A Message from Bobbo

Bobbo (left) tells Smartii
about this latest adventure

What does 2019 have in store for Bobbo, the Clown Prince of Mirth? Let's find out in his latest dispatch from the front line of clowning...

“Was going to send a smoke signal  as you might have known that the first one I sent said “HELP, MY BLANKET  IS ON FIRE!” ...and then I was going to send it by Morse code, but as I was  in need of a slash I didn’t bother ...and as I already sent you a postcard with last year's news, I thought of sending you a tin of meat, but as most folk don't read their SPAM  mail I didn’t  bother.

“I was going to send you a old style pen and paper letter as I once had dancing lessons through  the post but some went missing and I don't know where they went, so I asked my postman if he knew and he said he didn’t, as he fox trotted  down my lane. The butcher did tell me that this year the Post Office is bringing out a set of stamps with well known ladies of the night on them. The price is 45p, but if you lick them they go up in price  to £2 .

Bobbo packs his boots
- a pair handmade by his dad.

“I was then  thinking I could tell you my news on the phone but Trump and May are constantly calling me for advice. As Mr T said, “Since this clown is trying to run the USA I might as well get advice from a professional clown.” Mrs May, meanwhile, has told me she has more important things to worry about, like what will all the HGV drivers eat if they can't have a full English breakfast -  or was it brexit she said?

“So after all that thinking  I thought  I’ll send you a Facebook message, as most people now put everything on Facebook, like what they had for dinner and where they are. It's just a pity Facebook was not around before as we then might have found Lord Lucan and my marbles, as I lost them a while back.

"So here is my news. From March, I will be touring the UK with a circus again, not just a short time like I have done for the last two years but from March till November. I will still be playing homage  to the past masters of clowning but trying to bring it up to date a little. Not too much. I will still keep the red nose and the baggy trousers as lent to me from Boris Johnson. So looking forward to seeing old friends and hopefully  making new ones along the way, and maybe seeing you on the road somewhere.

"Take care, Bobbo the fool.

"PS, not the complete fool, as some parts missing.”

What big top will Bobbo be appearing in? Watch this space for further news.

Click here for more on Bobbo.

Bobbo's Diary of a Clown, Part Two: Back in the Big Top!

Bobbo

Last summer saw Bobbo Roberts starring in the Circus Funtastic Summer Spectacular at Billing Aquadome in Northampton,

In this latest peek into his diary, he gives us a clown's eye view of life in the big top...

"With the school holidays approaching, most people start to think, ‘What can we do with the kids?’ Well I had other things on my mind, I’d just been sent a contract for 6 weeks back under the big top. My worry was that after last year’s prankster craze with people in rubber masks tarnishing the good name and work of us fools, would my new boss want me in my normal slap and motley (make up and costume)? I don’t wear a lot of slap anyway but I thought I’d check, as I had been working on a new look for some of my gigs at the music hall and this would give me a chance to try an even subtler look for Bobbo.

Bobbo sets off
circus style

I grabbed my new costume: a lovely grey number that sets me apart from the stereotypical brightly coloured clown look, and started to pack my cases. I got to thinking as I was packing, ‘I wonder who will be there?’ as most times I turn up, there's always someone I know. With so many years in circus under my belt and my family being in the business, you can always rely on meeting at least one old friend or family member. So I said goodbye to my wife and kids, knowing I’d be seeing them in a couple of weeks when they come to join me on this new adventure, and made my way to the train station. I must have made quite the sight with multiple suitcases riding a unicycle to the train station. Although I was leaving my house I felt like I was going home.

The Big Top in Billing Aquadome

Being on the train gives you time to think, so I was busy writing notes on my upcoming performance. It was a very pleasant journey but I couldn't help thinking of all the towns we passed, seeing the names and remembering being there with my dad’s own show and  the other shows I've been on. I remembered little bits of what happened there, if the business was good and if there was any good book shops and chovey shops (second hand shops).

