The Circus of Horrors is a cringe fest – but in a good way!

I can’t remember the last time I cringed so much in the space of two hours but when you’ve got a man sticking a curved sword down his throat, another man wobbling about on a 10ft stack of circular tubes, a dwarf eating glass, a woman whirling through the air by a hook attached to her hair and a boy who can turn his shoulders backwards, anyone could be forgiven for curling their toes a bit!

Having seen a few of the performers on a hospital TV show after one of the more X rated stunts went wrong, I was expecting plenty of laughs at the show, hosted by Leeds City Varieties – and I wasn’t disappointed.

Set against the backdrop of the great fire of London, the show features some incredibly scary – and painful looking – stunts, all accompanied by Dr Haze and The Interceptors from Hell playing their devil driver rock n’ roll.

As well as the scary stunts you had to watch through your fingers, there were plenty of comedy moments too.

The blood, gore, scary surprises and risque elements bring to mind Victorian side shows, and give it an edge you don’t see at other circuses.

Its enduring popularity has taken it to its 18th year and judging by the full theatre it will continue for years to come.