Fred Carno's circus

Does anyone have any idea where this came from? Was there a 'Fred Carno' and did he have a circus? Thanks.

I wasn't aware such a phrase existed, but yes, there was a Fred Karno.

He was a music hall impressario and his "circus" was a travelling comic opera troupe of the "a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" variety.

Charlie Chaplin performed with Fred Karno prior to his movie career.

Thanks, especially for the spelling correction, which I suspected, but was far from sure!