Hand balancing

I arrived at Northampton, my new but old home as lot of my ancestors had came from there and nearby. As most of you know, I’m a Roberts and a Fossett too. I got picked up by Josh Mack, my new boss. We both knew of each other but had never met. We both grew up in the circus, though, so as we drove to the tober (circus ground) we were chatting ten to the dozen about people we both knew.

As we arrived and passed through the gates he explained the venue had been double booked and they had another event happening, so we were not going to get built up and open on the day they had planned. We did get the big top up the next day but  by golly it was so hot and took a bit longer then normal. Luckily there was a pub nearby and they kept us topped up with lovely jugs of ice water.
There were a few acts to yet to arrive, but we got the tent up and wagons in place around the tent (someone once said cowboy style).

Original aerial apparatus

There’s not many jobs where you can walk from your home to your office in seconds. I suppose that’s one of the many things I love about circus. As I took a walk for the first time into the big top and set about getting my light and music cues sorted, some of the other acts started to turn up, like the Garcia sisters whose family, like mine, are the backbone of many a circus. The vast array of different acts they do adds to the stew pot of a successful show. In this one they were doing a magic act and an exercise ball act with acrobatics that I saw last time I worked with them on Charles and Rebecca Chipperfield’s Bollywood-style circus. They were also doing a Slinky act, and one of the girls was doing a trapeze act but with a giant spring prop that can only be described as a big version of one of those big twisted stakes that you use to leash your dog on. I've not seen it before but it was very nice and it gave Kelly lots of moves to do from walking up and down it to toe-hanging.

The other acts we had on the show were a couple who did a roller skating act & a rola rola act, both very nice acts with lovely costumes. We had a lovely young Swiss girl doing two aerial acts. Both were very good strong acts. And a Bulgarian who did a hula hoop act that she on a walking globe while going up a very large ramp. She normally performed this as two acts but this time combined it into one act which always got the audience cheering and clapping.

Hula hoops and globe

A Hungarian man did aerial straps, with costume and music from the film Spider-Man. He did many poses and tricks and normally the case in these acts is the kids get bored but he kept them engaged for his whole act. His second act was a hand balance act using blocks, using two hands and one hand, and as my brother-in-law has done this act I understand just how hard it is..

Completing the show were two of our youngest performers 14 and 15-year-old Enrique and Diego - strange names but their dad was a maths teacher (he-he!). Their first act was in mascot costumes having a dance-off to all the crazy dance moves from the classics to modern ones like the floss. I prefer candy floss, but it went very well. The brothers had an agreement: every day the audience chose the winner of the dance-off and the brothers kept track of who won the most throughout the season. At the end of the season whoever won had to buy the other a gift of their own choosing. It was always fun to watch as the boys was giving it their all. Their second act was a comedy trampoline act done in the style of the Blues Brothers, costume and music all matched the themes in a well thought out act that used the music to great effect.

The cast with children from a local blind school
who enjoyed the sounds and smell of the circus

They also had some clown called Bobbo (that some of you may have heard of). I never got to see his act as I was always busy in the ring when he was on, but I think the audience enjoyed it. My gags were very short but to the point. That is all I need to make an impact, though. Sometimes I wore my full make-up and sometimes I didn’t, but every day I wore a red nose and big boots. If you’re a fellow clown you should try without make up one day. It’s not easy but it is fun to try. I’ve only recently started working without the slap but now I love doing both. It was great to be back in the ring and I had a fab time being back in the business I know and love, working with lots of like minded people, and having lots of barbeques. It was very caveman-like as we all sat around a fire talking and laughing.  We were all from different backgrounds and countries but each of us had two things in common: we want to perform and we love circus."

Bobbo on Clacton Pier
in 2017

For more insights into life in the big top, click here to read Part One of Bobbo's Diary: Chovy Shops and Unicycles.

Off to the circus!

With his bags and unicycle, Bobbo heads
for the circus!

Following his summer season on Clacton seafront last year, Bobbo Roberts will this year be wowing families in the rural surroundings of Billing Aquadome leisure park in Northampton.

