Whether they are performing perfect somersaults in a 800-litre water tank, back-flipping in unison across the stage or flinging each other through the air with one hand, the Caesar Twins are quite something.

Their incredible agility has seen the Polish brothers perform before the Queen and thousands of others across the world during their nine-year performing career.

But as audience members at the Udderbelly venue during the Brighton Festival will discover, there is something even more extraordinary about 26-year-olds Pablo and Pierre.

Five years ago the brothers were performing together on a wheel of death in a circus when Pablo suffered a terrible accident.

Pierre said: "The wheel was 60 metres high, and Pablo fell eight metres to the ground. All the people went quiet. They thought it might be part of the show. I looked down and saw him lying there and just screamed for help."

Pablo spent the next week-and-a-half in a coma and when he regained consciousness found he was paralysed on one side of his body.

Pierre said: "It was difficult for a long time, but I didn't let him give up. When you're on your own it's easy to give up, but we are lucky to have each other."

With the help of his brother, Pablo was back training within six months.

While Pablo has lost some fine motor skills which he will never get back, to see the twins performing there is no way to tell which suffered the accident.

They retell the story in their show through video footage and performance.

As Pierre says, shaking his head with a mix of fraternal pride and awe: "He can't pick up a cup sometimes but he can do a handstand with one arm."

The boys are as emotionally close as the symbiotic nature of their performance suggests.

Tired after an early morning flight from their base in Berlin, Pierre rested his head affectionately on Pierre's shoulder while they chatted to The Argus on the terrace of the Frankensteine cafe, under the watchful eye of the Udderbelly.

Although they were dressed in identical surfer boy hoodies and cut-off combats, they are adamant it is not a conscious choice.

"Look," exclaimed Pablo, pointing to their shoes, "we have different shoes, one of us is wearing a hat, the other is not."

"We have the same bodies but we have different minds," added Pierre.

"I like computers and cars, he likes paintings and motorbikes. Pablo is interested in Tibet - he wants to be a monk."

It is their bodies - identical weight and height - that makes them special. In other acrobatic pairs, one performer is more muscular and will take on the lifting roles. Though they have different specialities, the boys are a perfectly balanced act in both image and physical ability.

They've been training since they were five, when their parents sent them to acrobatic school in an effort to get rid of some of their excess energy.

Their natural agility soon became apparent and they started competing seriously, with great success.

After a brief and unlikely stint as book-keepers, at the age of 17 they turned their attention to performing - a career which has gone from strength to strength.

Later this year they plan to perform in Jakarta, Australia and New Zealand and have great plans for the future.

Pierre said: "I'd like to do movies, maybe teaching others who want to learn what we do. It's not just about the show."