Emma Jacobs: Reality TV Has Paved Way For 19th Century Freak Show Return
I might go to a freak show today. With my little brother - he's nearly four. If I can prize him away from the Zodiac Jets, Gallopers and candyfloss he might enjoy Garry Stretch, the man with the stretchiest skin in the world, and Demon Dan,the self-labelled dwarfwho opens beer bottles with his eyes.
At least that's what Joby Carter hopes we'll do this weekend. The boss of Carter's Steam Fair is convinced that families are ready for an old-fashioned side show. So this weekend, Carter's traditional touring fair will see a new attraction at Reading: a freak show featuring the afore- mentioned Garry and Dan.
Carter thinks the time is right, encouraged by the vogue for Victoriana and the revival of burlesque.He believes audiencesare longing for live performances and are tired of telly: the boundary- pushing of Big Brother has both dulled people's appetite for TV and stimulated their gluttony for the unusual.
Garry Stretch and Demon Dan have previously appeared in "Dr Haze's Circus of Horrors" - a show aimed at older, savvy crowds at events such as Glastonbury. But this weekend will test whether such acts also appeal to a family audience. "We're a commercial enterprise - if people don't want to come to the show we won't run it again," Carter says.
Sensation has already struck. News of the freak show hit the local press and Reading council, nervous about offending locals, responded by asking for a new name. So now itis called the "Original Incredibles".
Carter can't understand the furore: "The performers are roaring keen. They're quite happy for it to be called a freak show."
There's nothing new about such disputes. In the early20th century, side show performers in London threatened to strike overthe label - though the whole episode was staged to garner press coverage.
And freak shows aren't that old, either. They enjoyed their heyday in the Victorian era, but continued well into the 20th century. Dr Vanessa Toulmin, fairground historian at Sheffield University, notes that many people's most vivid memory of Hull Fairin the 1950s is still thefreak show.
But the side shows became increasingly tainted. In part, their demise was due to the surging popularity of the moving image but also, of course, the shift in attitudes to disability. Voyeuristic enjoyment of disabilities made for increasingly uncomfortable viewing.
Carter emphasises that he has no desire to revive an Elephant Man-type gawpfest and that the show will thrive or dive on the quality of the performers. He also insists that it doesn't exploit the performers, who "are happy making their living doing it".
At least that's what Joby Carter hopes we'll do this weekend. The boss of Carter's Steam Fair is convinced that families are ready for an old-fashioned side show. So this weekend, Carter's traditional touring fair will see a new attraction at Reading: a freak show featuring the afore- mentioned Garry and Dan.
Carter thinks the time is right, encouraged by the vogue for Victoriana and the revival of burlesque.He believes audiencesare longing for live performances and are tired of telly: the boundary- pushing of Big Brother has both dulled people's appetite for TV and stimulated their gluttony for the unusual.
Garry Stretch and Demon Dan have previously appeared in "Dr Haze's Circus of Horrors" - a show aimed at older, savvy crowds at events such as Glastonbury. But this weekend will test whether such acts also appeal to a family audience. "We're a commercial enterprise - if people don't want to come to the show we won't run it again," Carter says.
Sensation has already struck. News of the freak show hit the local press and Reading council, nervous about offending locals, responded by asking for a new name. So now itis called the "Original Incredibles".
Carter can't understand the furore: "The performers are roaring keen. They're quite happy for it to be called a freak show."
There's nothing new about such disputes. In the early20th century, side show performers in London threatened to strike overthe label - though the whole episode was staged to garner press coverage.
And freak shows aren't that old, either. They enjoyed their heyday in the Victorian era, but continued well into the 20th century. Dr Vanessa Toulmin, fairground historian at Sheffield University, notes that many people's most vivid memory of Hull Fairin the 1950s is still thefreak show.
But the side shows became increasingly tainted. In part, their demise was due to the surging popularity of the moving image but also, of course, the shift in attitudes to disability. Voyeuristic enjoyment of disabilities made for increasingly uncomfortable viewing.
Carter emphasises that he has no desire to revive an Elephant Man-type gawpfest and that the show will thrive or dive on the quality of the performers. He also insists that it doesn't exploit the performers, who "are happy making their living doing it".