Berkshire Bedlam

Berkshire Bedlam's Early Days

Berkshire Bedlam evolved out of the Morris re-revival of the early 1970s, and a key inspiration was the inspired performances of the Gloucestershire Old Spot Morris Dancers of that time. Old Spot had strayed a long way from the accepted concept at that time of a Morris side, and had taken and reconstructed an entire extinct tradition from Gloucestershire (Longborough) and presented this in a refreshingly colourful, precise and highly energetic fashion.

The formation of Berkshire Bedlam owed much to these Old Spot performances and to a growing dissatisfaction with the established morris scene in general. The first discussions about the new side took place in July 1975, but the team's first meeting was held in October 1976 and the first season's dancing was 1977. The side consisted largely of students and staff of the Botany Department of Imperial College, and practices were held at the College Field Station at Silwood Park, near Ascot, Berkshire, which led to the side being called Silwood Morris in its first year.

Silwood Morris - Spring 1977

After the 1977 dancing season many of the original members moved on, having completed their courses. The remaining side regrouped, and recruited some older members from a local folk club, and in November 1977 changed the name to 'Berkshire Bedlam Morris Dancers'. In the spring of 1978 the team moved its headquarters to Wokingham, where they have been based ever since. The team's objectives were also rationalised and were agreed to be the following ;
1. To develop an original and true-spirited morris style using information about the Leafield tradition as a starting point
2. To dance precisely and in an energetic fashion
3. To present a generally spectacular and original performance

These objectives have remained the ideal for Berkshire Bedlam since their inception!

No history of Berkshire Bedlam would be complete without acknowledging the huge role played by Jeff Bates during the first 10 years of its life. A founding member along with Ron Withington, Jeff became the real inspiration behind the side as it developed, playing the parts of foreman, dancer, musician, and the first Fool. Jeff was responsible for researching the music and dances, and composed several tunes to fit certain dances, many of which are still used today. Without Jeff it is highly unlikely BB would have developed as it did, and all those who have ever been a part of the side owe him a huge debt.

In 1979 Jeff produced a fascinating study of the influences which led up to the formation of Berkshire Bedlam, including the part played by Old Spot, and containing also some original research into Morris Dancing at Leafield, with much information coming from the work of Cecil Sharp and other collectors. It also contained some thoughts about BB as it had evolved and some aspirations for the future. Called 'The Berkshire Bedlam Organ', it would be of particular interest to anyone who would like to know more about the history of the Morris. Click here to go to the report

The 1980s

Throughout the 1980s the side flourished, with a steady core of members without ever having a huge side, and several of its own traditions emerged. An annual 'Dorset Tour' has taken place almost every year since 1977, a weekend dancing tour usually just for the team members and families, based at the infamous 'Giants Head' camp site at Cerne Abbas. The side also set up an annual ceilidh in November called the Berkshire Bedlam Bunfight which has acquired a cult status of its own (see separate Bunfight page for more details).

1981 Dorset Tour

	Several of the members also formed their own band called originally the 'Heel and Toe' band, and later "Kickshins", which first played at the 1980 Bunfight and quickly established itself as a fine ceilidh band in its own right. Kickshins went on to have a successful life of its own outside Berkshire Bedlam and is still playing today - for more about them see the Kickshins web site
Kickshins in 1987-ish

		10 mile pre-season training runs were set up with individuals times monitored, the assumption being made that people don't do the morris to get fit, they need to get fit to do the morris! And the 1980s saw a number of cycling tours taking place to prove how fit everyone was - or wasn't.
Nearly at the pub	Jeff already there

Not many Morris sides can claim to be immortalised at the Royal Academy but this portrait, depicting a scene from the 1980s featuring Dave, Stuart, and Jeff in classic pose is still on display there today.

