Interview with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen about the Blackpool Illuminations in 2024

Blackpool Gazette

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen talks about the upcoming Blackpool Illuminations at a special preview event. He is celebrating 15 years working with the illuminsations in 2024.

Transcript

00:00How excited are you for the Blackpool Illuminations this year?

00:04Well I think everyone knows I'm always very excited for the Blackpool Illuminations.

00:07On a scale of 1 to 20 I think I'm now exceeding 30.

00:11It just feels so much that all that we've been building up to over the last 5 or 6 years

00:19is beginning to develop and beginning to bear fruit.

00:22And I think with things like the Curator Project with the Illuminations under the sun

00:27we're now on to our third with the Lee Francis Tableau.

00:30So we've had Chai Kamara, we've had Bruce Alfred and now we've got Lee Francis aka Keith Lemon.

00:37And that is continuing.

00:39We are going to be looking at a series of relationships over the next 10 years

00:44with people using their own experiences, their own interpretations of the Illuminations

00:49as a springboard for creativity.

00:51But I think this is something that people are going to really enjoy

00:53because by seeing how someone else tells that story

00:57is a great way of you then really having the experience heightened a bit.

01:02I think that's very important.

01:03So you're talking about people putting their own emotions and their own experiences

01:08into these artworks and these Illuminations.

01:11What reaction do you hope people will have when they see it for the first time?

01:15One of the things about the Illuminations is that when people see them,

01:19when people are here, they're in a very particular place.

01:22Their head is right, summer's over, winter's around the corner, Strictly's on telly.

01:29It's about cosy, it's about warmth, it's about gathering in the experiences,

01:35it's about quieting things down a bit.

01:38But I think it's also a very romantic time of year.

01:40I think it's a time of year that has a lot of storytelling in its own right.

01:45So I think with the Illuminations, people are here and they're open,

01:49they're wanting to have new experiences.

01:53And this is one of the points that I was making earlier

01:55and I keep making to local businesses,

01:57is that actually supporting the Illuminations, commissioning Illuminations,

02:02you're getting your business message across to people

02:06when they're in a very, very happy place.

02:09Meanwhile, of course, the Illuminations is economically absolutely essential for Blackpool.

02:14Imagine if the Illuminations weren't there,

02:18just in terms of the revenue that it generates.

02:21But the other thing that I think is very important,

02:24I'm always very nervous about, we get offers every now and again

02:27for big, scary buyouts with multinational companies.

02:31Actually, it would be lovely if we never had to do that.

02:33It would be lovely if, in fact, every second, every third Illumination

02:37was directly commissioned by a local Blackpool company

02:41with whom we've worked very closely to create an aesthetic

02:45that they're happy with.

02:47It's a bit like being in the Renaissance.

02:49You could be commissioning an illuminated Michelangelo.

02:53And what a great way to advertise your story.

02:56Yeah, so you talked about how important it is in the economic and the business of Blackpool.

03:01So how amazing is it that it's been extended until January?

03:05I think the Council's decision to extend it until January is enlightened.

03:09Obviously, it sprung out of the lockdown period.

03:14It was inspired by the lockdown period.

03:16But actually, it's now created this opportunity for Blackpool

03:19to do Christmas by the Sea, which is incredibly popular.

03:22Very, very popular.

03:24But also, I think it's almost sort of answered an unanswered question

03:29in people's minds, which is why wasn't it extended beyond Christmas?

03:33Actually, the traditional Illumination period was, in fact, really quite short.

03:38Now, we've demonstrated that this is not some ridiculous drain on the nation's resources.

03:45Now we're using LED. Now we're using digital lighting.

03:49Most Illuminations are using up less energy than an IKEA table lamp.

03:54So there's no reason why we have to turn them off in the way that we used to.

03:59In the old days, yes, the electricity bill was ridiculous.

04:02These days, no.

04:04So why not make sure that we're absolutely capitalizing on the goodwill

04:09that something like the Illuminations creates?

04:12You said you were talking earlier.

04:14Does it make this even more special?

04:16Is this the 15th?

04:18This is the 15th, yeah.

04:20I literally don't feel old enough, but I obviously am.

04:24And actually, what's lovely as well is that this is going to be the first year for Switch On

04:27where I'm going to bring my grandchildren.

04:29My daughters were always terribly excited to come to Switch On,

04:32but they're now bringing their children.

04:34And I think this is something that I've always wanted to really celebrate with the Illuminations,

04:39is the space it occupies in families' hearts, not just in people's hearts.

04:45That actually it was the moment.

04:47And these days, everyone's traveling all over the world, and they're going to very exotic locations.

04:51But actually, for many people, being here in Blackpool for the Illuminations,

04:56with their grandparents, with their parents, with their own children,

04:59that grounds the family.

05:01That's sort of the linchpin of their holiday geography.

05:05And it's the same with the Llewelyn Byrnes.

05:11What was your inspiration behind your...

05:16My disco donkey cavalcade.

05:18Well, as you can probably tell, predominantly gin.

05:21No, I mean, one of the interesting things is that people have changed.

05:26There's a big thirst now for visitors to the Illuminations

05:32for that selfie moment, for a selfie icon.

05:35And we've been very aware of that.

05:37But this is kind of the first time that we've deliberately created something

05:40that we feel people will absolutely want to have in the back of their selfie.

05:44And that's incredibly good for Blackpool.

05:47If we're in the background of that selfie, and that picture's on their fridge or on their piano,

05:51that is very much selling the message, that's getting the message across.

05:54And so it's almost a bit like, where do you start with creating an icon for Blackpool?

05:59And as I said earlier, the Spitfires were so popular, were so powerful last year.

06:05That was a story from Blackpool's past.

06:08That was a celebration of what the town did for the war effort.

06:13Actually, let's talk about what the town's been doing since.

06:16It's been doing boogie-woogie Northern Sol

06:19in a rather ill-fitted orange and brown knitted tank top.

06:24So I wanted to do something that had that, but then also had a bit of glamour to it.

06:28And this is based on a kind of Busby Berkeley, Golden Age of Hollywood, dance routine idea.

06:34But using donkeys, because what's this Blackpool more than a donkey?

06:40What are you hoping to take your grandchildren here for the first time?

06:48My eldest grandson has been here before, but the three granddaughters, no.

06:53And they're very excited.

06:55They're already planning what they're going to wear, and what they're going to do,

06:59and how many ice creams they're going to eat.

07:01What do you hope that they will get out of the experience?

07:05What I like is the fact that what I do gives my family access to so many different experiences

07:11that I think other families don't.

07:14And certainly, there we are, we live a very comfortable existence in the Cotswolds.

07:18None of their friends will be coming to the Blackpool Illuminations.

07:21They'll all be going to Dalesford or the local Soho Farmhouse Hangout BBQ.

07:27But I always said this with my daughters, that they'd be coming to the Switch-On.

07:32All their friends from their swanky private schools would be on Daddy's yacht in the Mediterranean.

07:36Actually, the friends that were on the swanky yacht in the Mediterranean,

07:40after a couple of years were desperate to come to Blackpool, because they knew it's far more fun.

07:44So I love the fact that actually Blackpool, as a draw, as an experience,

07:50is almost impossible to beat.

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