COMEDY DOESN'T HAVE A LANGUAGE BUT IT HAS A VOICE 

=======================================

Part 1   Introduction ==

This blog is not about the history of comedy as there are more than enough books and essays on that subject, This is an attempt to describe some aspects of Comedy that have got a bit lost in the confusion of the modern world.

Every Clown, Comic and Comedian is asked at some point  " what is  the secret of comedy " My flippant answer has often been

  

"The rabbit's a ventriloquist "  

 I have performed  some form of comedy all of my professional life in nearly every entertainment  medium with the appropriate  amount of success and failure to give me an insight into the subject and I am certain of one thing,

There is no secret ! 

Thats it, we can all get on with our lives now 

If only it was that simple. 

More articles have  been written about Comedy than any other topic but still there are no solid conclusions, Everyone thinks they know but no-one does,

 There are lots of little epithets such as -

' Comedians say funny things, Comics say things funny '

' Clowns are societies conscience ' 

'Comedy hold a mirror up to the world '

 'Satire keeps politicians honest '

'Comedy is the safety valve on the pressure cooker of life '.

   

Comedy is subjective, every portrayer of  a  comic situation whether written spoken or acted  has their own unique way of  delivering it or how they direct another person to deliver it, think of Mel Brooks and Woody Allen,  both presenting comedy films with strong social commentary but in totally different ways all of which  are valid because there are as many ways to present comedy as there are people who will react to it. 

Comedy is an art form as valid as any other but has more opportunity for expression.

  

Once a book is written or the last brushstroke of a painting is made they are a permanent statement , comedy has no such restrictions  except the good taste and moral boundaries of the performer.   Stand-up comedy content can be the  personal therapy session  of  Billy Connolly, the hard hitting political satire of Bill Maher, the edgy shock wave of Frankie Boyle or Bill Hicks, the gentle innocence of Laurel and Hardy, the analytical perfection of Chaplin or the joy from poking fun at reality in the world of Peter Kay, these are just some  examples of the boundless diversity that comedy brings .

The world of Clowning is another part of the Comedy universe

To put the  record straight the Clown was  originally the character in the ensemble who had the White Face and the brightly coloured  spangled costume  which was meant to  portray an asexual character who was clean, tidy, perfect in every way and a representation of authority against which the Auguste constantly battled . 

 The 'Auguste' was  the comic symbol with the brightly made up face , bulbous red nose (1) , big boots , ill matched and badly fitting  trousers, jacket  hat etc , his (2) world is as jumbled and illogical as his dress but to him it makes perfect sense , all the items do what they are supposed to do , the clothes cover him and keep him warm , the boots protect his feet, the hat keeps him dry what else is there ?

The comedy comes  from the conflict between the Clown and the Auguste,  the logic of the one and his exasperation at the illogicallity of the other , the Auguste will always win because, to him ,  his world is completely logical and needs no further  explanation so he doesn't understand why the clown is making such a fuss.

There was another  character , he came to be known as the 'Joey' , in America he's the 'Third Banana' , he is the foil to the Auguste as the Auguste is to the Clown  , The nearest equivalent in modern comedy is the 'Class System Sketch' from 'The Frost Report ' 

which is a perfect verbal description of the Classic Clown trio .

https://youtu.be/9tXBC-71aZs

I have performed as all three at some point in my career, in my youth I was the 'joey' to my fathers 'Auguste ' later after a short career as a 'Stand-up '  I became a White Faced Clown with a clown troupe in Europe and finally became an 'Auguste with my own troupe .   

Over the last century all of these characters have merged and the distinctions have been less defined until now they are all  referred to by the public and media as Clown. 

Clowns have even more scope to express themselves as they can bring a world of physical comedy to enhance any situation,   The pages of their book or the canvas for their paint is the audience, each show  is a new page, a new colour , the chance to edit or fine tune what you did yesterday and the beauty is you can do it in every show.

