Norman Barrett (born 20 December 1935) is a veteran British
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
ringmaster who made many appearances on television, notably with
in the children's television series ''Right Charlie''.
He is well-known for his act with performing
budgerigar
The budgerigar ( ; ''Melopsittacus undulatus''), also known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet or budgie ( ), is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot native to Australia. Naturally the species is green and yellow with black, scallop ...
s.
As a younger man, he was a bareback rider, famous for his Ben-Hur act where he would stand astride two horses while others ran in the opposite direction between his legs. From 1955 to 1966 he toured in the UK with the Bertram Mills Circus.
He was awarded the
MBE in the 2010 New Year honours list.
Barrett worked with all the world's great circuses and spent 25 years at Blackpool Tower Circus between 1966 and 1990. He was also the ringmaster of the Belle Vue Christmas Circus in Manchester in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Barrett was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life'' in 1990 when he was surprised by
Michael Aspel
Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television presenter and newsreader. He hosted programmes such as '' Crackerjack!'', '' Ask Aspel'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', '' This Is Your Life'', '' Strange ...
at the Tower Circus in
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
.
Barrett was ringmaster for the well-known Zippo's Circus that toured the USA between 1998 and 2001, as well as touring England and Scotland at other times.
In 2011 Barrett appeared on Sooty performing with his budgies alongside Sooty and Sweep in the episode “Who’s a clever bird.”
In 2013, Barrett appeared as the Mystery Guest on
Russell Howard's Good News
''Russell Howard's Good News'' is a British comedy and topical news television show which was broadcast on BBC Three between 2009 and 2014, and on BBC Two between 2014 and 2015. Hosted by comedian Russell Howard, it offered his commentary on th ...
, series 8 episode 6.
Barrett, with his budgies, appeared as a guest on
Sunday Night at the Palladium
''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...
in May 2015 and took this cabaret act particularly to Germany and Belgium.
Norman was also the ringmaster of the made-for-television Circus World Championships which ran on ITV and BBC Television for many years.
External links
Circopedia BiographyBBC article
*
References
Living people
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Ringmasters
1935 births
{{UK-tv-bio-stub