Daniel Liversidge, who uses the show name of Mr Marvel, said he has ditched traditional elements of the seaside show to reflect modern tastes.

He has replaced Punch's whacking stick with a fluffy mop, he no longer puts Judy through the mangle and he puts the baby to bed instead of throwing it out with the bath water.

Mr Liversidge said on his website: "Traditional and modern at the same time, the Punch and Judy show takes the original story of the timeless old rascal, Mr Punch, and brings him bang up to date in a politically correct 21st century."

Mr Liversidge's show has been booked by the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

Nick Fletcher, spokesman for the venue, said the tower's management had not called for the changes to the show but said such alterations were inevitable.

He said: "We are running a summer-long beach-related campaign and a Punch and Judy show fitted in with that.

"We have put no restraints on him but he has taken on board constructive comments from elsewhere and decided to make his Punch and Judy show more modern.

"It's one of those things, unfortunately. It's a bit of political correctness gone mad but it is how he is evolving his show.

"It's about getting a balance between the traditional and the modern."