Billy Smart Sr.
| Billy Smart Sr. | |
|---|---|
Statue of Billy Smart at Littlehampton, Sussex
|
|
| Born |
William George Smart 25 April 1894 London, England |
| Died | 25 September 1966 (aged 72) Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Showman, fairground proprietor, circus proprietor, safari park pioneer, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1920-1966 |
| Known for | Billy Smart's Circus |
William George "Billy" Smart Sr. (25 April 1894–25 September 1966) was a British showman, fairground proprietor and circus proprietor, the founder and owner of Billy Smart's Circus.
Born in London, Billy Smart was one of 23 children in a family that worked on fairgrounds in London and South East England. After marrying in 1925, he and his brothers set up their own fair, which became a regular attraction in the region. Billy Smart's Fun Fair featured alongside Bertram Mills' Circus at Olympia in 1939, and during the Second World War Smart ran several Holiday at Home Fairs, to boost morale.
In 1946, he bought the big top of Cody's Circus, and opened his own New World Circus. Its first show was in Southall on 5 April 1946. At first, the circus ran in conjunction with the existing funfair, but the latter was phased out by 1952, and Smart's circus toured with a full menagerie of animals. In 1954, the existing big top was replaced by one with a capacity of 6,000 seats, a hippodrome track around the ring, and a grand entrance hall allowing spectacular parades to take place. Smart pioneered centrally-heated dark blue rather than light coloured tents, which had compromised lighting effects.
Smart arranged for the televising of his circus from 1947, as the first BBC location live TV show. This led to regular Christmas shows on the BBC, including the 1977 Royal Jubilee Big Top Show, organised by his son David Smart, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, and raised several million pounds for charity. In the 1960s, the Billy Smart's TV show was the first UK TV programme to attract more than 20 million viewers in the UK. Between 1979 and 1982 the circus was broadcast on ITV.
...
Wikipedia