Flea Circus: The Smallest Show on Earth

Tim Cockerill brings Flea Circus: The Smallest Show on Earth to The Club for Actors and Artists on Tuesday 10 November, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. It's a talk about the flea circus as a genuine spectacle: live fleas pulling chariots, riding tricycles and even fighting duels with perfectly crafted miniature swords. If you've only ever known the flea circus as a punchline or a bit of old-fashioned carnival theatre, this is a chance to see it as a real thing.

Cockerill is well-placed to talk about it. He specialises in documenting the diversity of life on earth, holds a PhD in tropical ecology from the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. He's presented Britain's only genuine flea circus at the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and has appeared on TV and radio, including as BBC Radio 4's resident zoologist on Inside Science. So, while the subject might sound like a curiosity, it's coming from someone who knows the insects and the history behind them.

The talk runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at The Club for Actors and Artists, 20 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9HP. Standard tickets are £17.25, and booking is required.