Britain's Youngest Circus Clown's Debut in Late 1978 & his "Stranger Than Fiction" experiences with the PG Tea Advert Chimpanzee's, a hungry & shocked Puma and The Circus Elephant's Parade

From Gandey's Circus & Sir Robert Fossett's Circus with Tizzy the Clown and Nello aka Neil Baldwin to my family's own Circus Showtime miniature Circus touring shows

I was born on 13th August 1975 into a showbiz family whilst my parents were travelling with Gandey’s Circus.

In the picture below I am being held as a baby by my Father “Tizzy the Clown” whose Autobiography “Strings N Things” can be purchased in PDF Ebook format from

https://jonathanroyle.sellfy.store/p/3V4w/

or from Amazon as a real paperback book

CLICK HERE TO BUY STRINGS N THINGS PAPERBACK BOOK FROM AMAZON

I made my Circus Ring & Stage debut’s aged 3 and a bit as Flap the Clown alongside my dad Tizzy the Clown as I became (at the time) Britain’s & most likely also Europe’s Youngest Paid Circus Clown

One of the gags we did was the “Ghost Gag” and in the image below my dad Keith Smith aka Tizzy the Clown is sat on the left, on the right is Alex Lacey one of the two sons of Martin Lacey Senior the World Famous Wild Cat Trainer and I am sat in the middle as Flap the Clown

This next picture captures the moment when the ghost is about to scare the first person (Alex Lacey) off and chase them out of the Circus Ring

And in the image below the white thing in my hands is a Giant Egg that I have just pulled open revealing a comedy rubber chicken that fell out of it when it at been shot at during this “Comedy Cow Boy” style “Egg Gag” routine.

Having a .22 Calibre Blank firing pistol fired at me two shows a day in such close proximity in the Circus Ring most certainly did nothing to help my hearing and no doubt contributed to my hearing loss and need in later life for a hearing aid.

Anyhow all of the various “run in” and also feature Clown Gags, Skits and Sketches that I performed over the years with my Dad are included in my book “Tizzy & Flaps Clown Gags & Skits for Circus or Stage” –

https://jonathanroyle.sellfy.store/p/JrSw/

Also in Circa 1979/1980 I worked as Flap the Clown alongside my Dad Tizzy on the Golden Mile in Blackpool to attract an “edge” to the Paul Daniels Magic Museum attraction.

The full details of this amazing experience along with some of my other memories of Paul Daniels are located at this Tribute Page located here:

Below is an article that Manchester Evening News ran about me when I had turned Six years of age.

That article led to the Daily Mirror getting in touch and then running this article

Anyhow back to Circa 1979/1980 when before I turned 5 on 13th August 1980 two major events occurred in my life involving Circus Animal’s, namely Chimpanzees and a Puma

Firstly let’s talk about the Chimpanzee’s as in early 1980 Chimp Trainer Billy Dash was touring with Gandey’s Circus and indeed had been on Television many times including on The Sooty Show in 1978 as per this video

To be honest I am not sure why I love Chimpanzees, but I do..

Especially not as one used to clout (hit) me around the head twice a day before I went on stage (into the ring) when performing with Gandey’s Circus aged 4 in early 1980.

The PG Chimps (for the TV Tea Adverts) would be making their way back to their dressing room having finished their act at the same time as I’d be making my way to the stage as “Flap the Clown” with me dad as “Tizzy the Clown”

Every time without fail my dad would speak to the Chimps Owner and when neither of them were looking, in that split second one of them would hit me around the side of the head.

I now know it was JUST PLAYING (as I was only 4 and so small like it was height wise etc) as if it was actually being nasty with the strength Chimps have it could of knocked me unconscious quite easily.

I am not sure if it was one of Billy Dash’s regular Chimp’s or one of the Chimps from Twycross Zoo that had joined Gandey’s at the time.

You see In the 1980’s, Gandey’s Circus teamed up with Twycross Zoo and PG Tips to present the Tea Advert TV Chimps live on stage and that is when I used to get hit around the head twice a day by one of them as explained above.

It might be a “Stockholm Syndrome” type of thing PMSL - but I do like Chimps and Monkeys and some “Monkey Like” Apes as well.

Indeed among the many Monkey’s I have in my office are currently 3 Chimpanzees from the Brooke Bond PG Tips Tea Advert’s as per the image above and the 2 below

If you thought my Monkey Experience was Bizarre wait until you find out what happened when I encountered a Puma!

Another time whilst performing on Gandey’s Circus I almost got killed between shows when I was playing hide & seek with the other Circus Kids including Alex Lacey & Martin Lacey Junior.

I went to hide under a trailer (Caravan) and much to my surprise (and also to the Shock of the Puma) it turned out that chained up under the trailer was a Puma, yes a Wild Cat, a dangerous beast that ultimately ripped my left ear off and also left me with many claw mark scars on my back and head.

Had it not been for Martin Lacey Senior (pictured above) then the reality is that I would most likely never have survived that incident, but survive I did and after being rushed to Hospital where Martin Lacey had to argue with the Doctor’s not to give me stitches but rather to use butterfly plasters to reattach my ear (which in the end they did) I went back to the Circus and believe it or not performed in the second show of the day.