  

(1)The grotesque and over the top  make-up came about later and for other reasons, in an age of shows performed in large theatres, tents or even outdoors where the lighting was of a basic quality the large make-up enabled  the audience to  see the auguste's every expression from a distance thereby enhancing his comic attributes, nowadays the majority of venues are so well equipped with  modern sound and lighting technology that a big make up can actually be a disadvantage . 

(2) In the segment referring to Clowns  and Clowning I use the masculine to describe the 'Auguste '  I mean no disrespect to female Augustes  of whom there are many , there are also many female Clowns  but the majority are male and it's more convenient to use the masculine rather than constantly use  he/she or him/her.

TO BE CONTINUED

I use ' clown' to describe all who perform comedy , stand-up, mime, musical, physical, it doesn't matter which, our common aim is to make the audience laugh, we just approach it from different directions, a perfect example of 'The end justifying the means '

Body language and Choreography /Positioning are two  important aspects of comedy, It doesn't matter what or where the venue is,      

when you walk out to your audience the first 5 seconds dictates how they will respond to you, for other artists it's mainly the performance that defines them but for the clown its personal.

A bad entrance can hurt any artist, however a juggler, flyer , hand balancer etc: can recover with a quality performance, mainly because their art and skill is perceived differently from that of a clown. 

A clown appeals to an audience on an individual level, laughter is so personal and so revealing that the relationship between the clown and the public has to be based on a form of trust, they have to enter the clowns world of madness , illogicality and silliness with an open mind and if you are genuine they will relax and take you into their heart .

The original idea and  meaning of  'Reprise ' was a clown  or comic character parodying the act or artist that had just performed, which meant that they had to have the same skills as other artists but not neccessarily at the same level,  they had to be able to walk a tightrope, juggle, do acrobatics and other things so as to enable the comical parody, or 'reprise'  to be believable.  

Today there are only a few clowns who can do this and reprises have become just comic interludes and in many shows have very little to do with the make up of the programme . 

An advantage of doing  reprises /run-ins as a solo clown is you have the opportunity to build up a relationship with your audience over the length of the show, the first impression is still paramount , that and your first comedy piece will define you for the rest of the performance, 

Ring Position is vital, when you're performing  comedy there's a natural instinct to want to be close to your audience , Max Miller ( An English  variety comedian in the mid 20th century )was an absolute master of the art, he would come on stage plant one foot on the footlights lean forward and engage his audience as though they were in a small room chatting about life in general.

In a Circus that's difficult because the ring is usually 10/12 metres across and every metre you are  forward of the centre of the ring means you lose about 20% of the audience who will then spend their time looking at your backside  !!!!!! ( not a good look) Ideally halfway between the ring entrance and the centre is good,  that gives you a fisheye lens view of the public and you only have to turn your body slightly to engage one side of the audience  without turning your back on the other side.

It's aso good to make eye contact with as many people as possible not just in the front couple of rows, lift your head and involve the grandstand as well,  you have to make sure that you interact with as much of the audience as possible, if at some point in the show you're doing a routine that involves taking people out as volounteers it helps a lot.

 I'm not a fan of too much audience participation, I prefer to let them do it from their seats, they paid for them after all, for a while I did a couple of routines involving volounteers one of which was   ' The Band ' I first did it onstage with the Sooty Show in the 60's using kids and ending with the Beatles song "Twist and Shout"as the finale, I  resurrected it in the 90's for Circus but then I used adults and  finished with Elvis's 'Jailhouse Rock',   clowns still  do versions of it, some dressing the volounteers in wigs and giving them plastic instruments which in my opinion spoils the original idea, ideally in these sorts of gags you want the public laughing with you, not at you 

  

These are small but important aspects of performance especially for a clown , most artists are selling a visible skill but a clown has to sell himself . 

