Here is the 23 stone Blackpool giant hoping to redefine the role of circus strongman

Steve Stevens, 28, from Blackpool, is hoping to become the town's next official circus strongman.

At 23 stone, Steve has competed at the highest level of strongman competition, and holds the British record for the one-armed dumbell press.

But the idea to become a circus performer actually started as a joke.

As Steve got larger and larger while competing at strongman events, a mate asked him "Why don't you join the circus?"

"As a competing strongman you only perform 2 or 3 times a year," Steve explains - and he wants to entertain people all year round.

Now his ultimate dream is to become the official strongman at Blackpool Tower.

He aims to take the idea of a classic circus strongman and redefine it for a modern family audience.

"My act is moving towards more of a superhero theme - kids will absolutely love seeing real-life superman."

"I'll be lifting really big dumbells - over 100k each - bending thick steel bars, and dead-lifting cars," he says, "I can roll a car tyre from shoulder to shoulder, and throw acrobats really high into the air."

One kid who has already seen the act is Steve's 2 year old son, Bruce.

"He's used to seeing me compete - he thinks it's completely normal!"

Steve is debuting his new routine with Planet Circus at 5pm on Saturday, May 18, at the Jubilee Gardens in Blackpool.

He is really excited to get stuck in: "Planet Circus have really made me feel at home."

But Steve has to endure a gruelling training regime to keep fit.

"I train 5 times a week, doing a lot of squats and dead-lifts for about 2 hours each day."

"I have got to train smart, for longevity - going too hard is when injuries happen."

"My recovery involves ice baths to get rid of lactic acid - it's tough to get in, but afterwards you feel like a train!" he jokes.

Steve thinks it is worth it: "I've done everything," he chuckles, "and I love entertaining people."