I think (as best as I can recall) it was around Circa 1981 when I was still 5 (turned 6 on 13th August 1981) that I was with my Dad during the Summer travelling with Sir Robert Fossett’s Circus where my Dad Tizzy was being assisted by Nello the Clown (Neil Baldwin) and both were during this time also assisted by me as Flap the Clown.

I remember sitting on the back of an elephant dressed in my Flap the Clown costume and make-up and riding through the town which is something Sir Robert Fossett’s show did with their elephants back then and for many years before at each town they arrived in to help promote the fact that the Circus was in town.

I believe the Media Article (above and below) was run around this same time

I performed over the years from late 1978 onwards at various Tenting Circus Shows and Outdoor Large Gala Events and also in Theatres and at large outdoor Gala’s & Showground events with our own Circus Shows.

Aged 8 in 1983 I appeared on Granada Television’s “Granada Reports” TV News Show with my Dad Tizzy the Clown and our performing Dog Smokey to promote the “Christmas Cracker” Circus Showtime Show that we were performing that Christmas in a Local Civic Hall venue in Heywood and had also been doing there every Christmas for several years with great success.

As you can see even in 1981 when I was now aged 6, the adverts still proclaimed me to be (at the time) Great Britain’s Youngest Circus Clown Flap.

Here I am having a Lolly to cool down between shows on stage in a theatre venue where we were performing our Circus Style Show

And here is a promo shot of “Tizzy and Flap” the Clown’s from Circa 1981

October 1989 I was now aged 14 and was now performing also as Alex-Le-Roy Magician & Illusionist in our Circus Shows as well as still (as shown in programme image below) performing also as Flap the Clown

This newspaper article is also from Circa 1989 when I was just 14 years of age

The image below being a promotional postcard sized photo for our Circus Show

This somewhat blurry picture Shows me, my mum and dad in front of the large Transit Luton van that we travelled our Circus Show around in to venues and events.

We regularly did outdoor Gala & Showground Events all over England

We travelled all over England for these Outdoor Gala’s & Showground events

Indeed we performed at and in every venue you could possibly imagine including numerous Shopping Centre’s

Heck as per above image we once even did a Christmas season with our Circus Show as an attraction inside Woodford Park Garden centre in Cheshire where many Celebrities lived nearby at the time and saw me perform my Juggling & Magic Acts and then kindly complimented me on my performances after many of the shows.

Early in 1990 when I was still only aged 14 at the Spring Half Term was on the last time’s I ever performed as “Flap the Clown” as part of one of my family’s theatre style Circus Themed Shows…

A media article from Circa 1989 ish when aged 14 I was performing far less as Flap the Clown and far more as Alex-Le-Roy Magician & Illusionist

And below is a picture of my dad Tizzy the Clown with my daughter (his grand-daughter) Ashleigh Alexandra Louise Smith when she was just 11 months old

And finally here are links to some more articles, press cuttings, photographs and historical information about my “Stranger than Fiction” Life & Career to date.

CHECK OUT ROYLE’S MAIN OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE

www.MagicalGuru.com

CHECK OUT ROYLE’S LIFE & CAREER RESUME SITE HERE

www.MagicalGuru.co.uk

My Dad pictured above as Tizzy the Clown and below as ETNA the Boy Wonder Fire Eater & Yogi

A selection of Press Cuttings along with archive posters & photographs from both my Dads long Circus & Showbiz career and also some from when I was a kid are located in these two Facebook Albums

A LIFE IN SHOWBIZ - PART ONE

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152270591262806&type=3

A LIFE IN SHOWBIZ - PART TWO

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152270641822806&type=3

I myself have also performed Fire Eating, Bed of Nails & other Yogi Fakir Sideshow Style Stunts & Feats in my performances over the years and indeed I have a PDF Ebook available entitled: “Fire Eating Made Easy & Other Yogi Stunts Revealed”

https://jonathanroyle.sellfy.store/p/aOji/

Although that said I also have some video training available with which you get a copy of that Ebook included at no extra cost which is entitled

“Secrets of the Miracle Worker Style Yogis”

https://jonathanroyle.sellfy.store/p/rbuf/

Here is a short video where I talk about my Dads Former Act, You See me do a Little Fire Eating and I also discuss the truth behind how such apparently amazing acts are achieved –

And here are a few clips where my Dad can be spotted Clowning as Tizzy and also Fire Eating at Belle Vue Circus in Manchester, England where he was the only speciality Act in the world to have ever appeared and performed three consecutive seasons in a row

Some Other Archive Video Footage of my Dads various talents performing as Etna the Fire Eater & Yogi, Tizzy the Clown and also as Les-Le-Roy Comedian and Tribute Act to Max Wall and Old Mother Riley can be seen at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDhI8Pk4O_4Cb8rRJGao3rt9dT77Eke-g

And there are links to many more videos, photographs and information about my various talents and career achievements along with details of people who helped influence me in my career located here