We started circus we in ented it and I belie e we can do it again he said

The Spanish National Circus John Roberts, one o the Roberts Brothers, has run the Spanish National Circus in partnership with the Biasini brothers since he split with the amily circus in 1982. Roll up, roll up Billy Smart's Circus Since it irst appeared at Southall Park in 1946, the BBC has eatured the circus's Christmas and Easter per ormances Billy Smart was known or his larger-than-li e presence He led the circus until his death in the mid-1970s. "But our role is to und contemporary practice and de elop arts in a contemporary way We do not apologise or that," he said. But in Britain there was "a de inite di ide between those making a commercial li ing and sponsored circus schools that aren't." An Arts Council spokesman said it was totally committed to supporting circus as part o its theatre strategy and had increased unding. But Mr Cottle claimed it was the Arts Council's political correctness and demands or policies on education and disability that were ailing to help circus de elop.

Yet the example o the Canadian Cirque du Soleil and the Australian Circus Oz showed there was potential or merging traditional elements with something more contemporary that audiences wanted to see "There is a uture or modern contemporary circus," he said. Circus was ounded in 1768 by Philip Astley, a brilliant horseman who set up a riding school in London where he used to entertain the crowds, later adding musicians, a clown, jugglers and acrobats. There are about a dozen traditional circuses le t in Britain and about 1,000 worldwide, but newer orms ha e emerged o er the past couple o decades. or the past 10 years, the Arts Council has unded a Circus Arts orum with a iew to bringing the di erent strands o circus together.

But the two sides ha e ailed to come up with a common ision and the di erences run deep. E en at a meeting o theAssociation o Circus Proprietors o Great Britain on Tuesday, some old-guard members were arguing or the reintroduction o animals. Mr Cottle said that was not the way orward; what was needed was old- ashioned elements, such as "a little bit o antasy, some humour and things that make you say 'wow'." The Arts Council has set a January deadline or the Circus Arts orum to produce a policy statement. We started circus, we in ented it, and I belie e we can do it again," he said. He has planning permission or a 500-seater enue at Wookey Hole where he will begin training teenagers in January with a iew to pro iding shows within months. He said he plans to take "young, bubbly, local kids" and gi e them three months o intense training instead o Btecs that take years and saddle students with inadequate skills and student loans "I think we should encourage circus to de elop and e ol e.