It was circus matriarch Tanya Mack who put Bobbo forward for the Clacton pier show and this year she's booked him for her own Circus Funtastic, which runs from July 23 - September 27.

Here's what the funny man had to say:

“They say you can shake the sawdust out of your socks but not your heart so with that in mind, after being on Clacton pier last summer where he had so much fun in the sun, Bobbo is puting  his motley and clobber on again in a whole new adventure in Billing Acqadrome Circus.

“As most of my family is from Northampton I’m looking forward to going to the library and finding out as much as I can about my family. As I’m fond of saying, the Roberts and Fossetts don't have a family tree, we’ve got a forest  - and I’m one of the nuts who have fallen from the tree.

“I might have gone on a different branch but my roots remain in circus, and I might be barking up the wrong tree but I’m looking forward to this new challenge and hope I can get to try and sneak in some of my new gags that I've been working on. A clown is very much like a plant - it needs water (an audience) to branch out and grow.”

Click here to find out how he got on!

Bobbo catches up with his reading
- Circus Mania, of course!

Diary of a Clown - Part One
Click here to read about Bobbo's adventures on Clacton Pier last year.

Bobbo's Diary of a Clown - Part One: Chovy Shops and Unicycles

How does a clown get his luggage from one end of a bus depot to the other? On a unicycle, of course!

In the first of an exclusive series of extracts from his diary, Bobby 'Bobbo' Roberts Jr, tells us about his return to the circus for a season on Clacton Pier with Circus Fantasia this summer.

“When I was younger it was a case of an agent coming to see you work. I remember the likes of Roberto Germain's who was in this business himself as a very renowned horse rider, and Lew and Lesley Grade - although I don't remember them - but there was Bernie Delfont, who I remember as he was also a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, and my very own uncle Laci.

“The reason I’m going on about agents is nowadays most acts post their acts on YouTube and Facebook. So although I might have left circus to try some different things from street work to music hall and burlesque and even working and teaching at Clown Gathering UK, I, like many others, like to keep up to date on Facebook.

“There was a post saying how Mathew Wingate, the director of Circus Fantasia, was looking for a clown, and a very kind lady called Tanya Mack, from Planet Circus, tagged me in it. So I sent Mathew, who I've known for a while, a message saying I hear you are looking for a clown. He said ‘Yes, Clacton Pier who I’m doing a show with want a run in clown.’ I said a few names to him and he said, ‘I want you, you prat!’

“I felt very chuffed as I'd been out the business for three years so I went to my boss and I explained that I'd been offered some circus work. He said, ‘Well, you must do it as its all you know.’ So then came the hard bit: telling my wife Gillian and my two boys Logan and Bailey that I’d be away for six weeks and I’d be away for Logan s 14th birthday. But they were all so very supportive. Bailey said, ‘Can you bring me a real Minion back?’

“So I booked the bus to London and with a giant case and a smaller one and a rucksack and a unicycle I got there in one piece. Having my bags checked when got to London I wondered what the lady thought as she brought out juggling rings and a rubber chicken with other bits of my trade like goggle specs and a giant fidget spinner that me and Gill had made a few days before the trip. It wasn’t the most funny prop but it was very topical. So after that I then got to looking at how to get to Clacton and believe me it was no easy task with bags full of props and my own things and my unicycle.

“As I was looking for where to go a good mate called Ed rang me. He was a former spotlight boy at Bellevue Circus when he was a teenager and is now in a very successful jazz/blues band. I said, ‘What line do I get to go to Clacton?’ He said ‘Why?’ I explained that I was In London and he said, ‘Can you wait till 11 and I’ll come and pick you up.’

“I said yes right away as I didn’t fancy struggling with them darn cases and unicycle. So I went for a coffee and, me being me, rode my unicycle to the other end of Victoria bus depot with my cases and stopped off at a coffee house. I can see why its called Costa as should be called Costa lot of money, but sure enough my mate came and we walked to his car. As it was coming to lunch time and the traffic was getting more busy then normal, he decided to go through Westminster and I got to do a bit of sight seeing at the same time, including some of the West End and the Talk of the Town, which was formerly a circus building. We passed the Windmill and saw a lot of buskers, and it made me think - my life really did pass me by in circus, street work and burlesque. Then, after a hour, we got out of the big city and I was on my way.