                              Cautionary Tales

With the advent of non-animal circuses many of todays clowns don't know the joys of trying to cover the build-up or pull down of a cage , Imagine the scene , the Lions/Tigers or whatever have finished and here comes the clown, the first thing you see is the clown  trying to push his way through 7 or 8 or more ringboys and other staff who are dismantling between 20/25  metal sections of the cage held together with metal fixtures and bolts and chains  plus all the metal props, to enable the cage to be stored behind the ring entrance the curtains are wide open revealing the back of the tent  which is usually flapping around adding to the noise and movement in the ring all of which is a huge distraction and adds to the chaos through which the clown is attempting to entertain the audience who hardly know he's there,  there was a time when we all had to go through it like  basic training , there's nothing like it now .

                            

                            ---------------------

I was at the premiere of a  show many years ago when a clown came out to a well known piece of music which he used as his theme, he did his first reprise between the ringside boxes and the grandstand so that the people in the front rows had to turn if they wanted to see what he was doing, he had a large comb and scissors to mime cutting someones hair, he picked a man in the boxes who couldn't see him and did about 20/30 seconds of the mime and off he went having got no laughs .

The next act came and went then  back came the clown to the same theme music, again in between the ringboxes and grandstand  and he picked on the same man, brushed his hair with an oversized hairbrush and off he went, again no laughs .

After the next act the clowns theme music played and there was a low murmer from the audience, out came the clown  this time with a large clothesbrush once again he picked the same man,  still no laughs just an embarressed silence .

The next time the clowns music was played there was an audible reaction from the audience " Oh bloody hell not him again " was heard from a few people but he carried on regardless, this time with a large duster, he dusted the king poles and some of the seats and then went back to the same unfortunate man in the ringside boxes and dusted his head at which point there were sounds and reactions from the audience that were not good, He didn't appear for the second half !

                                               ---------------------------

There was an old saying in the theatre world "I need a prescription from Dr Adrenilin" It's amazing how even when you feel like **** an audience can lift you and carry you through a performance 

In my career on stage or in the ring I only ever missed one show , a stat I'm both proud and ashamed of, It was unavoidable but that doesn't help . 

                     ---------------------------

I can't count the  number of shows I've done but I can count  the number where I didn't enjoy myself and that would be none! 

Like all performers there have been bad days and when I was younger I used all the excuses, bad audience, too hot, too cold,

not everyone like clowns, and my favourite, they were a singers audience!  

As I got older I realised that the sayings were true but that didn't matter because I had done the best I could and I always found something to make me smile, I'd do a gag a new way or I'd think of something new to do in the middle of a reprise, I was always flexible in whatever routine I did, working with partners it could drive them crazy but more of that next time.

          finally my favourite quote 

    Ken Dodds analysis of laughter 

"A laugh is a noise that comes out of a hole in your face, anywhere else and you're in trouble "

the rise of Corporate Circus .

The Rise of Corporate Circus.

(Bigger is not always better)

As with any development from an established norm a look back into it's history to see the changes that have been wrought, usually in slow increments, until the original has been lost to memory will surprise and sometimes shock.

Circus is a prime example .

1778 saw the arrival of Astley, Hughes, Ducrow et al and heralded the introduction of the Circus Owner /Entrepreneur/ Director taking over and employing the independent family units that had until then toured the countries of Europe presenting their travelling entertainment. 

Circus then developed into a crash, bang affair presenting shows with storylines , scripts and non-stop action , death defying stunts ,trapeze artists with gymnastic feats in mid-air , jugglers manipulating clubs , rings, balls, hoops in a gyration of speed and dexterity, animal trainers first showing off waltzing horses, pirouetting dogs ,and later on leaping lions , tigers and much more , performers practised every day to be better ,the better you were the more you earned , well that was the theory of the 'new age' of circus .

