Pablo Fanque: The Fabulous and Mysterious Victorian Showman

Join social historian and music journalist, Bruce Lindsay, for this talk on Pablo Fanque, Britain's first black showbiz entrepreneur. Pablo Fanque was an invention, the alter ego of William Darby, a black, workhouse-born, son of Norwich. William was a talented acrobat, a death-defying ‘lofty leaper’ with a penchant for jumping through flaming hoops, but he was far from a star performer. Then he re-invented himself as the mysterious Pablo Fanque.

Bruce has authored a story on Pablo Fanque for VisitNorwich's year-long cultural celebration to mark twenty years of championing the city. Twenty Stories. One City, invites everyone to 'Step Into The Story' to discover the legacy of twenty people who have helped shape Norwich over 1000 years.