“In between talking about the business and how the world has changed so much we got to Clacton and I phoned Mathew up and said ‘I’m now in Clacton.’ He said, ‘Oh, can you hang around a hour or so as I’m still on the road.’ I might add here that as well as doing a show at Clacton, Mathew and his wife Anya run a very successful touring show. So I said that's fine. So after saying goodbye to Ed I found a spot to sit. I thought as I've been stuck on a bus and a car it would be nice just to sit outside as it was very rare for the UK to have a hot spell. So as I was getting burnt where I was sat, and I was getting a bit bored, I started juggling 3 balls and some people I was sitting there talking to later on came to see the shows.

“I decided to explore the town I would be in for six weeks, so I went up to a bloke who was selling all the normal seaside stuff: buckets and spades, giant blow-up things and, I’m pleased to say, the funny post cards still. I explained to him that I would be working on the pier for six weeks and how my new boss was still out on the road, and he kindly let me leave my cases with him and even give me an ice cream as he said ‘Welcome to Clacton.’

“I started to explore the seaside town and I knew I was going to like it as there were 23 chovy shops (second hand shops). After a short while, Mathew phoned me back and I got picked up by his advance publicly man, Roy, who as a teenager had worked for my dad. I last saw him when I worked for Charles and Rebecca on Circus Bollywood, so had a good catch up with him as we drove to where the wagons were. We weren’t going go stay on the pier like the circus did in 1982 with all the animals.

“We got there and I met Anya for the first time as we’d only ever spoke on Facebook. Straight away we got on as I've seen her dad do his very funny trampoline act on Zippos circus, plus she made a good cup of tea as Mathew was still on the road. I would be staying in the bunk wagon with some of the other artists, two dancing girls and a BMX man, so I was finding out about some of the other acts who would be working on the show when Mathew phoned up and said the filters had gone in the lorry he was in. In the true circus way, he changed them by using his belt from his trousers.

“In the meantime, a white lorry turns up with a lovely looking wagon. A bloke jumps out and it’s Danny Hasler who I've known since we was both much younger, who does two very nice acts - a juggling act on the back of a quad bike  and a unicycle act of different heights and going up and down steps. So more tea was drank while we looked out for Mathew, and then two vans and wagons  pulled up and out jumped two girls and two boys who I was told do a trapeze act.”

To be continued... 

Click here to read Part Two of Bobbo's Diary of a Clown.

And click here to read and interview with Bobbo about his upbringing in one of Britain's oldest circus families.

For more on clowns and clowning click here to order the updated 2nd edition of Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book for Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus.

Bobbo back in the circus in Clacton

Bobbo returns to the ring

A clown from one of Britain's oldest and most famous circus families is among the stars of Circus Fantasia for their summer season on Clacton Pier.

After a while away from the ring, clowning in other environments including burlesque and the Clown Gathering UK gala show at the Seagull Theatre earlier this year, Bobbo Roberts says he's tickled to be back in the ring with jugglers, a unicyclist and a flying trapeze troupe.

"Having so much fun at Clacton-on-Sea. Come and see the show three times a day. It's better than the NHS," says Bobbo.

Bobbo grew up in the circus, where he learned his craft from such legendary clowns as Jacko Fossett. Click here to read his full story. And for more on Circus Fantasia click here.

Those daring young men and women on the
flying trapeze in Clacton.

Where it's all happening
from now till September!

