Behind the Scenes short films

It takes all sorts of people to make tourism tick for our millions of visitors, from saving the coastline to protecting the people who sail on the sea, and giving fun and laughter to holidaymakers.

Find out more about the behind the scenes story in Great Yarmouth, where some really great people live and work in the tourism industry, all passionate about what they do and the local area. It's great to #ShareTheGreatTimes and celebrate the great stories behind great holidays.

Home to a unique collection of Asian mammals, Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens is a huge family favourite. The man behind these beautiful zoological gardens has been a wildlife enthusiast since he was a small boy when he bought his first crocodile and remains at the forefront of conservation since opening the attraction.

Ernie is a legend, a Great Yarmouth legend. Born in a Row House near historic South Quay and inspired as a child by local fishermen and the sights and smells of the herring catch, the warp and weft of Great Yarmouth life is infused in his paintings and pottery masterpieces.

The spotlight beckons, the drum rolls, and into the ring steps The Ringmaster, king of all he surveys for this performance only. Jack has grown up in the circus, a proud Great Yarmouth tradition instrinsically linked with seaside entertainment for generations and handed down from showman to showman.

The country was shocked as we watched chalets in Hemsby collapse and slide down grassy cliffs into the sea when a huge tidal surge hit Norfolk. What Mother Nature takes away one week, she gives back in another way, but it doesn't do to be complacent as this determined story tells.

From fishing to pleasure craft, the sea is never far from your thoughts when you live and work at the coast, and none more so than for the Caister independent lifeboat crew.  It is said that 'Caister men never turn back'; a proud tradition upheld to this day when faced with the elements and people to rescue.

Seaside entertainment has evolved over time to incorporate travelling showmen who still journey from town to town entertaining the crowds as they go and showmen who decide to put down roots when they find a place they like and entertain at home. The Showman's Daughter was no exception.

Behind every great event is at least one great woman, and none more so that the lady at the helm of Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival, an annual two-day event held on South Quay. Find out more about the passion for the town and the pride in our local maritime industries which help make this event truly memorable. 

Wind mills and wind pumps have always been a particular feature on the Norfolk landscape, and the wind pump at Thurne is an incredibly distinctive landmark on the on banks of the river. For Debra, owning Thurne Mill is a dream come true, and power of the wind fascinates her. 

What did Jaws ever inspire you to become? The destiny of one young Great Yarmouth lad was written in the stars from the moment he saw this classic film ... he would become a marine biologist and spend his days swimming with sharks and turtles in one of the Golden Mile's most popular attractions.

Find out how a Norfolk farming family who work the land near Hemsby decided to get involved with the local tourism industry by turning some of their acreage into a farming tourist attraction and supplimenting their income at the same time.

Stephen’s granddad was a forward-thinking Yarmouth entrepreneur who set up Docwra’s rock shop in 1896 with the idea even then that their sweet shop establishment would be a tourist attraction, showing people how this traditional seaside treat is made.

Just how do you become a landause driver, clip-clopping up and downt he seafront? When Gemma moved to Great Yarmouth from London, the minute she laid eyes on her first horse she was transfixed. Soon she was riding a pony and loving every minute.