Lord George Sanger

Presenter0:00

This download is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. The presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:08

mister Sanger, I believe I'm right in thinking that the Lord is

Presenter0:11

Shall we say a courtesy title?

Lord George Sanger0:13

Well, it is and it it it isn't.

Presenter0:17

Uh

Lord George Sanger0:17

How do you mean?

Presenter0:17

Uh

Lord George Sanger0:18

Well

Lord George Sanger0:19

My great-grandfather

Lord George Sanger0:22

record himself Lord George Hanger and

Lord George Sanger0:25

One day he's introduced to Queen Victoria.

Lord George Sanger0:28

Like

Lord George Sanger0:29

He comes up and says Her Majesty.

Lord George Sanger0:32

Uh mister Sanger.

Lord George Sanger0:35

And the Queen says

Lord George Sanger0:37

I believe it's Lord George Hanger.

Lord George Sanger0:39

So he said, Well, if it's okay with you, it's okay with me.

Lord George Sanger0:44

And that's how we took it.

Presenter0:44

Yeah.

Presenter0:46

How many generations back does your family go in circus history?

Lord George Sanger0:50

Uh six

Presenter0:52

How did it start?

Lord George Sanger0:54

Well, my

Lord George Sanger0:56

Great-great-great-grandfather.

Lord George Sanger1:00

James Hanger.

Lord George Sanger1:02

It was

Lord George Sanger1:03

on the victory in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Lord George Sanger1:07

He came back with his fingers off.

Speaker 11:09

Hmm.

Lord George Sanger1:10

And uh

Lord George Sanger1:12

I think it was like war medals they were given the freedom

Lord George Sanger1:17

of the country.

Lord George Sanger1:19

and £10 a year for life.

Speaker 11:23

Give

Presenter1:23

Uh

Lord George Sanger1:24

I still had the charter now.

Lord George Sanger1:27

So

Lord George Sanger1:29

He said, Well, what is the freedom of the country?

Lord George Sanger1:32

You couldn't find that out so

Lord George Sanger1:35

He was told that he could start any business on any common land.

Lord George Sanger1:42

And nobody could say anything and if he got pulled up with the police.

Lord George Sanger1:46

The rules at the back is all written down.

Lord George Sanger1:50

said that if you go in front of a magistrate's court

Lord George Sanger1:53

He must dismiss the case immediately and give you double cost.

Presenter1:59

So on the strength of that he became a Sherman.

Lord George Sanger2:01

Yes, so we started with his peep show on Clapham Common and

Lord George Sanger2:06

I don't know.

Presenter2:06

Did he have a circus?

Lord George Sanger2:07

Uh

Lord George Sanger2:08

No, he never had a service. No.

Lord George Sanger2:11

His son next son started this circus.

Presenter2:13

Who was that?

Lord George Sanger2:14

Joshanger.

Presenter2:15

Oh, this was the Lord George Sanger of that wonderful book, Seventy Years a Showman. That's right, that's the one? Yes. This was an enormous circus he had.

Lord George Sanger2:23

Oh yes. Three hundred horses, twenty elephants, forty camels.

Presenter2:27

Isn't there a story that he, from his experience of circus parades, arranged the first Lord Mayor's show?

Lord George Sanger2:32

Oh yes, he did. Yes, he did the first load map.

Lord George Sanger2:36

Can you remember him?

Lord George Sanger2:37

Well yes. Oh I didn't like him at all, yes. I was frightened to death out of him.

Presenter2:42

Well then there was Lord John saying the circus.

Lord George Sanger2:44

Yeah.

Presenter2:44

Yes. Who is that? How does he come in the family?

Lord George Sanger2:48

Well, Lord John.

Lord George Sanger2:49

and Lord George, they ran a circus together.

Lord George Sanger2:53

And it's all families, they have an argument and

Lord George Sanger2:56

I split.

Lord George Sanger2:59

And the way they split up was in the Acreshall Hall. They tossed up a penny.

Lord George Sanger3:04

Heads, you had that elephant, tails, I had that, and the lions, so forth, and

Presenter3:09

Yes.

Lord George Sanger3:09

Yeah.

Presenter3:11

And the Lord John sang the circus continued on the road long after the original Lord George had retired.

Lord George Sanger3:16

Oh yes, right up, right up.

Presenter3:17

Now which circus are you designed to try?

Lord George Sanger3:21

I am descended from both sides.

Lord George Sanger3:23

Uh John Sanger and George Sanger.

Lord George Sanger3:25

Her father married his cousin.

Presenter3:27

I see.

Lord George Sanger3:27

I see.

Lord George Sanger3:29

I'm right in it.

Presenter3:29

Right.

Speaker 13:30

Uh

Presenter3:30

And apart from the major figures, the circus proprietors, there have been literally dozens of sangers in the circus world.

Speaker 13:35

Oh yeah, she has crazy credit on them.

Presenter3:38

Now, mister Sanger, your own career. You were brought up in the family home which was the winter quarters, the headquarters of the Sanger Circus. That's correct. Did you temper them?

Lord George Sanger3:47

Was it

Presenter3:47

Sure.

Lord George Sanger3:47

Oh yes, when I

Lord George Sanger3:49

came on holiday from school.

Presenter3:52

Did you feel it predestined that you would go into the circus?

Lord George Sanger3:55

No, I never thought about it.

Lord George Sanger3:57

Going to go in the advertising business.

Speaker 13:58

Uh

Presenter3:58

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 13:59

Yeah.

Lord George Sanger3:59

But joined the army. When I came out of the army I

Lord George Sanger4:03

Just seemed to fall into the circus. What branch of the circus attracted you most? The trapeze part. Trapeze.

