Welcome to the our NEW website for our Charlie


It’s almost impossible to believe that 45 years have passed since we lost Charlie.


Forty-five years… yet for so many of us, his laughter, his music, his gentle magic, and that unmistakable warmth feel as alive today as they ever did.


I often find myself wondering what he would think if he could see everything that has happened since — the Charlie Cairoli Appreciation Society, the statue, the book, and now the blue heritage plaque. So much love, respect, and admiration continue to surround his name.

And whenever this anniversary comes around, I return to the same memory:


I was only 10 years old.


Just a child… yet I can still remember the moment the news came, John Craven on Newsround and then on the radio and BBC Teatime news . At ten, you don’t understand the world, not really — but you do understand when someone who made you laugh, someone who felt larger than life, is suddenly gone. I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of legacy then. I had no sense of how deeply he would shape my own life. But even at ten, I knew enough to feel the loss.


I could never have imagined that one day I would grow up and dedicate so many years to keeping his memory alive — through the society, through the statue, through the book, through every story collected and preserved. And now, through the heritage plaque that will mark his place in history forever. What began as childhood admiration has grown into a lifelong mission.

I often wonder what Charlie himself would think of all of this.


Would he ever have believed that, decades after his last performance, people would still speak his name with the same affection they did when he was the heart of the circus ring? That children not yet born in his lifetime would discover him and fall in love with that same timeless charm?


I think he’d be touched, Quietly proud, Perhaps even a little overwhelmed that the world has not forgotten him — that so many still care, still remember, still smile at the very mention of his name.


Forty-five years gone…but never forgotten, Not for a moment.  Now what can I do next?


My earliest memories of seeing Charlie Cairoli were on television — on the BBC’s The Right Charlie, and later in the magical Christmas and Easter circus specials. I was captivated from the start.


In 1979 my parents saved hard to take me to Blackpool, and they booked ringside seats at the Tower Circus so I could finally see Charlie perform in person. We took our seats, full of excitement… but then an announcement came over the loudspeaker:
Due to illness, Charlie would not be appearing.


I never did get to see him work live, or to meet him — something I’ve always regretted. And yet, out of all the photographs of Charlie, there’s one that has stayed with me as my absolute favourite. If only…



🎪 The Rebirth of the Charlie Cairoli Appreciation Society, November 2025🎪


Back in 1994, myself, Brian Nicholson, Wilfred Fitton, and Sandy Davidson launched the Charlie Cairoli Appreciation Society to perpetuate the memory of the late, great Blackpool clown Charlie Cairoli.


Over the past 30 years, we’ve achieved a great deal:


🤡 For the first 15 years, we published a quarterly newsletter called The Write Charlie.


🎭 Then came the statue, followed by another statue, the official biography, and now the blue heritage plaque.


Following the presentation of the plaque to the Cairoli family on 1st November 2025, the outpouring of love, kind words, and best wishes has truly inspired me to relaunch the society — and rebuild the website for a new generation of Cairoli fans.


So here we go! 🎉


For £25 a year, you can help us maintain the website and keep Charlie’s legacy alive.


The society is, and always has been, non-profit — it costs around £30 a month just to keep the site online.


I have so much more content to share, and my plan is to create a Members-Only Portal — password-protected — where we can enjoy exclusive, never-before-seen material, including:


🎬 Unseen video footage
📸 Rare photographs
📚 Content that never made it into the book!


When the original biography was put together back in 2019, we had so much material that we could easily have printed a second book — and now, members will finally get the chance to see some of that hidden history.


In return for your annual membership, you’ll receive:
🎟️ An exclusive Charlie Cairoli pin badge
📜 A certificate of membership
📖 Access to the reissued editions of The Right Charlie


Who’s ready to join us for this exciting new chapter in celebrating one of Britain’s most beloved clowns? ❤️


JOIN HERE


Blackpool Loved Charlie and Charlie loved Blackpool   Added 19th November 2025

Charlie's everything to everybody, a press cutting from 1956



NEW TO THE MEMBERS AREA


If you joined us in Blackpool for the weekend, you were probably at this event, an once in a lifetime Q&A with Charlie and friends, the presentation was written and presented by our friend Bev Carroll, it was a wonderful hour full of memories and stories.  Bev has allowed me to share it with you.  Enjoy.


Sadly you have to be a member to view this.


Join us here for full access

Inaugurated on 17th June 1994


This Society is dedicated to perpetuating the memory of our best-known and loved clown, Charlie Cairoli.

For 39 summer seasons, Charlie entertained and delighted audiences with his hilarious antics at the world-famous Blackpool Tower Circus. A celebrated and much-loved clown, his trademark bowler hat, red nose, and baggy trousers became synonymous with the Tower Circus. Sadly, he is no longer with us.


This site has been launched in his memory. Its purpose, like the Charlie Cairoli Appreciation Society, is to preserve the legacy of the king of slapstick and master of ad-lib.


Charlie Who Was He ?


Charlie Cairoli starred at the Blackpool Tower Circus for thirty nine years !!, undoubtedly creating a world record for any artiste appearing at the same venue.


He replaced another famous clown there, Scotsman Doodles, whose appearances totalled thirty. 


Born in Milan, on February 15th 1910, on his fathers only visit to Italy, Charlie made his performing debut at the age of seven. Jean-Marie Cairoli and his son, then known as Carletto, joined Auguste Porto to star at the Cirque Medrano in Paris from 1929 to 1937, Charlie's brother Filip replaced Porto. After travelling Europe they went to Blackpool Tower in 1939 and were so 

successful that Charlie remained there the rest of his career. Filip returned to France when war broke out, and Jean Marie retired at the end of the 1947 season.


From 1948 to 1979 Charlie was partnered by four different white face clowns, Paul Freeman, Paul King, Paul Conner and Charlie Cairoli Jnr. For many years Jimmy Buchanan was an important member of his company which also played in theatres, cabaret, pantomimes, ice shows and on television. A master of many musical instruments, Charlie became one of the most celebrated and popular clowns in the history of the circus. Ill health forced his retirement in November 1979 and he died on February 17, 1980


This was the original committee of the CCAS

Honorary Member Prince Rainier of Monaco
Presidents Charlie Cairoli Jnr and Mr Norman Barrett
Vice President Laci Endrezs
Secretary Mr Ken Robinson    
Chairman Mr Brian Nicholson   
Treasurer Mr Nigel Male
Editor Mr Wilf Fitton
Founder Members Mr Brian Nicholson and Nigel Male



Contact Us

When in Blackpool next why not pop in and see our friends at Showtown, tell them we sent you!

Showtown