Roll up, roll up the thrill circus is in town

THE UK's biggest and most spectacular Big Top show has arrived in the Capital, with an all new action-packed star-studded production for all the family.

Just head to the fully-heated 1,500-seat Big Top that has appeared at Sighthill Park, Broomhouse Road, and to Gandeys Circus.

Expect thrills galore; dare-devils on the high wire, heart-stopping trapeze flying, and a double wheel of death, all in one singular sensational extreme circus spectacular

Raising the bar sky-high and smashing expectations to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of circus, The Greatest Showmen tour runs until Sunday 8 April.

For the first time a galaxy of international stars from Colombia, Cuba, Kenya, France, Portugal and the UK have been assembled in one glittering production.

A spectacular new production of urban circus this show is a world away from the one that Phillip Astley, a retired Cavalryman from Stoke on Trent, put on one a winter’s day in 1768, when he created the first circus in a field on the banks of the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament.

Two and a half centuries later, Gandeys Circus, itself almost 100 years old, is living proof that circus does not simply exist... it flourishes, constantly changing and metamorphosing into a myriad of styles and forms.

But since that January day in 1768 when Phillip Astley rode on horseback into the performance ring to the beat of a solitary drum, the aim remains unchanged - to thrill, fascinate and delight an audience by taking entertainment to its very limits.

Gandeys Thrill Circus, Sighthill Park, Broomhouse Road,until Sunday 8 April, various times, £12-£32 (£8-£22), Family Tickets £45, Box Office open on site 9.30am-8pm