Growing up in the circus - a picture that says it all

Here's a picture that surely sums up how wonderful it must have been to grow up in one of the great circuses of yesteryear. Two kids taking an elephant for a walk down a suburban street... on skateboards!
That's Bobbo Roberts in the foreground (read about his new clown show here) and his sister bringing up the rear. As for the elephant... surely this picture sums up the harmony in which circus folk and their animals once lived.* The jumbo was obviously part of the family, a big pet, considered safe enough to play in the street with two young children who she clearly trusted completely, and them her.
Notice there's not a bull-hook in sight. Bobbo's father Bobby Roberts, the circus owner and elephant trainer never used nor even owned one. He thought an ankus was something you found on a boat.
What a shame we're unlikely to ever see scenes like this on a British street again - a picture from the days when human and animal relationships were considered both normal and natural, to be celebrated, not outlawed, as they are today.
*And yes, I know there are still circus trainers keeping alive the tradition, but they are becoming ever more rare and the threat of a ban on their vocation grows ever closer in Wales (see article here) and now Scotland, where a ban on wild animals in travelling circuses will be debated in the Scottish Parliament next year.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if those with the power to ban could gaze upon a photo like this, from the days before protesters, political correctness and killjoys, and realise that those simpler times were better times. Let's bring them back!

New clown and circus show coming soon - and you can help!

Smartii Pants and Bobbo

There are some shows you know will be good as soon as you hear a one-line outline. Such a show is the new venture by the newly-formed double-act of Bobbo Roberts and Ian 'Smartii Pants' Williams, which features "proper clowning in a panto-like theatre show." Oh yes, and it's is set behind the scenes of a traditional circus. What could be better?

It sounds like audience participation will feature strongly, and if you're a fan of clowns and clowning, you can get involved from the very beginning by supporting the production through its Go Fund Me Page. Alternatively, if you're a clown or circus person yourself, the boys would be pleased to hear from you if you could lend them any drapes or props to add to the circus atmosphere.

Bobbo took time out from preparing the show to tell us a little bit about it:

What is the title of your new show, and what's the storyline?

The new show is called "Trouble at the (Big) top" It features a failing circus as a backdrop where all the acts have walked out leaving only the ringmaster and a clown to put on all of the acts between them. It allows for the use of a lot of clown parody acts and gives a lot of room within the framework for a lot of proper clowning and play to involve the audience.

Who's idea was it and what was the inspiration? 

Ian and I had been bemoaning the lack of proper clowning and wanted to show audiences what we loved about real clowning. I suppose the inspiration came from various sources, The Crazy Gang, Norman Wisdom and The Pickle Family Circus over in the USA certainly helped but our main focus was on breathing life into some old concepts by performing them with the audience not at them. Oh and of course mention needs to be made of the amazing work Tweedy does with his one-man show.

Smartii Pants reacts to Bobbo's suggestion
that they put on a show

Will it be just the two of you or is anyone else in the cast? 

At the moment the intention is to run as a two-man show/crew. We'll  be tweaking the show so we can run the sound and lighting cues ourselves whilst mid act and trying to incorporate sound effects in to polish the production. Only with today's technology is this possible and we want to make a show that may be set in a simpler time but is really of it's time.

What can we expect to see in the show in terms of clown routines etc? 

There will be various acts represented such as Juggling, Strongman, Magic and a parody on animal acts. Of course for the changeovers there will be various other clown bits thrown in to allow for costume changes. The framework will remain the same but every performance will be different as each audience will help shape it as they join in and come along with us. Overall it will be  Burlesque in the truest sense of the word, parodying whilst at the same time reverie the acts we put on.

How did you meet Ian and what made you decide to team up for this show? 

We move in similar circles and realised when we chatted we had a similar passion for real clowning and the humanity in it. We ended up talking over coffee quite regularly when one day we suddenly decided talking was getting us nowhere and we started writing instead. Our good friend Simon Thompson (Clown Noir) has been touring a one-clown show for a while and really encouraged us to look deeper than the same old gags and to go into a room and play with the props till we found some truth. We went into a room and played around for a week in character and came out thinking this could actually be something good.

What are the challenges of starting a show from scratch? 

Time is the major consideration, writing and rehearsing the show takes time as does building props and editing music not to mention sewing costumes and designing posters. It really is a two-man effort to get everything done. We've set ourselves a target of performing an early draft of the show as a fundraiser for a local Boys Brigade before the end of the year to give ourselves a deadline to work to.

