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If you have any comments about the podcast or are a performer who wants advice please do email info@thevarietyshowpodcast.co.uk
Artist bio
Jon is a Cornwall-born stand-up comedian and juggler whose work combines technical circus skill with sharp comic timing, improvisation and audience interaction. He began juggling at the age of six after becoming obsessed with diabolo, balance tricks and circus props, and soon turned that passion into performances, workshops and paid work while still a child. After initially training as an electrician, Jon took the leap into performance full-time as a teenager and built a career across street shows, cabaret, comedy clubs, theatres, cruise ships and international touring. Known for blending virtuoso juggling with warmth, risk and self-aware humour, he has developed a style that challenges assumptions about what a juggling show can be.
Episode summary
In this episode of The Variety Show, Adam Sternberg talks with comedian and juggler Jon about growing up in Cornwall, discovering juggling as a child, and turning an unusual obsession into a full-time career. Jon reflects on learning diabolo, juggling clubs and balance tricks from a young age, practicing through school lunchtimes, and performing in assemblies long before he had any real sense of what a professional life in juggling might look like.
He shares stories of growing up as the “oddball” who was happy to spend hours practicing while others played football, being encouraged by supportive parents, and learning from local clowns, magicians and street performers. The conversation traces his path from early paid workshop jobs and a brief apprenticeship as an electrician to a life-changing opportunity with Gandini Juggling that pushed him to move to London and try performing professionally.
Along the way, Jon discusses the difference between technical skill and building a genuinely entertaining show, why comedy and juggling belong together, and how mistakes, drops and jeopardy can actually strengthen live performance. He also talks about the misconceptions people have about juggling, the grind behind the glamour, and the strange realities of life on the road. The episode ends with Jon teaching Adam a simple juggling-based fork-and-apple trick, which becomes one of the podcast’s most satisfying small victories.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro, Jon’s comic style, and a preview of performance disasters
00:01 Growing up in Cornwall and starting juggling at six
00:03 Diabolos, juggling props, school performances and becoming the “oddball”
00:08 Supportive parents, early paid workshops, and learning from local clowns and magicians
00:18 Leaving an electrical apprenticeship and taking the leap into full-time performing
00:21 How Jon built a show, found his voice, and learned that personality matters more than tricks alone
00:24 Deliberate drops, live jeopardy, and why failure can make performance better
00:27 Inspirations, juggling’s image problem, and some of Jon’s wildest performance stories
00:35 The A–Z tour, performing in unusual places, and Jon teaches Adam a fork-and-apple trick
00:41 Practice, world records, women in juggling, advice for performers, and the realities of the job
What is The Variety Show?
The Variety Show is a celebration of the extraordinary people who bring live performance to life. Each week, host Adam Sternberg sits down with a dazzling range of guests – from magicians to contortionists, gospel singers to tap dancers to uncover the real stories behind their craft. How do artists decide to dedicate their lives to performing? What inspires them, challenges them, and keeps them coming back to the stage? Through intimate conversations, Variety gives listeners a behind-the-curtain look at the journeys, passions, and influences that shape today’s performers. Whether you’re a fan of live entertainment, a lover of the arts, or simply curious about the paths less traveled, this podcast offers a fresh perspective on the world of performance.
If you have any comments about the podcast or are a performer who wants advice please do email info@thevarietyshowpodcast.co.uk