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William George Smart Sr. (25 April 1894 – 25 September 1966) was a British showman, fairground proprietor and circus proprietor, the founder and owner of Billy Smart's Circus.
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Billy Smart Sr. | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Billy Smart at Littlehampton, Sussex | |
| Born | William George Smart 25 April 1894 London, England |
| Died | 25 September 1966 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Showman, fairground proprietor, circus proprietor, safari park pioneer, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1920-1966 |
| Known for | Billy Smart's Circus |
Born in London, Billy Smart was one of 23 children in a family that worked on fairgrounds in London and South East England. After marrying in 1925, he and his brothers set up their own fair, which became a regular attraction in the region. Billy Smart's Fun Fair featured alongside Bertram Mills' Circus at Olympia in 1939 and, during the Second World War, Smart ran several Holiday at Home Fairs, to boost morale.[1]
In 1946, he purchased the big top of Cody's Circus, and opened his own New World Circus. Its first show was in Southall on 5 April 1946. At first, the circus ran in conjunction with the existing funfair, but the latter was phased out by 1952, and Smart's circus toured with a full menagerie of animals. In 1954, the existing big top was replaced by one with a capacity of 6,000 seats, a hippodrome track around the ring, and a grand entrance hall allowing spectacular parades to take place.[1] Smart pioneered centrally-heated dark blue rather than light coloured tents, which had compromised lighting effects.
Smart staged 2 or 3 shows everyday for 9 months of every year from 1946 to the day he died in September 1966. His circus was not only the world's largest travelling show, after Ringing Brothers Barnum & Bailey combined show came off the road, in the 1960s, but also the fastest moving show, from pull down to build up.
Smart arranged for the televising of his circus from 1947, as the first BBC location live TV show. This led to regular Christmas shows on the BBC, including the 1977 Royal Jubilee Big Top Show, organised by his son David Smart, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, and raised several million pounds for charity. In the 1960s, the Billy Smart's TV show was the first UK TV programme to attract more than 20 million viewers in the UK. Between 1979 and 1982, the circus was broadcast on ITV.
The circus grew to become one of the largest in the world. It was the world's largest travelling circus under canvas in the 1960s, according to King Pole magazine, with a permanent base at Winkfield, Berkshire. Smart himself took part in his shows, and led many stunts to publicise the circus.[1]
Around 1961, Smart offered £1 million to buy Blackpool Tower, and also headed a consortium hoping to involve Disney in what would have become the first Disney amusement park in Europe; however, the venture did not proceed.[2] Smart then decided upon a novel concept, a safari park (Billy Smart coined the term 'Safari Park'), and, after years of searching for a suitable site, bought a property near Windsor for this purpose. The Windsor Safari Park was brought to fruition by his sons, Ronald, David and Stanley (known as Billy Jr), after his death, and grew to attract up to 2.5 million visitors per year.[citation needed]
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1956 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the King's Theatre, Hammersmith, London.[citation needed]
Billy Smart died in 1966, in his caravan shortly after conducting a band in front of his circus tent at Ipswich. His friend Sir Billy Butlin described him as "the greatest showman of our time and probably the last of the great showmen."[1]
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- Peggy Smart
- Ena Smart
- Ronnie Smart
- Hazel Smart
- Pyllis Smart
- Dolly Smart
- David Smart, son, circus performer and circus director
- Billy Smart Jr., son, circus performer and circus director*Hazel Smart
- Rosie Smart
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