From the friend who can touch his ear with his tongue to the bloke down the pub who turns his eyelids inside out, we all love a freak.

This alternative circus has a cast of 27 of them and its success depends on our love for quirky acts.

The new show starts in 1900, the last year of Victoria's reign and the age of the freakshow and is filled with appropriate oddities and rock 'n' roll music.

Acts include The Wasp Boy, who showed an audience on Graham Norton's TV show his ability to reduce his waist to 18in yet still swallow up to five swords and a neon tube.

Gary Stretch, the owner of the stretchiest skin in the world, will be performing, together with a bearded lady and Macabre, an acrobatic bare-back rider who can also walk upside-down on a giant spider's web. Doktor Haze, the fire-breathing, telepathic ringmaster will also be appearing.

Other acts are trapeze artists, acrobats, a pickled person emerging from a tiny bottle and vampires flying through the air suspended only by their hair.

The Circus of Horrors was formed in 1995, made its debut at that year's Glastonbury Festival and has since toured the world.

As well as the Norton show, acts have appeared on Jerry Springer, Davina McCall's Don't Try This At Home and with Robbie Williams for Prince Charles's 50th birthday party.

This show is classified PG and is not suitable for children under 12. It contains some tongue-in-cheek nudity and bad language.

Starts 8pm (Worthing) & 7.30pm (Eastbourne Thurs & Fri) 6pm & 9pm (Eastbourne Sat, Feb 22), £10-£20, 01903 206206(Worthing) 01323 412000 (Eastbourne).