Undercover Boss - Butlins Minehead - behind the scenes

The managing director of Butlins in 1998 Tony Marshall spends time as a redcoat at Butlins Minehead. Being undercover he gets to speak to staff and guests about their experience.
Tony Marshall planned and oversaw the company's new direction which involved the most significant changes in Butlins history.

[@cazzawazza9553]

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

[@anne9576]

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 ❤

[@NotJohnUK]

Taking 8/9 grandchildren to Minehead in September, for the third time. Forth if it hadn't have been for last years flood😪 Would have been at Barry that year, the tender age of ten. Remember vividly the fresh doughnut machine in the reception hall. Strange the things you remember. That's the joy of Butlins. Breading a new generation of Butlineers😁

[@bingbong6467]

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

[@peterwilson3733]

Unbelievable and amazing in every way 🎉

[@juniusvindex769]

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 👍🏻

[@DavidHunt-pw4yd]

Butlins has always been a magnet for slappers🤪

[@sleepwalker6825]

why has Butlins gone even further down ? lol

[@chrismackett9044]

Sounds like a potential advertising slogan

😂😂 so you've had a few then. 🤭😉

[@grayukuk]

Now that was a good program!! 💥

[@gertrudehumpadink1405]

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.

[@me38443]

Worked there from 1971, barrow boy, through to 74 in various restaurants and the supermarket.

[@RichyJMovies]

thats what you get for getting your balls out 😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ColinPfc]

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.

[@DavidHunt-pw4yd]

@colin yeh I worked there for a week in 2000 and staff acc was pretty shocking and even the fights in the staff club surprised me of course they had door staff which explains a few things.

[@jasonsaunders5950]

Still,is now

[@albertatlock]

Do you remember fat derek on security?

[@stevecarter529]

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

[@tomchloe3208]

Yes - its about an hour and a half of just bumper to bumper all the way back to the M5

[@simonblues1]

Total shit hole

[@simonblues1]

RIP BUTLINS

[@simonblues1]

RIP PONTINS

[@jasoncookuk]

The modernisation was needed, but the ethos needed to stay the same. The final years of Rank and the early years of Bourne Leisure turned that on its head. Many things that were included for free in the mid-90s either disappeared or was replaced with a paid alternative - and since the accommodation wasn't any cheaper it significantly increased the price of the holiday. I think the segment at 27:10 says it all - the gentlemen that doesn't see the benefit to "upgrading the staff feed" while "investing today for the future" (his words). The staff are the lifeblood of the camps, they worked stupidly long hours for meagre pay - and they gave it their all to allow the customers to enjoy their holiday. That the bosses treated them with such contempt clearly filtered down in the later years, you can't hide a staff morale issue when it's reached rock bottom.

[@rbee3936]

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...

[@rockysablue]

Agreed

[@rosemarywalker924]

Remember all of the above and free so much fun. No booking app and no disappointment. Loved the erupting volcano in the Hawaiian bar happy days. 😊

[@rbee3936]

@@rosemarywalker924 It was in the Beachcomber Bar.

[@fredsmith1970]

My parents used to take us to Butlins as kids. EVERYTHING was included in the price with the exception of food/drink, and the sites were well kept. It's well behind the times now.

[@SaphirePhoenix5000]

Well by the sound of it, they made a mistake making it all free 😂 I imagine they were losing more than they were making.. and so the new makeover would probably gain them more yield annually

[@wazmeister3151]

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.

[@sunnyjoe]

Yeh that part pissed me off the guy stating he doesn't see why the £2 upgrade was relevant im like it's frontline staff their who impose the butlins experience on your guests they aint happy in their job through food or other issues that ripples to the customer Tbf though the circa late 90s sales and upgrades of butlin sites ruined what their were majestically known for imo

[@mikehuddy9274]

And the staff stays it was 37p a meal and them in the boardroom saying it was 67p I reckon some fiddle going on their 😂😂

[@cafsixtieslover]

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.

[@sueandrews2476]

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!

[@crazyt1483]

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

[@albertatlock]

I worked there from 1987 until 1991 as a photographer. We had a great time.

[@jasoncookuk]

For completeness, this isn't *the* Undercover Boss show, it appears to be a cut from a similar show called Back To the Floor

[@JK-wn3cc]

Thanks for clarifying this because I thought there was no was undercover boss was around at this sort of time. Feels more like the birth/surge of the 'fly on the wall' documentary that were everywhere in the 90s

[@jasoncookuk]

@@JK-wn3cc Indeed, Back To the Floor ran from 1997 to 2002 (this was Series 2) and Undercover Boss started in 2009.

