The animal rights protest that made me love the circus

 

This is the picture and newspaper headline that started my journey into the circus. I'd been to the circus before, mainly to review shows at the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome. The Hippodrome was a living piece of history: Britain's oldest purpose-built circus building, replete with the bizarre Edwardian attraction of a ring that transformed into a swimming pool for synchronised swimming. Houdini and Charlie Chaplin had performed there, and even the variety star parents of former Prime Minister John Major. It was there that I met aerialist Eva Garcia... just days before she fell and died during her act. That tragedy brought home to me the dangers of circus performance.

But my trips to the Hippodrome, to review its all-human spectaculars for The Stage were twice-yearly occasions - a small part of my work; a minor side-interest of mine.

Then, in 2009, Martin Lacey reintroduced elephants to his Great British Circus, after a 10 year absence. It sparked animal rights protests intended to keep audiences away. But the protests caught the attention of the media, sparking TV news reports, and the above headline... and the moment I saw that photo of an elephant being rehearsed, I knew it was a glimpse into circus history that the even Hippodrome couldn't give me.

There, in a big top, with sawdust underfoot, was the REAL circus - a flavour of entertainment that I thought had long disappeared.

Soon I was sitting at that ringside, muddy grass beneath my feet, watching elephants, horses, camels and snarling tigers. I interviewed Lacey, and veteran showman Gerry Cottle. Within a week, I went to my second traditional big top show with animals: Circus Mondao, run by the descendants of perhaps the oldest families still in the circus business.

Within a fortnight I'd pitched the idea for my book, Circus Mania, and almost immediately been commissioned to write it. The stars aligned and I was off on a wild journey into a wild world. All because of a protest designed to keep audiences away.

Read Circus Mania, my thrilling ringside and backstage journey through the world of sawdust and spangles, talking to acrobats, showmen, clowns, sword-swallowers and tiger trainers about their lives, culture and superstitions.

Now in its second, updated, edition, it's the ultimate Christmas present for anyone who ever dreamed of running away with the circus. And if you never dreamed of doing that... you will after reading Circus Mania!