scenes 😂 can’t beat the uk versions of reality shows the Americans have mastered the art of scripted reality shows 😂however produce some serious good tv and film

This bloke wasted millions It's a horrible place to stay Will never come back Disgusting in 2024

I got a job with butlins minehead many years ago as a second chef. The wage was abysmal just £55 per week and out of that wage fees were deducted for accommodation provided. I could rent me a TV from butins if I wanted one, but that would be extra charge coming out of my wage. The room was sparse, it was awful and depressing to see, there with no fridge or cooking facility in room and was only allowed to put up pictures with bluetack no drawing pins, tacks or nails allowed. I thought that it was horrible to expect employees to live in such conditions. To me it was more of a cell that a room to live. How anyone could earn a decent living from that I do not understand. I left the same night I got there and saw the conditions in which I was expected to live and work for the wage they paid

They want to look at the prices they charge it's disgusting

Prison holiday.

A millionaire has no idea of the cost of a pint of milk, Then offers holdidays in a shack to someone who has a take home pay of £170pw

When I stayed here in 91 it was awful

Still rubbish needs closing and hole revamp

this is so boring going on about his vision heres a idea flatten this out of date hell hole and turn it into a prison better staff and food hes defo from fairy land

The MD gets back to head office and it's obviously staffed by moronic idiots whose response when asked by the MD why things are not in place and why is it failing, his director laughs while saying, "I don't know, but I guess I'll find out when I go down there!". If that's the response the Managing Director gets from his board members, what chance does the public have when trying to get a result, DISGUSTING! No wonder the MD's wife said they holiday abroad, what an advertisement.

Ohh they don't make 'em like this anymore - give me Maplins any day! Hi de Hi campers 🏕