This way of Circus continued, with it's ups and down, triumphs and tragedies, surviving wars, civil ,international and revolutionary , of which there were nearly 200 between 1778 and 1950 ( learning to juggle whilst dodging shells and cannonfire must have been quite an art ) until after WW11 when a new phenomenon appeared, television , for nearly two centuries despite music halls , dance halls, cinema , variety theatres , and many other forms of pleasant diversions circus had remained a major source of 'go-to ' entertainment , the rise of television changed all that at a speed that took everyone by surprise and with tv you didn't have to 'go-to' anywhere except your living room.
From it's hesitant start in 1936 and with an interruption for WW11, in the 1950's TV was king and the sales of sets soared , in 1950 only 350,000 households had a tv set, by 1960 that had risen to ¾ of the population of around 20 million, 526,000 were sold just to watch the coronation in 1953. 

The affect on the entertainment industry was dramatic to say the least and everyone tried to adapt to the new situation, Variety theatres had 'Pop' stars to attract a younger audience , pantomimes starred TV personalities , social clubs and night clubs sprang up all over the country with singers, comedians and the like with 'Direct from TV' on their posters , 

Circus did ==== nothing, or at least nearly nothing, the big 3 in the UK had closed or were near closing and by the end of the decade the ones that were left offered the same old recipe as before, jugglers, clowns , acrobats and animals , not until the mid =70's did a sea change sweep over circus both in the UK and Europe.
In the UK in the early '70's Gerry Cottle, a stockbrokers son, ran away to join the circus and within a decade had one of the biggest shows in the country, bringing new energy and fresh ideas such as hosting the Circus World Championships and the TV series 'Seaside Special' , In Germany a similar change was brought about by Circus Roncalli which, under the direction of former graphic designer Bernhard Paul , brought about a mini revolution in European circus , His ethos was 'as soon as you buy your ticket it's our job to entertain you ' 

Many shows tried to imitate these new ideas but with limited success , the majority however carried on as normal with audience numbers going down and expenses going up eventually the quality of the shows suffered .

Over the last 30 years the animal question has haunted Circus both here and throughout the world and although I have dealt with this subject in other publications one aspect has not really been considered , 

Since the early '70's protests against performing animals in Circus had grown steadily, led by PETA and many national organisations they had huge financial support and seemingly a disregard for how they gathered and distorted evidence to back up their allegations, despite the fact that successful prosecutions against circus trainers for cruelty in over 150 years were in single figures and circus had made many changes to accommodate the concerns of the protesters it was never enough.
many circus owners who had always featured animals in their shows 

suddenly had a Damascene conversion which in retrospect probably had nothing to do with the morals or ethics of travelling with or employing performing animals , it was pure business,
One of the first and most vocal was Gerry Cottle who in the early '90's announced to the press that he would never again have animals in his circus and all circus owners with animals were , in his words, 'dinosaurs'.
Whether or not his motive was pure is speculation but for many others this was an opportunity and the bandwagon quickly filled up.

An explanation for this turn of events can be explained by a little monetary maths. 

In conversation with a couple of independent wild animal trainers I learnt that in the '90's the initial cost of the animals,( 8 Lions was the benchmark) transport , cages ,one for in the ring , another bigger one as an outdoor exercise area would have been about £ 40,000 .

The expenses for food, staff, vets bills etc could be around around £300-500 weekly, A Circus that owned it's own animals, elephants, horses, exotics etc would have to add the costs of the stable staff ,food, hay/ straw for bedding, transport , trainers or animal presenters , this would make the weekly expenses very high even when the show was in it's winter quarters .

For a lot less financial outlay the circus could engage two or three acts to replace the animals and save money, plus they could explain their decision as being progressive , modern and giving the public what they want, so it was a win-win situation, In reality getting rid of the animals was nothing to do with morals or ethics , It was just a matter of economics .

One result is that wild animals in round metal cages have been replaced with motorbike riders in round metal cages .! 

