Clown PR

Clowns need some Public Relations representation and fast.

Perhaps it is in their nature not to take things too seriously, laugh it off, smash up their circus car or cause their Trumpesque wigs to raise up very slowly in mock indignation.

We are not to know, through the grease paint and upturned grin, the depth of sadness and regret in the Clown fraternity caused by the global portrayal of these traditional figures as sinister, murderous, child-scarers lurking about in the bushes and perpertrators of general mischief and malevolence.

Of course, the role of a clown has been hijacked in films and media for their horror value thanks to Steven King and DC Thomson amongst others , the criminal world has used clown masks in incite terror in robberies and violent crime and even the likes of Crusty in the Simpsons has exploited that thin line between humour and bad taste.

I am not really sure when the transition from harmless entertainment to the actual attachment of a titled psychological condition, termed Coulrophobia , or fear of clowns, took place.

In my own childhood the clown was prominent in mainstream television as well as making regular appearances, under petulant demand, at birthday parties and family celebrations. I marvelled at the antics of Charlie Caroli on the stage at a Butlins seaside holiday camp.

Just clowning around remains one of my favourite activities, even in my sixth decade.

The Coulrophobia phenomenon is quite a new label and in that sparse history lies a possible timeline for the decline of the clown in popular culture.

The condition is developed in the formative years. We were all brought up to mistrust strangers and be wary about new faces in our defined safe spaces but a clown has always been in a privileged position to be accepted without question or fear into our homes and lives as young children.

In recent years it has been necessary for parents and guardians to be much more protective and the bogeyman and other cult, folklore and the more unloveable fairytale characters have been used to visualise the perceived threats in our society.

I am the first to say that I have leapt out of a cupboard or from behind a sofa, albeit unmasked and smiling, to frighten my own children and that is in my opinion a reasonable part of a parents role.

I am also aware that a real fear can arise from not knowing what lies behind someone with excessive make-up, red nose and dramatic hair.

The whole philosophy of clowning is the ability to break down social norms and interact with the public, be it in the historic settings of 3000 years BC in Egypt to the halcyon days of music hall and Big Top venues in the 19th Century.

Clowning can be seen as a vocation demanding a wide range of skills including mime, slapstick, riding, acrobatics, animal training and music and as such has earned a place in global culture as a legitimate profession.

The old adage is that behind the fun and frivolity of performance there is usually a very complex character and I believe that to be true of clowns in particular.

I was sad to read this week about the death of perhaps the world's greatest contemporary clown, Oleg Popov, known as the Sunshine Clown.

He gave a very positive spin to his art form in some of the darkest periods in the history of the USSR in the post war and cold war eras and took his message to the world.

Those who in recent months and weeks have used the image of the clown for self-promotion or to satisfy their own deep rooted insecurities and immaturity should be totally ashamed.