Welcome to our new website. Our new logo was designed for us by the circus legend, Gerry Cottle. Gerry is known to us as “the governor”. He was one of the kindest and most generous showman we have ever worked with. Gerry had over 50 years of experience in the circus industry, and he was always keen and willing to pass on his wealth of knowledge and expertise.
Gerry ran away to join the circus when he was just 15 years old and vowed to own his own circus show. In the 1970’s, he created the Gerry Cottle’s Circus, which was a huge success, touring three different shows, all over the UK.
Gerry was always designing, rebranding, and marketing his shows and coming up with new publicity stunts, to keep himself ahead of his competitors.
Gerry was always looking to innovate and reinvent his shows and presented the Moscow State Circus and the Chinese State Circus. Gerry travelled with his own shows to parts of the world no other European circus had travelled, before going to Iran and Hong Kong in the late 1970s.
In 1995, Gerry co-created The Circus of Horrors with Doktor Haze. The Circus of Horrors debuted at Glastonbury Festival and travelled internationally. Even today it is the longest running alternative circus in the UK.
In 2003 Gerry purchased Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset, which he turned into an entertainment complex including a circus museum, daily circus shows a circus school and a range of additional family attractions. Gerry formed the Wookey Hole circus school and got straight to work training his very own circus troupe. For his 50th anniversary Gerry took the young circus troupe on the road and toured Gerry Cottle’s 50 Acts in 100 minutes, which lead onto brand news shows, such as Turbo Circus, Wow Circus and Magique Circus.
At Gerry’s 70th birthday party, he sat me down and asked if I would manage his new show. As much as I would have loved to, I was too busy with Circus Stardust agency.
We continued to work with Gerry on his shows and provided him with an award-winning comedy illusion duo and many more world-class circus acts.
Sadly, Gerry passed away on the 13th January 2021, aged 75 after contracting coronavirus.
It was an honour and a pleasure to work with the one and only Gerry Cottle.
Gerry Ward Cottle 7 April 1945 – 13 January 2021
Thanks to Andy Payne for the photography