MUSIC

In earlier times nearly every show had a band , from a large orchestra down to an organ and drums and every combination in between , live music was an invaluable aid , If the artist made a mistake in his routine which meant added time it didn't matter ,the band played on until the next cue . This too went by the wayside for economic reasons , A wage standard set by the Musicians Union and Equity affected all entertainment venues, Theatre shows cut back on chorus dancers , 'pit orchestras ' got smaller, circus converted to cassettes then minidiscs followed by cd's and now most shows have a digital sound system.
Modern digital music with the range of editing programmes  available is so precise it leaves no room for error and there's no bandleader to help in a tricky situation , an example of this is a few years ago in the Budapest Festival a lady low-wire walker with a beautiful act full of wonderful tricks and choreography synchronised with the music, unfortunately fell off in the middle of a particular trick , she immediately got back on but those few seconds that she lost meant that the climax of her routine was performed in an embarrassing silence ,  she got huge applause but it wasn't the same . 

The Internet

From it's early days the circus arts have been successful through innovation, with everyone practising to achieve a level which would earn them a living, practise would continue so as keep up the standard and new tricks and routines would spring from this constant practise , with little opportunity to see other artists performing in the same discipline every act was in some way individual and unique . This also changed as a result of TV , variety shows featuring circus acts plus specialist shows like the previously mentioned Seaside Special and the Xmas and Easter circuses , 

were the staple diet of the schedule for many years and the advent of video recorders meant that those acts could be copied , the rise of the internet made that process even easier , now at the press of a key one can see acts and performers from all over the world on your PC screen.

The other element of traditional circus that has undergone a big change are the Clowns , in earlier days they were older artists who had performed speciality acts and as they got older they changed to clowning and used their knowledge and experience in the show, For instance the original 'reprise clowns ,( called in America 'carpet -clowns') did what the title suggests and came in after a juggler or a wire-walker or other acts and 'reprised' their performance in a comic way , if there was more than one clown in a show they would usually perform one routine together, there were many famous clown gags such as 'the Bees and Honey , Old Joes Ghost , the Dead and Alive, the Sleepwalker , which are still performed today , with the advent of PC clowns have a hard time getting laughs without someone being offended , usually on behalf of someone else , The fear of clowns seems to be more prevalent of late although most people who profess to suffer from it can't tell you it's medical name which leads to the belief that it's more fashion than fear ,(BTW It's colorophobia )

In many modern shows clowns have been replaced by characters doing something with the public or performing comic interludes which have no reference to anything in the show and are somewhat akin to the Potters Wheel of the early TV days , 

The success of Cirque Du Soliel has also had it's effect , their opera/circus with it's style of costumes , make-up , specially written music and lyrics, which could be Klingon or Esperanto for all of the meaning they project, have brought a new audience to the art form but in many peoples opinion it isn't circus .
Their show companies are mainly comprised of ex gymnast and athletes many from eastern European countries, who are interchangeable with the casts from other shows. Their disregard for the individual artist is shown by the fact that none of them are acknowledged, the printed programme and the end of the dvd's has the name of all the technicians , riggers , electricians, costume and make-up department members, directors, producers but not one actual performer is named , what a change from the traditional Circus where the posters and programme loudly and proudly proclaimed who you would see if you bought a ticket . 

All of the above has resulted in large proportion of today's shows, travelling and static, both in the UK and Europe delivering a brand of antiseptic, bland ,easy on the eye and even easier on the brain , corporate type performance . 

Of course there are still circuses in the UK and around the world who present their audience with an experience that is uplifting and joyous, some still wrap the show round a story much as in the old days ,one exponent of this is Giffords Circus in the UK which each season presents a brand new story with live music, brilliant comedy and some surprises along the way , they work together as a group with everything from the manual labour through to the grand finale of the show which has become a feature of their yearly performance , 

Every country has their own version of Giffords, small travelling groups who work for the love of what they do and the joy of performing and as long as they are around have no doubt,  Circus will survive .

Circus, a different view

Alternative view of Circus 250. David Konyot

With a little trepidation I put down these thoughts ,thoughts that I have had for some time about Circus in general , where it's going and why , many will not agree , it will not be an easy read but the opinions are mine and mine alone so with that disclaimer here goes .

