have to show customer service and guest-facing skills (contrary to the popular belief that they need to be able to sing and dance, which is no longer the case). In 1999 Butlins introduced the now defunct Butlins 'Academies of Excellence' to train Redcoats. These have since been replaced with a six-week training course. There is also the option of a foundation degree in either musical theatre, or Technical Skills for the Arts and Leisure Industry. Training includes aspects of direction and production and time spent as a Butlins Redcoat counts toward membership of Equity. Roles Redcoats work in three areas, General duties, the Kid's Club and the costume character team. General duties are similar to those of a tour rep in a resort – Butlins even describe the role as "The Original Holiday Rep". In the evening the Redcoats form part of the live entertainment team, starring in Gangshows and X Factor style game shows. Throughout the years, Redcoats have been expected to lead ballroom dances, stage and judge competitions, and steward theatrical performances as well as meeting and greeting guests in public areas. Redcoats run the children's clubs which provide sporting activities, competitions and arts and crafts. Each Redcoat will have many different roles to fulfil in any given week. Similar staff Butlins remained the largest holiday camp chain in the UK, but smaller camps copied the Redcoat style of staffing. In the 1960s, Fred Pontin adopted the Bluecoat to represent at Pontins holiday camps, and at some point, Harry Warner decided Warners' holiday camps should adopt the Greencoat. Media appearances The ITV series Redcoats was a docusoap following the lives of Redcoats at Butlins Minehead and Bognor resorts. Over three series of 30-minute episodes, it shows the selection process, the Redcoats entertaining the visitors and life behind the scenes. The series was made by Pilgrim Productions. In fiction The BBC television series Hi-de-Hi!, written by former Butlins employees Jimmy Perry (a Redcoat) and David Croft (a summer show actor), featured the Yellowcoats as a fictional analogue. The title of the show "Hi-de-Hi" originated with Norman Bradford who claimed to have taken it from an American film; he began using this as a cheer to which the audience spontaneously responded "Ho-de-ho". Another BBC television series, Doctor Who, featured an episode entitled "Delta and the Bannermen", which depicted an alien attack on the fictitious Shangri-La holiday camp (in reality the