Another of those 'red herrings'?

'Be tactful ... and smile sweet Judy'

Ignore the fact that traditionally 'Punch' was a child-murdering, wife-beating psychopath who commits appalling acts of violence and cruelty upon all those around him and escapes scot-free. That has no relevance here -- no subliminal messaging; no implications -- none whatsoever. 'Punch and Judy' had been nagging my consciousness for the last hour. So much so I did a google search to investigate.

First thing I noticed was the picture above. More significantly the crown on the top of the Punch Stage -- depicting the Unicorn and the Lion. Both creatures which have featured in Daily Merlin divination posts here. More recently has been the Unicorn. A reference was made to 'Leo The Lion' here which was deemed as coincidental and I don't know why. There is reference to the British Crown other than the obvious (the McCanns themselves).

Thus I must explore 'Punch & Judy' tactfully ....

From Wikipedia:

Punch and Judy is a popular puppet show featuring Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known as a Professor.

The Punch and Judy show can trace its roots to the 16th century to the Italian commedia dell'arte. The figure of Punch derives from the stock character of Pulcinella, which was Anglicized to Punchinello. He is a manifestation of the Lord of Misrule and Trickster figures of deep-rooted mythologies. Punch's wife was originally "Joan".

May 9, 1662 is traditionally reckoned by 'Professors' as Punch's UK birthday, for that was the first recorded date on which the figure who later became Mr. Punch was seen in Britain. The diarist Samuel Pepys observed a puppet show featuring an early version of the Punch character near St. Paul's Church in London's Covent Garden.

It was performed by an Italian puppeteer, Pietro Gimonde operating as "Signor Bologna". Pepys described the event in his diary: "...an Italian puppet play, that is within the rails there, which is very pretty, the best that I ever saw, and great resort of gallants." Pepys went back several more times and continued to be amused. The puppet he saw was a marionette, not a glove-puppet, and Gimonde did his show within a tent.

The tale of Punch and Judy varies from puppeteer to puppeteer and has changed over time. It typically involves Punch behaving outrageously, struggling with his wife Judy and the Baby, and then triumphing in a series of encounters with the forces of law and order (and often the supernatural). The classic ending of the show has him dispatching the Devil himself, exclaiming "Huzzah huzzah, I've killed the Devil!". All is performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy and is intended to provoke shocked laughter.

The stereotypical view of Punch casts him as a deformed, child-murdering, wife-beating psychopath who commits appalling acts of violence and cruelty upon all those around him and escapes scot-free – this is greatly enjoyed by small children. In actual fact, Punch has long since reverted to his origins as a clown figure whose acts of violence are in the same tradition as those to be seen in all classic cartoons. The very stick he uses is a slapstick: the knockabout device which gave its name to a whole genre of broad physical comedy.

I'm left feeling none the wiser ... please, can someone explain the significance to me?