PROLOGUE 

I come , as many others in Circus, from families that have plied the trade for many centuries , from my mother I am descended from the Blumenfeld Family in Germany whose ancestry can be traced back to the mid 17^thcentury where an Emmanuel Louis Blumenfeld 'Gaukler und Seiltanzer' 

( travelling entertainer and ropewalker ) was reported in the local Wuppertal paper to have brought 3 elephants to the town, this story was told to me by a German Circus fan Peter Brauning in 1982 while I was working for Circus Barum and I was shown a photocopy of the original article.
On my fathers side in am descended from two UK circus dynasties my Great Grandfather being Harry Fossett and my Great Grandmother Harriet Yelding .
Because of my family situation I didn't learn too much about the history of either side when I was growing up but this meeting with Herr Brauning piqued my interest and ever since I have tried to research as much as I can about my ancestors and their continuing involvement with Circus which along with over 60 years experience of practical experience has led me to this overview of Circus which I present to you now .

1. Travelling families;
   
   From Auntie Margaret Yelding (nee Fossett) and in conversations with a few others of the older generation I got a story which differed in details but remained the same in principal , The main point of the tale was that at the close of the 12^th century a mercenary army was gathered by Richard 1^st( the Lionheart ) who, following his Imprisonment Ransom and Release , had the intention of marching to England to retake the throne from his brother John . (OK enough name dropping , on with the story ) Along with the soldiers and volunteers this army was joined by Saddlers, Armourers, Grooms, Whores, Cooks,CardSharps , Bottlewashers Various Travellers and of course families of Itinerant Entertainers , one such were French and called Feldan , they stayed and the name over the years evolved into Yelding, Now I'm not saying that this story is the undeniable truth , most of it is apocryphal but the fact remains that a lot of the older ones I spoke to said that they had heard that the family had originally come from France and something about the Crusades and there was enough rumour and speculation to give decent credibility to a lot of the rest .
   
   
   What we do know is the Yeldings have been here for a long time as have the Fossetts and being in the same business they would have met and in many cases joined up to marry and/or work together, the first marriage we have actual hard evidence for is Robert Fossett and Emma Yelding some 6 generations ago but its not beyond consideration that there were some before that . There were of course other families following the same travelling path , some with Fairground type presentations , others with Acrobatic Feats , Juggling , Wire Walking , displays of Strength , Magic ,Boxing and Wrestling booths , selling Charms and Potions , Fortune Telling in fact anything that would draw a crowd and earn a little money from passing round the hat or having a closed area with a box at the entrance for admission payment . ( this was called a fit-up )They would appear at village fetes , galas, market days, some would get work in stately homes in times of celebration, Weddings, Birthdays , Births etc; and so it went for many generations until in 1778 along came Philip Astley.
   
   OK time for a couple of Mythbusters , No1, Philip Astley didn't use the word 'Circus', his first arena in waterloo was called ASTLEYS AMPHITHEATRE'Circus' was first used in modern terms by Charles Dibdin who was a famous Composer and writer of Pantomimes for the London theatres, he with Astleys competitor Charles Hughes started the ROYAL CIRCUS & PHILHARMONIC ACADEMYin 1782, 
   Mythbuster No 2 ,Astley was not the first to do trickriding in a circle , it was previously done by a rider called OLD SAMPSON who Astley trained under as an apprentice when he left the Army. Astleys riding displays took place in what he called THE RIDE orTHE CIRCLE .In 1770 he moved premises to westminster bridge where he erected covered seating and engaged jugglers, wirewalkers and a clown to fill in the spaces between his riding displays , I have no doubt that among these 'fill-ins ' there would have been a smattering of the Fossett / Yelding and other established entertainer families and so 'Modern Circus ' was born .
   CIRCUS ( a potted historical personal view )

The Circus/travelling families had survived and to some extent thrived 

for quite a few generations delivering what the public wanted to see 

because if they didn't then hunger was around the next corner , it was a 

buyers market which always promotes invention and modernisation, 

then along come Astley , Hughes , Dibdin, Ducrow and others 

followed by the erection of Amphitheatres and circus buildings all over 

Europe , now their situation underwent a huge and dramatic change. 

