Biography

Dea Birkett is an award-winning British writer, journalist, broadcaster and former circus performer.

Dea was born in 1958 and brought up in Surrey, England. From a young age Dea was interested in travelling communities and specially circus after seeing the street parades in her town announcing its arrival. In 1992, already an award-winning journalist, Dea joined the circus after being awarded a Fellowship from the Winston Churchill Foundation to travel to Italy to learn from the famous Togni Italian circus dynasty. After an initial introduction as a general circus hand, Dea was promoted to elephant girl, after one of the acrobats became ill. The fellowship lasted four months and cemented Dea’s love for circus, after her work with Togni Circus, Dea joined a circus in Scandinavia. Although she stopped working in circus in 1993, she never stopped having a connection with it. This same year Dea was awarded the Somerset Maugham Award for her book Jella.

In 2018 Dea set up a community interest company called Circus250 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of circus and promote, educate and celebrate this art genre. Circus250 also co-ordinated most of the events and activities related to the anniversary at a national level. Dea is also the Director of Zippos Academy of Circus Arts and her son works with the circus and the Creative Director of Kids in Museums, the visitor led organisation working with museums, galleries and heritage sites to make them more welcoming for children and families.

Dea married Kevin Toolis and had three children Storme (b.1992) and River (b.2001) are two of them. River is following up his mother’s footsteps into circus, training as a juggler.

As a journalist Dea has written articles on social issues for The Guardian and broadcasts for BBC Radio 4.

Dea has a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in African History. She is the author of Serpent in Paradise, Jella, Island of Lost Girls, Spinsters Abroad, Off the Beaten Track and other titles.