Jazz singer Jamie Cullum puts his head in the lion's mouth (well, metaphorically speaking...)

Jazz singer Jamie Cullum has come under attack from animal rights group Animal Defenders International after playing a gig at Munich's 100-year-old circus building Circus Krone. He hasn't joined the circus or anything like that - as well as its resident circus, the building's just a venue that gets used by all manner of rock and pop performers. But, according to ADI's chief executive Jan Creamer that's not the point: he was condoning cruelty to animals just by being there.

The view from Jamie Cullum's dressing room?
Elephant and camels wintering
at Circus Krone

Anxious to head off controversy, a spokesperson for the singer told the press, "Jamie was not aware that the venue was used for live animal performances during the summer months. I can confirm that no animals featured in his performance and that he does not condone the use of live animals as a form of entertainment."

In his regular programme on BBC Radio 2, however, Cullum had already told his listeners a rather different story: "I'm actually playing a in a circus tonight. When I say a circus I mean an actual circus so when I look out my window I can see lions and tigers ... Tonight I'm literally in a circus and it's a beautiful venue and looking forward to playing here tonight."

Will ADI start picketing Cullum's gigs? Well, you know what they say about working with animals and children...

Britain's oldest
circus building
- a picture from
Circus Mania

If you've never heard of a circus building and thought circuses only appeared in tents, read the story of Britain's oldest circus building, the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, in Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book for Anyone who Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus.

Click here to buy Circus Mania.

Oh, and if you'd like to buy a circus building of your own, click here for details.