The lighting display across the raked seating look spectacular from the blimp camera prowling over the stadium, but the filigree details of circus performance and choreographed trickery were lost as the cameras, as is usual on these occasions, had no idea where to look.

BBC: Olympics closing ceremony: A long goodbye to the Games

Anyone responsible for a travelling circus that uses wild animals in a performance will need to hold a valid licence, meet welfare standards and have a retirement plan for each animal.

BBC: Wild animals to be banned from circuses

And just as he once put on a decent performance as a tightrope walker in a circus some 15 years ago, Mr Hagen has learned to keep his footing in parliamentary politics.

ECONOMIST: Norway's politics

Cleese, a co-founder of Monty Python's Flying Circus and creator of Fawlty Towers, was cast partly because of an earlier Emmy-winning performance in an episode of US sitcom Cheers.

BBC: Cleese has made a string of recent film cameos