Just in case you're not absolutely fed up with clowns, here are some clown facts you may find useful.

You know, at a pub quiz or something.

1. Most clowns, in the UK at least, trademark their face makeup so every one is unique.

2. And they don't just take a photo - every clown's face is painted onto an egg, a tradition started in 1946. They used to use real egg shells but these have been replaced by china eggs as they're less fragile.

3. Clowns have their own code of ethics, enshrined by Clowns of America International. These include not drinking or smoking while dressed as a clown and keeping acts, performance and behaviour "in good taste".

4. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy devised a clown character called Pogo (pictured above), and would 'entertain' children at parties.

5. The highlight of the clowning year comes at the beginning of August with International Clown Week, signed into US law by President Richard Nixon in 1971.

6. The motto of Clowns International - the closest thing to a professional body for Clowns in the UK - is pro funnibono publico.

7. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, plays host to The International Clown Museum that boasts several rooms full of costumes, props, oversized clown shoes, and similar artifacts of er, clownery.

8. The nearest thing to an Oscar in the world of clowning is a 'Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award', bestowed by the International Clown Hall of Fame. Recipients include Willard Scott, who played Ronald McDonald.

9. Back in the UK, Holy Trinity in Dalston is the official church of the British clown community.

10. It's here British clowns meet in February each year to remember Joseph Grimaldi, a 19th century entertainer acknowledged as the father of modern clowning.