It is just one of four circuses in the world where the ring can be lowered into a pool holding 42,000 gallons of water and, had it not been for a public outcry in 1990, plans to close Blackpool Tower Circus might have found the popular entertainment replaced by an animatronic attraction!

But, more than three decades on from that pivotal moment, and 130 years after the circus first opened to the public on 14 May 1894, Britain’s most famous ‘Big Top’ is still going strong, albeit without a marquee or, indeed animals, which roared their last call in 1990 in line with changing attitudes.

But, if slapstick, puerile humour, spectacle and high-rise drama are still to your liking, then look no further than one of the west coast’s most famous attractions, straddled between the four legs of the famous 1894 tower and a permanent feature of what was once the tallest man-made structure in the British Empire.

And there Mooky the Clown – the man behind the make-up is Laci Endresz Jr – and his real-life brother, straight man, Boo, drive every show like a Morecambe and Wise double act.

The circus’ present interior was designed by Frank Matcham in 1900 and, for 39 years, one of tv’s most famous clowns, Charlie Cairoli, plied his trade there whilst Britain's best-known ringmaster Norman Barrett worked the ring for 25 years.

“You don’t need a toilet,” Mooky told one man as he got up to stretch his legs, “just squeeze. But, if you need a poo, please don’t squeeze!” That most British of humour had the kids in stitches and the parents in laughing approval.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Spectacle throughout

Circus is a peculiar hybrid: not quite pantomime, but neither is it a traditional pier show: somewhere in between. At times it is peppered with daftness but also has the ability to leave the audience gasping or applauding in approval.

Speeding motorcycles are always a thrill: but three of them inside a steel globe with barely six inches between them and each travelling at breakneck speed? And then there is the lady acrobat who dazzles from way above the audience

It is fun in the extreme, exhilarating and entertaining all at the same time.



Meanwhile, a few hundred yards up the road is an equally popular attraction which falls under the Merlin Entertainments Group banner: Madame Tussauds.

The lady herself was born in the French city of Strasbourg in 1761 and, by the age of 19, was living at the Royal court in Versailles where she was art tutor to King Louis XVI’s sister.

However, in 1793 she was imprisoned with her mother in Paris’ notorious Laforce Prison and, on her release, was forced to prove her allegiance to the French Revolution by making death masks of executed nobles and her former employers, the King and Queen!

And, the rest as they say, is history: literally!

Needless to say, her name lives on both in London, Las Vegas, Sydney, Amsterdam and, of course, that Vegas of the North, Blackpool, where former PM, Boris Johnson is among the first to greet visitors!

Inside, a cavalcade of lifelike celebrities line up to pay silent homage to the Tussauds legacy: Ant & Dec; Dame Edna Everage; Beyonce, King Charles, the former Queen Elizabeth II…..and the list goes on.

Each sculpture is made out of Japanese beeswax and takes 10-12 weeks to complete.

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• And now, it's goodnight from me.......
• Freddie - is any other name necessary?
• Family favourites, Ant & Dec
• What'll it be luv?
• What a Thriller

It’s even a Tussauds tradition that celebrities donate their own outfits. If that’s not possible then a talented wardrobe and styling team remake the chosen look and, wherever possible, source from original tailors/designers, so that they are sure to deliver authentic high-quality pieces that replicate perfectly.

Circus prices start at £20 a person with a two adult / one child package to Madame Tussauds costing around £57. Deals and packages are available.

Visiting:
Madame Tussauds: www.madametussauds.com/blackpool
Tower Circus: www.theblackpooltower.com