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Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Billy Smart, circus owner and showman, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the King's Theatre, Hammersmith, after appearing as the mystery guest on the BBC television panel game show What's My Line?

Billy was born into a family of 23 children, who all worked on fairgrounds in their home city of London and across the South East of England. After marrying in 1925, Billy embarked on his own funfair venture, which by the late 1930s had become the most important travelling funfair in Britain.

In 1946, Billy purchased the big top of Cody's Circus and opened his own New World Circus, which became the latest addition to his funfair. By 1955 the original two-pole tent was replaced by a giant 6,000-seat, four-pole, round big top. A hippodrome track around the ring staged parades, Wild West presentations and spectacles, all of which became trademarks of Billy Smart's Circus.

programme details...

• Edition No: 23
• Subject No: 23
• Broadcast date: Mon 31 Dec 1956
• Broadcast time: 8.00-8.30pm
• Recorded: Sun 16 Dec 1956 8.45pm
• Venue: King's Theatre, Hammersmith
• Series: 2
• Edition: 8

on the guest list...

• Florence Curtis - sister
• Jim Puddle
• Charlie Beach
• Nellie - wife
• Violet Martin
• Bobby Edwards
• Charlie Davis
• Ronnie - son
• Ena Johnson - daughter
• David - son
• Olga - daughter-in-law
• Peggy Stevens - daughter
• Phyllis Squires - daughter
• Hazel Wilson - daughter
• Dolly Hawkes - daughter
• Rosie Sacha - daughter
• Kay - daughter-in-law
• Billy Jnr - son
• Margaret Ashby
• Michael Coco
• Sasha Coco
• The Knife Throwing Texans
• Johnny and Sheila Pugh
• The Six Drum Majorettes

production team...

• Researchers: Peter Moore, Nigel Ward
• Writer: Gale Pedrick
• Director: unknown
• Producer: T Leslie Jackson

The Big Top

the circus is in town

Stories behind This Is Your Life

a review of the second series

This Is Your Life by Eamonn Andrews

Weekend Magazine reports from behind-the-scenes

This Is Your Life

Radio Times feature on the sleuth-like manner of the 'pick-up'

Billy Smart on This Is Your Life as featured in the end of series review programme, Stories behind This Is Your Life, broadcast in June 1957

Photographs of Billy Smart This Is Your Life

David Jamieson recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, Billy Smart's Circus: A Pictorial History...

On New Year's Eve 1956, Billy Smart was the star of This Is Your Life, introduced by Eamonn Andrews on BBC Television.

Many members of the Smart family appeared, including his wife, daughters Peggy and Ena, son David and daughter-in-law Olga.

Circus guests included Charlie Davis, father of Harold Alzana, who paid tribute to the real start given to the Alzana family high wire act when engaged by Billy Smart as a free attraction on his fair ground. Billy Smart Jnr. was able to appear in the prestigious programme as the BBC had flown Rudi Jurkschat to Paris to show the elephants.

Margaret Ashby, a girl from Birmingham, spoke of the day the circus visited her at home as she lay on her sick bed.