Those lineages and families of Acrobats, Clowns Jugglers et al had 

performed throughout the UK and Europe for centuries ,earning 

their money as independent professionals, now they were becoming 

part of an integrated entertainment for which an all inclusive ticket was 

sold with the money going to the producer/director/owner/ and the 

artists receiving a payment which they would have to negotiate . 

Along with being paid a wage they lost their independence in artistic 

choice with that being replaced by the whim and personal taste or style 

of the aforementioned producers/directors/owners the majority of whom 

were just businessmen or private people ( called Jossers in the circus 

fraternity)who saw an opportunity to make some money and started a 

Circus

(This still happens today in many shows where a director / producer or 

especially the owner with little practical knowledge of the particular art 

he is producing , especially comedy, tries to persuade the artist that 'his 

vision' takes precedence over the artists knowledge and experience , I 

know because I have had this happen many times ) . 

This system survived intact for many years with Circus performances 

taking place in theatres and specially constructed buildings ,Ducrow 

built over 100 in Russia alone , then in 1850 the first canvas tent was 

introduced and everything changed again, it spread worldwide in the 

space of a few decades The tent being more mobile was the perfect 

solution to bring Circus to the masses everywhere ,The introduction of 

scripted storylines , 'Dick Turpins Ride To York ' was a famous one in 

English Circus ,wild and exotic animals could be better displayed, 

Hippodrome tracks were laid outside the ring for huge tableaux, massive 

parades and in some cases Chariot Races imitating those in the Roman 

Colosseums. 

America had a plethora of three ring circuses which were built up and 

dismantled on a daily basis by hundreds of workers and were 

transported across the country in massive rail transport, so huge were 

the logistics of this undertaking that before WW1 the American 

Government sought advice from the Ringling Brothers Barnum and 

Bailey Circus administration on how they achieved the movement of all 

the artists , staff , animals and equipment so efficiently and quickly in 

order that they could use it as an example it for the U.S Army .

Circus throughout the world was flourishing , getting bigger and more 

audacious all the time , the 20^thcentury in the UK saw the big three of 

Billy Smarts , Chipperfields and Bertram Mills all with seating capacities 

in the thousands along with myriad other circuses touring the country 

from top to bottom, each show had it's own style, Billy Smarts , all 

Sequins Glitter and Glamour , Charity performances every autumn on 

Clapham Common in London with TV and Film stars in attendance,
Chipperfields had their Wild Animal Spectacular , Human Cannonballs , 

Somersaulting cars, Danger and Drama.

Bertram Mills Circus was class and dignity personified ,the shows 

were elegant there were two pages in full coachman dress and white 

powdered wigs just to open and close the ring for the entrance and exit 

of the animals . They were regularly visited by members of the Royal 

family each winter at the Olympia Exhibition hall . 

But slowly and surely these shows were the architects of their own 

downfall, Within a decade all three were gone , Chipperfields went to 

South Africa in the early 60's a folly from which they never recovered , 

Bertram Mills closed its doors around the same time quoting the 

competition from Television as its main reason .
Billy Smarts continued for a few more years on the success of 

their Xmas and Easter TV specials but they too succumbed to the 

inevitable.

Smaller circuses in the UK survived, some run by descendants of the 

original travelling families but they never achieved the heights or 

success of the big shows , over the following years many came and went 

until in the 21^stcentury we are left with the majority of the big circuses 

in the UK , Europe and America having closed or downsized, the fight 

to retain wild animal content all but lost and the ever increasing 

possibility of no domestic animals being allowed to perform in Circuses a 

serious threat. 

So 250 years after Astleys great dream where are we ? 

Over the next couple of decades economics will decide the fate of not 

just travelling Circus and Fairgounds but many of our cherished 

traditions , the rising price of fuel , transport, health and safety 

regulations, the price of venues, plus the added cost of the effects of 

Brexit ,whether soft or hard following which artists, drivers , much 

needed tent staff who have to be recruited from outside the UK will need 

visas and work permits all of which will add to the expenses of an 

industry which is not doing very well as it is.

