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When I blow this whistle, a swimming pool appears.

Tom Scott | September 29, 2026



At the Hippodrome Circus, I witness the Globe of Death, and cue the Water Spectacular. | AD: 🪒 Get less razor burn with a Henson Shaving razor: https://hensonshaving.com/tomscott | 🗺️ England series map: https://www.tomscott.com/england/

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Written and presented by
Tom Scott

Producers
for Penny4 https://penny4.co.uk/
Cambria Bailey-Jones
Guy Larsen

Studio Associate Producer
Heloise Lowenthal

Studio Director of Photography
Jamie MacLeod

Studio Gaffer
Frank Hammond

Head of Post
for Breadbox Studios https://www.breadboxstudios.co.uk/
Mandy Celine

Associate Post Producer
Isla McTear

Senior Editor
Jamie MacLeod

Assistant Editors
Alex “J’Rassic” Bate

Sound Supervisor
Dan Pugsley

Sound Assistant
Maggy Apodaca

Subtitles by So Speedy https://www.sospeedy.co.uk/

With thanks to the Historic County Borders Project https://www.county-borders.co.uk/

Executive Producer
Tom Scott

© Pad 26 Limited MMXXVI

Written by Tom Scott

Comments

This post currently has 39 comments.

  1. @juliannicholls

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    20:40 Tom's commitment to the bit is exemplary, and again…

    I want to go back to Great Yarmouth now. I went on a Norfolk Broads holiday with friends many years ago, and we got to Great Yarmouth and had a great time. So good, in fact, that we just pootled around a bit the next day and returned for another evening.

  2. @djtintin

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    This is not the oldest, Blackpool Tower Circus (often shortened to the Tower Circus) is a circus show which performs in The Blackpool Tower Circus arena, located inside The Blackpool Tower, Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. It has run continuously since 1894, with the arena being the oldest permanent circus arena still in use in the world.

    The show's arena is one of only four circus arenas in the world with a sinking ring – where the hydraulic ring floor is lowered by 1.37 metres (4.5 ft) to allow 42,000 imperial gallons (190,000 L) of water to fill the ring in less than a minute. This is used the circus as part of a "water finale" with fountains.

    The circus is also known for having resident clowns, most famous being Charlie Cairoli, who appear each year in the show. The current resident clowns are Mooky the Clown, who has been the head clown since 1999, and his brother Mr Boo.

  3. @really-quite-exhausted

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    Blackpool Tower circus also fills with water for the finale, but nothing on this scale! Theirs only does a few ft deep and becomes a big fountain in the finale while the performers balance on the edge of the ring and take their bows (or at least it did the last time I was there, probably 15 years ago). This was an amazing feat of engineering and teamwork, not to mention the performers who are in the water themselves!

  4. @Studronaut

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    My 2x great Nan used to live behind the Hippodrome. Her house used to run along an alley where they used to walk the animals down back in the day. I remember a story my nan told me that one day my 2x great nan made some cakes put them on the window ledge to cool down, whist she was doing the washing an elephant came along on its walk stuck its trunk through the window and ate all the cakes. My great grandad got the blame when my 2x great nan saw the cakes missing and didn't believe that an elephant has eaten them. 😂😂

  5. @Joy_Renewed

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    I remember seeing this pool as a child, I don’t remember much of the circus but the floor disappearing and swimmers in the pool is a memory I’ve loved since the 70s. And now I know where it was. Next holiday is Great Yarmouth I think.

  6. @GeoJoeUK

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    As someone who has been to Great Yarmouth (it has always been a childhood holiday nearly every year for a long while when I was younger – now 21). It was interesting to see how to hippodrome works. I think I remember seeing a show in there before as well!

  7. @ingamelevi

    September 29, 2026 at 10:22 am

    Tom, you said you've never seen anyone juggle with their mouth before? You should've seen a Teatro Zinzanni performance while they had a Seattle show (I just found out they shut that one down while I was writing this comment). They had an elderly gentleman who went by the stage name "Mr. P.P." and who could both juggle ping pong balls and ride a unicycle (not at the same time though).

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