Who Killed the Circus?

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2017

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It began in 1871 as P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Hippodrome. It survived the Depression and two world wars as well as rival entertainment such as film, television and radio. But, in January this year, the world’s most historic circus, Ringling, Barnum and Bailey, announced it was closing, sending hundreds of circus performers looking for jobs. Writer and former circus artiste, Dea Birkett, goes behind the scenes with the performers.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello from the BBC World Service and welcome to the latest edition of the
0:05.0	documentary podcast. Every week we bring you a range of stories from our
0:09.8	presenters and reporters across the world.
0:13.0	If you have the time, please rate the documentary on your podcast app and leave us a comment.
0:18.1	Let us know what you think.
0:19.3	Welcome, souvenir book gets the free circus poster within tonight.
0:30.0	It's a biting spring day in New Nindale, a distant suburb of New York City.
0:35.0	The circus has come to town.
0:37.0	But I'm not queuing outside a big top.
0:41.0	This show is in a giant arena. It's enormous metal roof glitters like a
0:45.6	spaceship landed in the middle of this suburban car park. There's no heady
0:50.0	width of sweet ripe sense and sawdust. I remember that from when I was a circus artist. Here,
0:57.0	the lions tiger and a leopard called Moghley are housed in the vast underground car park beneath the steel and concrete
1:05.3	structure. I can't hear them roaring. But I can hear the excitement and
1:11.1	anticipation of a sold-out crowd.
1:14.4	We've all come to watch the very last greatest show on earth.
1:20.9	After 146 years on the road... On Earth.
1:22.8	After 146 years on the road, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey is closing down.
1:29.4	And with it, a part, an arena-sized part of circus culture is being lost.
1:37.0	All right, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, I am your ringmaster, Jonathan Lee Iris Iris and who's ready for a circus?
1:45.0	Who's ready for the greatest show on earth?
1:50.0	Ladies and gentlemen children of all ages welcome to the greatest show on earth teach me how to do that Jonathan on Earth!
	...

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