Clowns on their way!

How much are you hoping to raise through your funding page and what do you need to buy? 

The target is £3000 but we're not only looking to raise money. We are lucky in that we have friends in the business who may have drapes and set pieces lying around Ian used to teach sound engineering years ago but neither of us has a PA system as our backgrounds are not as party entertainers.

When are you planning to tour and what sort of venues? 

We're previewing the show this November to get a feel for what works and then by next year we'll rewrite parts and start touring in the first quarter of 2017. We're looking to play intimate venues so we can maintain eye contact with the full audience. Eventually as the show grows we'll be looking to include local drama and dance schools and speciality acts in the show to give them a chance to perform.

Is there anything else you'd like to add about the show or other forthcoming appearances? 

We both have jobs coming up for the Christmas season with our solo acts. Ian is working some street jobs and I have some appearances at the Britannia Panoptican music hall. We'll be appearing together again at CGUK 2017 in March and we're taking the show to Limerick fringe in April, then we'll be working at Holbaek clown festival in Denmark in August. It's a busy old year but if you have a passion for what you're doing it's worth the effort.

FROM CIRCUS RING TO WEDDING RING!
Bobbo would also like to thank his comedy partner Ian for being his best man when he gets married this Friday (October 21), and his wife-to-be Gill, who has been supporting 'Trouble at the (Big) top' by keeping him and Ian topped up with coffee and bacon and eggs while they work on the show.

For more on Bobbo click here to read my two-part interview, Life of a Clown.

It's International Clown Week, so... bring in the clowns!

Circus Mania - Loved by Clowns

Clown Gathering and Clown Extravaganza

If you go down to the sea this month, you're in for a big surprise... in fact you better go in disguise... because this is the month that every clown that ever there was be meeting at a seaside hotel for a week of lectures, socialising, prattfalls and maybe even a custard pie fight. No, it's not a political party conference, but Clown Gathering UK.

As well as funny men and women from all over the UK, international clowns in attendance will include India's funniest clown, Flubber; Canada's Amanda O'Leary; and America's Lovely Buttons.

Flying the flag for Britain, meanwhile, will be Simon Thompson's Clown Noir (Second from left, above), Mattie the Clown and, from one of Britain's oldest circus families, Bobbo Roberts (Second from right, above).

The whole thing is organised by Andy The Clown (in the pale blue suit, third from right, above) and runs from February 22 - 26.

Now in its second year, the Clown Gathering is for clowns only - a chance for clowns to be clowns without the public's gaze; and who knows what they might get up to when it's all clowns together for their annual trip to the seaside?

Anyone with a fear of clowns should certainly avoid the Hatfield Hotel and its Shoreline Restaurant, on Lowestoft Esplanade, which is where the clowns will be staying.

But, of course, you can't be a clown without wanting to entertain and there will also be two evening shows for the public at the Seagull Theatre in Pakefield, Lowestoft, on Feb 24 and 25 titled A Clown Extravaganza that will be just that, with Fool Hardy Circus presenting an array of clowns from the gathering plus Tyrodial Field, billed as Britain's top diabolist. Tickets are just £5 from the box office: 01502 589726.

(Rumours that you might get a free pie in the interval are unconfirmed... but strongly suggested by the video in this ITV report on last year's gathering.)

According to the theatre, you'll never see such a gathering of clown talent in Britain or anywhere else in the world. You'd need to be a fool to join them, and a bigger fool to miss it!

Click here for my interview with Bobbo - Life of a Clown.

And here for the History of Scary Clowns.

For more on the history of clowns, the nature of clowning and interviews with some of Britain's funniest clowns, including Bippo and Cirque du Hilarious, read Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book for Anyone who Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus. Click here to read the reviews on Amazon.

Bobbo Roberts - 30 Years a Clown (Part 2)

Bobbo Roberts has been a clown since he was 13-years-old and, without wishing to give his age away, 2016 is his 30th in the business. 

In the second part of a two-part interview (you can read the first part here) he gave me his views on what it takes to be a clown and the future of clowning in Britain.

