When David Dunn fixes his red nose in place he is no longer a 52-year-old father of two, but Bubbles the Clown who has been entertaining children for 21 years.
From birthday parties to weddings he has watched families grow up and believes it is a privilege to make people laugh for a living.
He runs Bubbles & Co in Nairn with his wife Rhona, 53, having previously been an assistant minister in the Baptist church.
The couple have been married for 32 years and have two children, 25-year-old Josh, and Hayley, 30.
Christianity and clowns may not appear to have much in common but David is calling on his faith more than ever, with fears that business may dry up following the killer clown craze.
The sick trend which started in America has seen people dress up as clowns before jumping out on passers by, with assaults reported in the most severe cases.
The sinister phenomenon has also led to a deluge of calls to Childline with youngsters left terrified.
For David, it is destroying the very heart of what his job, or rather his vocation represents and he hopes people will show their support for clowns.
Once a popular choice as children’s entertainers, there are now only 2,000 clowns in the World Clown Association.
“I was originally a stonemason before attending bible college, and went on to be an assistant minister at a baptist church,” said David.
“Me and Rhona have always done everything together and we started going round schools and using fun stories to help teach Christianity.
“We worked with children for a long time before Bubbles emerged.
“When I decided to make a clown my full time profession I told myself I’d do it for a year and if it didn’t work out, I’d just do something else.
“That was 21 years ago and I’ve got no plans to hang up my clown shoes any time soon.”
TRAGIC DEATH
David may never have been a clown at all were it not for the tragic death of his brother, Jimmy, who died from leukaemia when he was only 21.
“I was actually the first bone marrow donor in Scotland in a bid to save Jimmy but sadly he didn’t make it,” said David.
“Losing my brother taught me that life is incredibly short and I didn’t want to waste a second of it, I wanted to make people laugh and give the world a little bit of happiness.
“That sentiment continues to drive me forward. Few people can say it’s their job to make people happy.”
The art of clowning has existed for thousands of years and the most recognisable modern clown character is the Auguste, but there are also the Tramp and Whiteface.
Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which developed out of earlier comedy roles in theatre.
Many circus clowns have become well known and are a key circus act in their own right.
The first mainstream clown role was portrayed by Joseph Grimaldi who became the most popular English entertainer of the Regency era.
David, or rather Bubbles, is well known in the Highlands and many of his tricks have been completely self taught.
When he slips into character, he does far more than adopt a personality.
“The moment I walk into the room I’m Bubbles and I’ve kept a constant for my entire career. Bubbles hasn’t changed over the years and I think people find that reassuring,” he said.
“What I find really lovely is that I start off at the wedding, then the christening, then the birthday parties and I get to see a family grow up and change.
“I do my own make up and have always kept the same costumes.”
Although clowns are associated with light-hearted comedy, David has been privy to some incredibly sad moments in people’s lives.
He is booked for a wide range of events and has done everything from prison visits to shows for terminally ill children.
“When Bubbles comes on stage you have to leave everything behind,” said David.
“When you’re a clown you’re doing so much more than entertaining kids.
“I’ve witnessed some very happy occasions but also some very sad ones. Parents quite often book a clown because there are so many worries underneath the surface and they need something happy if only for an hour.
“I often attended events at Raigmore hospital and I’ll never forget the moment I made a child laugh, it seemed so ordinary on the surface. A little boy came in before the rest of the group, and I was told he didn’t have long to live.
“I made him laugh and afterwards his mum thanked me and cried at the same time.
“She said she didn’t think she’d ever hear her little boy laugh again. I stood there and cried with her.”
But when it comes to emotional turmoil in his own life, David’s mask must never slip.
His mother passed away in July but David continued to work because in his own words, the show must go on.
“It was incredibly difficult to carry on as Bubbles in the lead up to the funeral but I reasoned with myself that just because I was miserable, it didn’t mean everyone else had to be,” he said.
“My mum was very proud of what I did, she would come along to shows and tell people that I was her son.
“She loved the fact that I made people happy and that was a massive comfort after her death.”
COULROPHOBIA
With an increasing number of killer clown incidents in Scotland and police warnings issued across the UK, there are concerns that clowns could be put out of business for good.
But it is not just the recent craze which has given clowns a bad name, with many adults admitting to being scared of clowns.
Fear of clowns is known as Coulrophobia and researchers believe it revolves around fear of the unknown.
The novel ‘It’ by Stephen King has also done little for the clown reputation, due to the terrifying clown character, Pennywise.
David has helped cure people of their clown phobia but believes killer clowns may do irreversible damage.
“These people who are dressing up as clowns and even taking weapons are cowards who just want to instil terror in people,” he said.
“Of course I’m concerned because people may very easily stop booking clowns altogether based on this fear.
“I had a recent booking which demonstrates that there’s still hope though.
“I walked in and everyone stood up and started clapping before I had even started. That showed a real support in light of recent events.
“Every time someone gets terrified by one individual I remind myself that I’ve made thousands of people laugh over the years and will hopefully continue to do so.
“You can’t be a clown if you don’t truly believe in it.
“Bubbles has been a real blessing in my life and I’m just going to carry on making people happy – that’s worth so much in the face of fear.”
A WORD OF WARNING
Police across the country have issued a number of warnings about the clown craze, telling the pranksters that they face being charged if they follow suit.
Police Scotland’s Super-intendent David Duncan said: “We have had sporadic reports of individuals dressed as clowns in some areas in Scotland.
“It is assessed that there is a current trend of similar incidents on social media, many of which have been confirmed as hoaxes and emanate from overseas.
“The reports which have been made to local police officers are being investigated and do not specifically involve threats or violence.
“However, any person see-king to cause distress and potential harm to anyone should be aware that police will take action.”