The knives are out

An assistant can earn £240 a week

Wanted: knife-thrower's assistant. A top circus has been trying to fill this unlikely vacancy. But what's it like to face a volley of knives racing towards you at 60mph? BBC News Online's Jonathan Duffy finds out.

This is one job where you wouldn't want to be at the sharp end of events.

One of Britain's top knife-throwers is searching for a courageous "assistant" who is willing to risk everything in the name of entertainment.

Jayde Hanson, whose act is one of the big top highlights at the Cottle & Austen circus, spent Friday auditioning candidates who spotted the vacancy in a Job Centre.

Young blade Jayde Hanson

The circus has been trying to recruit for the position for the past year, without success.

So what can the successful candidate expect?

To be "frightened", admits Polly Cottle, who is quitting as Mr Hanson's stand-in assistant. A trained trapeze artist and daughter of famed ringmaster Gerry Cottle, she is running away to join another circus.

"I was the only person available to take the role, but it was always just a temporary arrangement," says Ms Cottle, refuting the suggestion she needs to rest her nerves.

Twice a day, six days a week, for several months, she has taken the spotlight to face a salvo of knives hurtling towards her at about 60mph.

If you step side ways or even just move your head that will put him off and you could end up taking a knife

Polly Cottle

To stick the job for that long you need a lot of faith in your partner.

"If I didn't trust him I wouldn't do it. He's very good; very skilled at it," says Ms Cottle, 24.

The act itself only takes a few minutes and, as far as job descriptions go, that of the knife-thrower's assistant has to be one of the shortest.

The performance starts with a spot of whip-cracking in which the assistant comes within a hair's breadth of the lash.

Ouch!

It's pretty mild stuff compared to what comes later, although Ms Cottle admits to having been "stung" a few times on the arms and shoulders.

Close call - a candidate auditions for the job

Then it's down to business. The assistant assumes a variety of poses as Mr Hanson pitches his 10 blades within an inch of her body.

"The most dangerous thing you can do is to move. If you step sideways or even just move your head that will put him off and you could end up taking a knife."

The trick according to circus manager Jan Erik Brenner is not to look too scared. But with the collective gasp of up to 1,200 spectators greeting each throw, it can't be easy to maintain your composure.

"You just keep your cool. It's hard to think about anything else - I tend to have my mind on the job - but it's over in a few minutes."

Long shots

Mr Hanson, 21, likes a challenge - which in his job means stepping back from the target board for a longer throw.

However, Ms Cottle has defiantly drawn the line at being pinned to a revolving board: "You're even more likely to get hit".

If the job sounds too much give and not enough take, it's worth remembering the benefits - the chance to travel with the circus, free accommodation and a £240-per-week wage.

Just don't ask about life insurance premiums.