1987 saw some major upheaval when founding father Jeff Bates decided that 10 years of leading the side was enough, especially when coupled with niggling injury, and quit. The side though by this time was strong enough to carry on without Jeff and continued over the next few years to maintain the high standards which it had already established.
	1987 Xmas Tour	Henley, May 1988

The 1990s

In the early 1990s the side's numbers started to go into decline, when several of the key members of the 1980s decided they too had had enough. By 1992 the side was close to folding, and in fact went through the entire season without dancing out. However the following year things started to look up again - some new dancers and, critically, new musicians came along, and the side became re-established. In 1994 they took part in the ritual dance competition at the highly prestigious Sidmouth Folk Festival, coming a very respectable joint 2nd, and partly because of that were invited back to the Festival the following year to take part as a town side.

The Sidmouth appearance was perhaps the catalyst for a very creative period in BB's history, with innovative, inspirational and entertaining new dances being added on a regular basis, and the side enhancing its reputation as one of the best regarded Cotswold sides in the country. The 1990s also saw the development of several inspirational spots for its annual 'Bunfight' ceilidh, which helped the side be seen as not only a fine morris team, but one capable of providing broader entertainment for an audience as well as enjoyment for themselves. The side continued to hold annual Dorset tours, still a highlight of each year's calendar, and undertook some more ambitious tours including Denmark, Ireland, and Guernsey.

2000 and beyond....

In 2000 Berkshire Bedlam achieved one of the ultimate accolades in the Morris world when invited to be the main Arena Cotswold side at the 2000 Sidmouth Folk Festival, the largest and most prestigious such event in the UK. This reflected the standards achieved and maintained by the team in recent years, with the core of the side now having been together for some time. The event was a big success for the side with very favourable reviews of the programme undertaken, which included organising and performing in the Morris Party at the Anchor Gardens, and appearing several times on the main Arena Stage, including a mesmeric performance of 'Dance of the Little Fairies' in the Friday night finale show.

Since this appearance, the side has continued to be one of the leading Cotswold teams in the UK, with new and innovative dances continually being added to the evolving repertoire. In 2003 BB were invited again to perform at Sidmouth, taking part in shows on the Arena stage, and in a special showcase of Morris over the ages where they recreated a traditional sword dance in spectacular style. 2004 and 2005 featured further leading festival and other high profile appearances, including a filmed appearance on CBBC's Chucklevision programme, and in 2006 the side formed an innovative and highly successful partnership with The Outside Capering Crew to put on joint shows to larger audiences under the name 'The Big Caper'. In 2007 the side celebrated its 30th birthday in fine style with a celebratory weekend of dance and further leading festival appearances including Sidmouth once again, Towersey and more highly original Big Caper shows. They also came within touching distance of a prize of £59,000 on the BBC's Eggheads quiz programme - but remained untroubled by passing (small) fortune. 2008 saw a continuation of the side's high standards, with more high profile events, and further development of the Big Caper shows. It also saw one of the side's most surreal events, performing at a private birthday party for Sting at his Georgian mansion in Wiltshire, including doing the Coconuts dance with guests including Sting, Kevin Spacey, David Walliams and Robert Downey Junior. And the BB members were more than happy to sign autographs for them afterwards.

2008 finished on a very upbeat note, with some promising new young recruits joining towards the end of the year, and in 2009, apart from the usual array of excellent events, the side filmed another appearance for CBBC, this time for a childrens science programme called 'Spacehoppers', first transmitted in March 2010. With the new recruits improving all the time, the side remains in great shape for the next chapter in its history to unfold (and the next surreal event!) ....


BB - Sidmouth 2000 Gareth, Mike, Jerry, MalM, Jane, John, Rob, Paul, Jameson, Bob, MalG (not pictured - Simon, Lee)	BB - Sidmouth 2003 - (back) Tim, Lee, Jerry (middle) MalM, John, Rob, Jameson, Mike (front) Sue, Simon, Bob (washing their hair) Jane, Paul

Further reading !

Now you have a taste of BB's history, you might also like to read some of Jameson Wooders personal views about Berkshire Bedlam, expressed in 2 articles contributed to 'Morris Matters' entitled 'Beyond the Black Book with Berkshire Bedlam - a personal view of a Modern Morris Tradition'. While written a few years ago, these provide further fascinating insights on the side's history, background and subsequent development, plus a review of the ideology and motivation of the team, and are still very relevant for the Berkshire Bedlam of today despite the further passage of time. Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2 (articles are in Microsoft Word format).

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