What tips would you give an aspiring clown?

Don't become a clown because you want to be funny, become a clown because you NEED to be funny. A wiser man than I once said clowns aren't made, they are born. You can learn all the skills in the world, buy the most expensive costume and the biggest boots and never be a clown. If there's something inside you that is already a clown just waiting to be born it will come out by itself. You need to love people, watch them interact, study from past masters who've paved the way for you. You never stop learning or growing. There isn't a magic formula that will make you a clown, but if it is your passion and you look for inspiration everywhere your clown will let you know where you need to be. Oh and if you've ever thought it's ok, I can mess up, I'm supposed to be clown, or looked at a cheap afro wig and thought this is my look then maybe consider a career in accountancy, because it's not for you. You have to be yourself as a clown. I can't tell you how to be YOUR clown but I can say you'll know it's for you if you always seek out new opportunities to learn and to work in different places and ways.

Bobbo is a proud member of the
Grand Order of the Water Rats
and is seen here with fellow members
 comedy legend Ken Dodd
and legendary scriptwriter Jimmy Perry,
co-writer of Dad's Army.

Please tell us a bit about your part in Love Labour Lost (Bobbo was supporting Simon Thompson's Clown Noir in a production at Britain's oldest music hall in 2015) and how it differs from what you’ve done before?

It's a different experience working in a theatre as opposed to in the sawdust ring. I only recently started working theatres this past winter. There's a lot to be learned from working with other talented performers such as Simon. His style is more theatrical but he has worked in circus and street too. My main reason for working this kind of show is that I want to tread the boards where some of the greats have worked and let Bobbo out to play on the music hall stage. It's been in his heart for a while (and in his blood). It's about time it was under his feet too. Clowning has always grown and adapted to the world around it, after all it's a reflection of the world. So I thought what better way to bring my clowning bang up to date than performing in the world's oldest surviving music hall in my 30s-style way with a clown doing Shakespeare.

How do you see the future of clowning in Britain?

Clowning in recent years has taken something of a downturn in the public’s eyes - ironically, as more and more people don the slap and motley. Circus clowning is a very different kettle of fish to what birthday party entertainers, and walkabout/street clowns may encounter. At the same time, circuses have big bills to pay and may not want to pay feature artist prices for a clown that really knows how to entertain and perform a signature act. Run in clowns seem to be the norm to cover act changes and equipment moves within the circus and of course everyone expects to see clowns at a circus so some shows make the decision to employ young lads, josser clowns or ring boys to don the make up and baggy pants and re hash the same old routines that haven't got laughs for years. It's a real shame as the public never get to see the quality of clowning out there that say the European audiences get to enjoy. Unfortunately this financial decision creates the idea that clowns are just folks in oversized clothes cheap wigs and with make-up they haven't even grown into yet, and for the short term financial gain they're losing their future audience. Sometimes I just want to grab them and give them a good shake and say, clowning is more than that. It can be delicate, tender, make you think, connect with an audience on an emotional level, It doesn't have to involve laughs but benefits form them. It can have pathos and make you really feel for the clown's plight. Clowning is after all an art but if we in the business see it as something anyone can do, can we really blame our audiences for thinking the same? Clowning will survive. It's been about for thousands of years in one form or another. I'm still growing and performing and taking my show to the theatres, on to the streets, in burlesque clubs and anywhere else that will have me. The future of clowning is in the hands of the clowns. As long as we grow and move with the times then we'll always have an audience. After all everybody loves to laugh.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I’d just like to say how proud I am to be a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, and how I love my folks and my Gillian and two boys, Logan named after a well known Scottish music hall comic called Jimmy logan, and Bailey, named after Bailey Fossett my god father. It's the next lot of Roberts Brothers.

2nd Edition
out now!

For more on clowns and clowning, read Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book for Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus. Click here to read the reviews.

The new, updated 2nd Edition includes my meeting with Bobbo at Peter Jolly's Circus!