Lord George Sanger4:11

We used to do the flying trapeze to the whistling waltz.

Lord George Sanger4:17

And uh pin pole.

Lord George Sanger4:19

who I think is the best clown that has ever been.

Lord George Sanger4:23

Well while this tune was on he used to go to the audience, boo shout and kid you to shop bay.

Lord George Sanger4:31

And I'm flying to the catcher.

Lord George Sanger4:34

And I said to Pimpo, I said, Look, I'm doing a one and a half pillowed back today.

Lord George Sanger4:40

So let the bar go a little late.

Lord George Sanger4:43

Right, I do the one and a half back to the bar, I catch it with one hand.

Lord George Sanger4:49

And I should have let go and dropping the net.

Lord George Sanger4:51

But I thought I had a good hope.

Lord George Sanger4:55

When I got to the end of the swing, the bar shot me off.

Lord George Sanger5:01

And I heard Pimple go, ooh.

Lord George Sanger5:04

when I went by him.

Lord George Sanger5:06

Okay.

Presenter5:07

Dave, how highway?

Lord George Sanger5:09

Well, I came down I came down about 45 feet

Presenter5:14

We barely hurt.

Lord George Sanger5:14

Go ahead.

Lord George Sanger5:16

No, I heard the people scream.

Lord George Sanger5:19

I had time to think.

Lord George Sanger5:21

This is it.

Lord George Sanger5:23

I put my head between my knees.

Lord George Sanger5:25

Then I hit the ground.

Lord George Sanger5:28

The swan jack was like a wet bag of sawdust problem.

Lord George Sanger5:33

But I got up before the counter nine and

Lord George Sanger5:37

I was gonna go up again, so my father said, No, don't go up again now

Lord George Sanger5:40

That's how I got it.

Presenter5:42

But you've done many other jobs in the in the ring apart from flying to peace.

Lord George Sanger5:46

Oh now, yes, anything there is to do. Showing elephants, lions.

Lord George Sanger5:51

Tumbling, anything.

Presenter5:53

But the versatility of circus performers always I find amazing. And as well as performers, of course, they have to be craftsmen to know how to put the big tent up and strike it and care for the animals and do the accounts. Well, you complete the list.

Lord George Sanger6:05

Oh yes, you've got to be able to sew, you've got to be able to splice, drive stakes, put big engine lorries on the road and

Lord George Sanger6:14

Everything there is

Presenter6:15

When did you decide to be a proprietor, to have your own sex?

Lord George Sanger6:18

Well, when Lord John's hanger sold up

Lord George Sanger6:22

When was that?

Presenter6:25

And you've tented ever since.

Lord George Sanger6:27

And I've tinted ever since.

Presenter6:29

So without any major breaks there's been a sanger show on the road practically since the time of Trafalgar.

Lord George Sanger6:34

I did so.

Lord George Sanger6:36

My wife had a beautiful white horse, always a smashing horse.

Lord George Sanger6:42

I mean it's worth seven and six to look at.

Presenter6:44

Yeah.

Lord George Sanger6:45

And a very good jumper.

Lord George Sanger6:47

So

Lord George Sanger6:48

For a publicity stunt during the coronation year, uh we were going to try and jump this horse.

Lord George Sanger6:57

On to the uh

Lord George Sanger7:00

What do they call the bottom of Nelson's column where they

Presenter7:02

On to the prim.

Lord George Sanger7:03

Onto the plimp, that's right.

Lord George Sanger7:05

We practised jumping this horse onto a lorry.

Lord George Sanger7:08

The same height, same width.

Lord George Sanger7:11

Did it well fine, jumped up.

Lord George Sanger7:14

So one Sunday we were going round, we talked all the paper people, on Sunday we went round

Lord George Sanger7:19

with taxis and lorries.

Lord George Sanger7:22

with coconut matin to run down.

Lord George Sanger7:26

And at the given moment

Lord George Sanger7:28

My wife had to

Lord George Sanger7:30

Get in position, they roll the mat down and jump onto the plan and photographs.

Lord George Sanger7:35

Take them. But the police beat us to it.

Presenter7:38

Battler. It could never happen.

Lord George Sanger7:42

Well

Lord George Sanger7:44

This one I think is rather sad. My wife died of a heart attack. Very sudden. Peterborough.

Lord George Sanger7:52

And

Lord George Sanger7:53

I don't know whether...

Lord George Sanger7:56

We see each other again or not. I don't know some people leave it.

Lord George Sanger8:00

I always say good night to her every night.

Lord George Sanger8:03

I always think I'll see you again.

Presenter8:07

Do you see any changes necessary in the circus? Should it be brought up to date in any way?

Lord George Sanger8:11

No, I don't think so. Perhaps the seats could be a little more comfortable, but

Presenter8:15

But not the show, not the presentation.

Lord George Sanger8:16

Yeah.

Lord George Sanger8:17

But the tradition of the circus, you know, I don't I don't think you can.

Presenter8:21

There are many circus superstitions. Are you a super superstitious man?

Lord George Sanger8:25

Uh no, not really.

Lord George Sanger8:28

Only I wouldn't let anybody

Lord George Sanger8:31

Mm.

Lord George Sanger8:32

Come into the tent.

Lord George Sanger8:34

First customer with a complimentary ticket.

Presenter8:37

That's bad luck.

Lord George Sanger8:39

So I'd sooner have somebody paid first.

Presenter8:42

Yes. Have you any one big ambition so far unfulfilled?

Lord George Sanger8:46

No, I don't think so.

Lord George Sanger8:48

Not as I at the present moment I'm happy, so

Presenter8:51

Good.

Lord George Sanger8:51

But want any more.