‘The Queen used to come to the circus unannounced and watch my budgie act’
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Norman Barrett MBE, 88, is a circus ringmaster who found fame in the 1970s appearing with clown Charlie Cairoli in the BBC TV series Right Charlie. Best known for his act with performing budgerigars, he has worked with the world’s best circuses, including 25 years at Blackpool Tower Circus. Today he lives in Blackpool with his wife Sally and their son.
How did your childhood influence your attitude to money?
I grew up in Great Ouseburn, Yorkshire where I could see my dad losing a lot of money. He wasn’t from a circus family but he loved the circus and horses. In the 1930s my dad bought horses he trained to do circus routines and got pretty good at it. He built his own circus and my mother did the accounts. But although Dad didn’t say anything about money, Mother could see it was going wrong. He went out with a smaller show but even at eight I could see it still wasn’t working. He sold it. By then the circus bug had bitten me.
What were your first jobs?
I was made a clown. My dad joined one circus where all the kids were made into clowns for the opening. I didn’t want to do it and I was the world’s worst clown. When I was a bit older I used to do everything: drive the lorries, in the morning put the generator on, check the lights were working, then do two shows as this bad clown. It was a lady at one circus, Kitty, who I have to thank for putting me into a red coat. When their ringmaster left she said, “Norm you’re tall, good-looking with a good voice. You’d make a good ringmaster.” Since then I’ve happily worn it around the world.
Does money make you happy?
Of course. It’s no use being a millionaire in the graveyard.
What have been your best and worst financial decisions?
The best is buying the house we’re in now in Blackpool in 1971 for £14,000 [equal to £169,000 today]. My worst financial decision was buying a lorry to pull the caravan, but which was no good. We spent all our money on it but had to get rid of it. We were conned. It lasted one show.
Did you get divorced in 1964 wearing a clown suit?
Yes.
Have there been embarrassing circus moments?
Many. We had a lady performing in a leotard and her shoulder strap broke, and she had to cover herself and run out. And for TV I did this act dressed as Ben Hur. I had to stand on two horses, with a foot on either horse and gallop round the ring. At the ring entrance I had to push my feet out and another horse and then another would came through my legs – so you’re standing on two and driving four.
The director said, “When you jump off at the end of the act, go up to the camera and go, “Hail Caesar!” But on this day the horses got too wide apart and I was hit in a very painful place. So when I jumped off for the camera it was in a high falsetto voice that I said, “Hail Caesar!”
Have you gambled?
We go once a week with £10 to the Genting Casino to have fun on the 10p machines.
Your most dangerous acts that aren’t allowed today?
Wild animal acts, but they’ve all gone nowadays in England. Once when a lion tamer was attacked by a lion and was bleeding, a ring boy and me had to go in and get him out – luckily, he was close to the door. In the 1950s, my father had a Himalayan brown bear that bit him on the arm.
What people get wrong, if you’re earning your living with animals, you’re making sure they’re looked after properly. We at Bertram Mills Circus had a lot of horses and in seaside towns you’d take them into the water because sea water was good for the feet. If you want an easy act, you don’t have animals. When you do your trapeze act, you have your supper and go to bed. Animals you’ve got 24/7. But it’s gone out of our hands now.
Has your career had any near-misses?
When you’re a ringmaster you’re watching out for everything. We had a flying trapeze act in Blackpool and I noticed one of the shackles holding the frame together was coming out. So I said to this act, “One of the shackles…” “Oh it’ll be alright,” he said. I said, “I’m responsible and I’m cutting the act out.” And I did, and told Bernard Crabtree, the general manager, who said, “Norm, you’re in charge. Do what’s right.” Many times artists do things and they don’t look after themselves.
What’s the most money you’ve made from a circus season?
It’s very difficult to say because the taxman could be listening.
Has circus travelling had funny moments?
In the 80s we were at Aachen, after going from Belgium to Germany, and I had the 23 birds in a box. At that time you weren’t allowed to take budgies in without special permits. Well, I had all the permits but they thought I was selling them. I said, “No, it’s an act.” And it went on. I ended up getting the props out and doing the act in the Customs shed to prove it. They said, “Marvellous show! On you go!”
Of the 23 budgies I used to have I only have two left – Peppi and Morris, and I rehearse them every day. And that’s only for my satisfaction. They go on slides, on roundabouts, pull cards and go around the pole and things like that. I used to have more because everything was doubled, so that if anything ever went wrong I always had enough to work. They all had names, like Engelbert, Happy, Teenie, Harold and Freddie Halfpenny.
Do you still perform?
When Covid came along I got long Covid. I had events with the budgerigars I had to go to, including back to Zippo’s Circus. But although the budgies have taken me around the world, I couldn’t do it. And Sal and I thought this is a good time to stop. We live more like human beings now and are happy leading an easy life.
I heard the late Queen was a fan of your budgie act?
When I collected my MBE the Queen said to me, “I know what you do. I used to come to Olympia and watch you.” She used to just come in unannounced and sit down. You knew she was there but you didn’t take any notice. She was lovely.
What was your best moment in America?
We did a show in Vegas for [magicians] Penn & Teller and a show for Paul Newman who was raising money for his Hole in the Wall Gang Camp – the charity for sick children he founded in 1988. He’d seen us working in the Big Top in New York and invited us. And it was incredible: helicopters flew in with all the big stars. Robin Williams was wonderful. I was touring with an American circus, The Big Apple Circus, driving a caravan from town to town with 44 other caravans carrying all the facilities.
Have you ever had any problems getting paid?
Once in the 1960s we were getting paid £60 [say £1,000 today] for working in Cardiff. We were in the car and the manager said, “I’ll bring the money out to you!” When he came out he dropped it and it blew all over the street, and we were running around trying to catch it, while he stood there and walked off.
Your most memorable moment with the budgies?
Once we were performing in a club in Liverpool. We’d been on first and it had gone very well. Then a comedian came on and he was terrible. Somebody in the seats stood up and shouted, “Bring the budgies back!”