Bobbo Roberts: 30 Years a Clown (Part 1)

Bobbo by the river (Photo: Mike Brittain)

Bobbo Roberts has been a clown since he was 13-years-old. He comes from one of the world’s oldest circus families but combines a sense of tradition with an eye to the future. As well as circus rings, he’s worked in burlesque clubs and in 2015 made a guest appearance in Simon Thompson’s ‘clown noir’ adaptation of Shakespeare’s Love, Labour, Lost at the Britannia Panoptican, Glasgow. 

In the first part of a two-part interview, he tells us about his 30 years as a clown.

Did you always want to be a clown?

When I started in the business I had mentors in all of the circus arts willing to teach me. That’s one of the advantages of being born into the profession. I tried presenting horses at first, but doing the same structured act every time wasn't for me and I started mucking about and milking laughs from the audience. I did a dog act with a little comedy in it, thinking that'd be enough but the act still required structure as you can't really go off script too far with dogs. They're very intelligent animals but aren't the best at improv comedy. I even tried a goose act at one point. One day my dad took me to one side and said "It's obvious you lack the discipline in the ring for these acts, if you really want to clown about and get laughs why don't you go talk to your uncle Jack (Fossett) and see if he can make a clown of you."

Passing on the tradition
Bobbo's father Bobby Roberts with Jacko Fossett
and Jon Fossett in 1958

Who taught you the most about clowning?

From an early age I had a love of music hall as well as circus clowning and it's hard to pick one clown who Influenced me. The Rastelli Clowns were the first to put me in makeup, Jacko Fossett took me under his wing and around the world, David Konyot helped me grow as a performer and develop a more subtle make-up. I worked with Karl Brenner for 2 seasons learning how to get maximum laughs out of a bucket of slosh. Alongside working with all these pros I kept researching all types of clowning, watching clowns from European circus, big American shows but also the clowns of the stage: George Carl, Ed Wynne, Harry Langdon; and the silent movie clowns, Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel, and Harold Lloyd. The thing about clowning is you have to be yourself, you can't be someone else. I've always believed if you do what makes you laugh and bring the audience along with you it's more true. So I seek out all comedy clowning and otherwise, and whilst I'm not a clone of anyone, everyone who has made me laugh has influenced me in some way.

Bobbo with the (fairly) big cats
on Peter Jolly's Circus last year

How would you describe your look and style of clowning?

The look has changed a lot over the years. Most clowns start out with a full face of slap and as they grow as performers it become less of a mask and more of a window. My style has changed as my confidence grew along with my makeup. Experience teaches you a lot. Yes, you can get a laugh from pouring a bucket of slosh down your trousers but you can get massive laughs from a well timed look once you can read your audience. My current look is referred to by some as European style auguste, personally I refer to him as Bobbo. My style is constantly growing as I grow. I'd say Bobbo is currently a clown out of his time, an innocent born of the 1930s era, equal parts music hall and circus. He's everybodys best mate and wants everyone to enjoy themselves as much as he does.

Where do you buy things like your clown boots and make-up?

Prada and Louis Vitton, but mostly Oxfam. No, seriously, it used to be a struggle to get decent costumes and boots, you'd have to pester people who can sew on the show. Nowadays you only have to go to Google and type clown boots and you'll have pages of results come up. I still like to look around charity shops, though, as I like to look different. Some things are ready to wear some may need adjusting but everything will be unique.

What do you most enjoy about clowning?

Making someone smile. It's corny but true. Clowning is a form of theatre where the fourth wall doesn't get broken; it's never built in the first place. You interact with your audience. You don't perform to them, you conspire with them. Not a lot of performers get that level of intimacy with their audiences. Most artists with a skill based act can repeat a fluffed move to rapturous applause, a clown gets one chance to get to the punch-line or he's blown the gag. The audience will really take you into their hearts and that's a lovely feeling.

In Part 2 of his interview, Bobbo offers his thoughts on what it takes to be a clown and how he sees the future of clowning in Britain, in circuses and elsewhere. Click here to read it.

You'll also find Bobbo in the new updated edition of CIRCUS MANIA! Click here to buy from Amazon.