Is the future bright ?

Many of the travelling families from all those centuries ago are still 

around , My own family are spread worldwide from Alaska to 

Denmark ,thank heaven for Facebook ,it has helped us document most 

of them 

There are descendants from the Fossetts, Yeldings, Paulos, Pinders, 

Ginnets and many other 'younger families (only around for 

a century or so ) still working in Circus and the entertainment

industry , This is not just in the UK but all over the world many of the 

old families have survived and carried on , the exception was Russia 

where nearly all the circus families perished during the communist 

regime of the first half of the 20^thcentury 

Could they go back to the old ways of working once the Big Top has 

completed it's final 'Pull Down' ? Over recent years the Festival 

Circuit has grown hugely in the UK and throughout Europe, from two 

of the biggest, Glastonbury in the UK and the Sziget Festival in 

Budapest there are literally hundreds of them throughout Europe ,they 

are filled with performers who have never seen the inside of a Big 

Top, there is an upsurge in the number of small circus companies 

comprised of just a few artists who regularly appear at these festival 

along with touring local theatres and small concert halls ,many of them 

are the product of the plethora of Circus Schools that have opened in 

recent years, these small groups carry no other equipment than their 

props and costumes, they have minimum admin so their costs and 

expenses are low and the money is shared . 

Festivals also proved work for face-painters , fortune tellers, wall of 

death riders, small fairground rides and sideshows , flea circuses , plus

music ,dance, food and fun .It seems were going back to the days of the 

independent professionals.
The traditional families have survived in one way or another for nearly a 

millennia , a hardy and persistent community they have proven that they 

have the ability to adapt to any situation in WW1 many dispatches 

from the front to the War Office in London asked for more recruits 

from the 'circus and fairground community ' “ because in a crisis these 

guys know exactly what to do and can turn their hands to anything” .
One soldier in WW1 won the Victoria Cross, the Croix De Guerre 

and the highest military honour Russia could bestow ,

He was a British Showman 

Without all the peripheral nonsense, as long as someone wants to juggle , do a handstand , throw a somersault or fall over to get a laugh the Circus Arts will survive and flourish , If the old families die out new ones will take over and start their own dynasties and Circus will survive , 

Because it always has. 

me and the EU

This was written in 2019 before the pig's ear of brexit delivered by Johnson and Co resulting in the corruption and incompetence that is dividing our society with potentially disastrous consequences.

please forgive my Naivety

I Think the original policy of the EU for a tarrif free, open border union with free movement of goods and services between nations was a wonderful idea and I still do but it should have stopped there, the 'Ever Closer Union' in my opinion is a bad idea. It's not just trying to unite many different cultures and national identities it wants to subjugate them and render them impotent under the bureaucratic regime of Brussel ,this will never happen because of historical emnities between various european nations , there's an old chinese saying that if you want to keep much rice hold it loosely, if you squeeze it falls away .

I have never understood why the 28 ( soon to be 27) didn't follow a policy of remain and reform .

I have benefitted more than most from the EU with my travels and work throughout Europe, Brexit will make my life and many others a lot more difficult on a personal level , what it will do to the nation I don't know but I suspect it won't be good , speculators will attack sterling , our trade negotiations will be done from a disadvantageous position and i suspect many other consequences as yet unknown will also occur . Having said all that the EU is a massive organisation employing thousands of people and representing many more , it has a song , and a flag , F1 has a flag and a theme song , UEFA has a flag and a theme song played before evey Champions league match , everyone respects it ,

The Brexit party turning their backs on the EU parliament during the tune 'Ode To Joy ' was , again in my opinion a sign of childish petulance but more than that it was a mark of huge disrespect and a blot on the United Kingdom and everyone in it ( apart from Ann Widdicome and Brexit party members )

Whatever the differences between political philosophies there must always be room for civility and reason .