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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.

The Times 4 January 1957

BILLY'S LIFE - ON TV

MR Billy Smart of the Billy Smart Circus, Winkfield, was 'tricked' by BBC television when he visited the studios recently to appear in the 'celebrity spot' in the panel game "What's My Line?"

After being guessed by Lady Barnett, unsuspecting Billy Smart walked out of the sight of the viewers into a trap well laid and a secret well kept.

One of the back stage team said: "Would you mind coming in here for a minute, sir, there are some Press Photographers waiting for you."

YOUR LIFE!

Billy Smart agreed and walked in. And there were no Press photographers - instead Eamonn Andrews walked up, flash lights went on and Eamonn said: "Billy Smart - This is your life!"

Billy was taken through his life, and met his youngest son who had been especially flown from Paris for the programme.

But this was not a direct transmission. The programme was recorded and seen by the viewers on New Year's Eve.

Middlesex County Times and West Middlesex Gazette 5 January 1957

'Billy Smart, this is your life'

EALING BACKGROUND TO CIRCUS PERSONALITY

BILLY SMART, fairground and circus personality, became on New Year's Eve the first man with Ealing connexions to appear in "This is Your Life", the BBC television feature that is introduced by Eamonn Andrews.

The essence of the programme is that it comes as a complete surprise to the person whose story is to be unfolded, and those who are to help in the telling of it are screened from view until the moment of their entrance is at hand. Then the "victim" or "hero" of the occasion, depending upon how he may feel, is asked to identify, from the sound of a voice, who is speaking and at what point the speaker entered into his life.

Mr Smart was brought on to a darkened stage under the pretext that the Press wanted a picture of him. Then the lights went up and Eamonn Andrews went into the programme with the phrase, "Billy Smart, this is your life."

As the programme proceeded the Smart family - or part of it - were assembled and the story of Billy Smart's rise to fame was pieced together.

ONE OF FAMILY OF 23

One of 23 children, he was born in a caravan at Norwood Green and was a fairground character from the beginning. His parents - now both dead - lived at 19 Brownlow-road, West Ealing, for the greater part of their lives, and Billy himself built a home for his family at Alfred-road.

Alfred-road, and the fairs at Ealing Common, Southall, and elsewhere in Middlesex, all came into the colourful T.V. narrative of which Billy Smart remained the central, lively personality.

A girl to whom he brought the circus because she could not leave a sick bed to go to it made an appearance. To wind it all up, a circus in full swing was revealed as the background to a seasonable story.

It was not possible, of course, to include all the details of Billy Smart's life in the 30-minute programme. Little reference was made to his parents, who were greatly respected in Ealing for many years. They had 23 children, of whom four boys and seven girls are still living.

WATCHED THE PROGRAMME

The eldest of the 23 children, Mrs Curtis, was in the programme. Another of Billy Smart's sisters is still living at the Smart's original home at Brownlow-road. She watched the programme on television. "Most of the people living around here seemed to know that Billy was to be featured on the programme," she told a "Times-Gazette" reporter. "But Billy himself was almost toppled over with surprise. It was an extremely good show."

One of Billy's brothers, Mr Frank Smart, lives at 49, Felix-road, West Ealing. He said on Tuesday, "I can remember the happy life we all led together at Brownlow-road. There were two and sometimes three sittings at meal times, but it all worked out very well. My father and mother were both great personalities and Billy owes much of his success to them."

Mr Frank Smart added that there were now more than 50 grandchildren of his late parents.