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Joseph Grimaldi, the most famous clown in Britain, made his final appearance at Sadler\u2019s Wells Theatre on 17th March, 1829 - the very venue where he\u2019d made his stage debut as a toddler in his father\u2019s variety act. He was 48.\nCrippled with rheumatism, he told his adoring audience: \u201cIt is four years since I jumped my last jump, filched my last oyster, boiled my last sausage and set in for retirement.\u201d\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly perform a thigh-slapping round of his hit drinking song \u2018Hot Codlins\u2019; explore why Grimaldi\u2019s innovations were so influential for all \u2018clownkind\u2019; and recall how tragedy was a constant companion for this theatrical legend\u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Books: The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain's Greatest Comedian by Andrew McConnell Stott (The Guardian, 2009): https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/dec/19/simon-callow-biography-grimaldi-review\n\u2022 \u2018Joseph Grimaldi Factsheet\u2019 (It\u2019s Behind You!, The Magic of Pantomime): http://www.its-behind-you.com/Factsheets/Joseph%20Grimaldi%20Factsheet.pdf\n\u2022 \u2018Grimaldi: 150 Years On\u2019 (Thames News, 1987): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuqlG-_RRSE\nContent warning: child abuse, staged suicide.\n#Victorian #Theatre #Sad #UK #London\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices