Clowns are associated with laughter and entertainment, but increasing numbers of people are using the medium as a form of personal development and self-discovery

Without clowning, Olly Mead would never have had the courage to become a politician; Issy Millsop wouldn’t have swapped her career for something that paid less but was more fulfilling; and Lucy Heard wouldn’t have learned to “appreciate silliness, being stupid and playful, and the freedom that gives me”.

Therapeutic clowning, albeit still niche, is gaining in popularity: while 10 years ago, Holly Stoppit says she was probably the only therapeutic clown teacher in the UK, there are now teachers across the country.