[@JK-wn3cc]

@jasoncookuk cheers Jason. I did/do like true fly on the wall documentaries, although by the later 90s they were doing them to death a bit at one point 😀. Can't do the part-scripted/constructed reality ones though, that try and make out they're are real but everything's a setup for dramatic effect.

[@robinburn4974]

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 🤣🤣

[@p24hrsmith]

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

[@dawnangelawalker]

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!

[@nickpage4333]

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.

[@franktuckwell196]

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.

[@tomchloe3208]

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

[@garyjones407]

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

[@perky26hughes]

It's not cheap though!

[@TravelWithMarti]

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

[@independentpuppy7520]

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.

[@robedwards6096]

Used lv monorail and chairlifts.and gsmes in 80s holiday princess worse thing they did was getting rid of gaiety theatres

[@djtyros]

£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 😂

[@johnbond8392]

That would of been the guest booking system for the whole company not just Minehead their on about there

[@djtyros]

@@johnbond8392 if that's true, then they've had an extreme bargain.... So I doubt that 1.5mil would cover the entire firm 👍

[@dh2032]

@@johnbond8392 but back, the PC' where little more than just dumb thermals, and with screen keyborad, and posablely a mouse, and big server , located in the head office, running the hole show?

[@johnrider5701]

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

[@ADayInTheLifeOfAYeti]

Yeah it's cheaper to go abroad and that's a huge issue

[@leewilliams6366]

there far to expensive now for families

[@JamesParker-wq7ii]

is that debian?

[@allanallen1835]

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.

[@garysharman3981]

Should never have closed clacton

[@Parknest]

Or Filey...

[@ADayInTheLifeOfAYeti]

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.

[@dh2032]

the the system, top poeple been there years years, and worked way up greasy hole, to the top,? not anymore

[@zoebx1314]

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

[@dizzydevil547]

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?

[@dh2032]

at that point you didnt need watch any more, that was the problem right there

[@RichyJMovies]

THE PRISON CAMP LOL

[@stevensimons4677]

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

[@flufflepuffpower2075]

He should go look at Skegness butlins 🙄🙄🙄

[@SaphirePhoenix5000]

Hang on.. those staff members saying they were making 120k a year!! Thats the same as a doctor! How in the world??

[@jamescook9775]

phippinnes is nice

[@alastairrich4432]

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

[@FamilyManPhil]

In fairness this was 25 years ago so I wouldn't hold him too responsible for how it may have changed or deteriorated over a quarter of a century.

[@dglcomputers1498]

​@@FamilyManPhil Yes, two different owners since then. This would have still been under Rank ownership.

[@berniefynn6623]

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

[@neilhayden6534]

Me

[@neilhayden6534]

I do mate. Towervans in Mablethorpe

[@neilhayden6534]

I do mate. Towervans in Mablethorpe

[@mikehutchins8653]

Go to Spain it’s cheaper

[@Nuuccii92]

ew... calling it "Staff Feed"

[@seriousros7280]

hell

[@dh2032]

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?

[@dh2032]

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

[@perky26hughes]

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

[@nemesisc8341]

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

[@jackmchammocklashing224]

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

[@JesusHChrist-q9d]

The whole idea of these places was to cram the working classes in, keep them on site, take their hard earned money and entertain them for a fortnight.

[@JK-wn3cc]

​@alfsmith4936 you're not wrong. But done right, it was a win-win situation, as the economy of the volume of people in the same place doing mostly the same things, meant they got a better holiday for their money than they could anywhere else, and they left having had a great time.

[@jasonsaunders5950]

ITS STILL,ALL THE SAME NOW

[@alechallwood512]

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

[@mysteryman5826]

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

[@1t_wasnt_me]

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.

[@kevbaker153]

The rot from the top! The resort managers are incompetent and recruitment is even worse ! Been for an interview twice never got beyond the front gate as they've cancelled the interview on both occasions whilst I waited in the security office of the front gate!

[@anml1969]

Prison holiday.

[@jojosmumdorothy2829]

When I stayed here in 91 it was awful

[@blazingsaddles7136]

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

[@jasonsaunders5950]

Still rubbish needs closing and hole revamp

[@dazh1295]

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

[@jackmchammocklashing224]

We can not compete with the Europeans, They have long children summer holidays and the children work as family for nothing, so they do not have to pay out wages for basic waiters, cleaners, or servers Butlins and others have to pay full minimum wage for all staff, so could never compete Myself I have stayed a few times would but never be backj