This chapter follows a timeline from the late s to as an overview of developments during this time and is a starting point for further investigation and discussion..
The chapter may have a London bias as I have generally lived there. All three shows featured wild and domestic animals, human acts from around the world and a ringmaster.
Through live touring and television exposure they established an iconic image of circus, which remains in our folk memory to this day. Bertram Mills, which closed in , was not in favour of being broadcast. Circus and other speciality acts could also be seen on the ITV variety show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, one of the most popular television programmes, from to In the s it became very apparent that the pop groups, such as The Beatles, being shown within the format of the variety bill had a different culture and audience.
This led to the development of music only programmes such as Top of the Pops in and the Old Grey Whistle Test in , in preference to the variety shows and fewer speciality acts were shown on television. It is worth noting then that much of the contemporary circus has roots in the s and s counter-culture. Many theatre companies had a significant social agenda, wanting to express and realise political ideals and reach beyond the traditional theatre going public. There was a strong belief in being inclusive, in empowering communities, and in encouraging people to actively participate rather than solely spectate or consume.
There were experimental cross-art performances, site-specific events, happenings and festivals. Circus skills fitted right into this milieu; from stilt-walking Uncle Sam caricatures to multi-person club-passing representing what can be achieved through co-operation. The established circus practice towards creating a show was to book a range of established acts, which allows a new show to be toured each year with a minimum of rehearsal.
