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The stony-faced first among equals at the Guild of Fools and Joculators.

It is possible that he has only ascended to his position fairly recently, as in Reaper Man we see that the "Chief Butt" of the Guild was then a Fool called Geoffrey, who is kindly treated by the other Guild leaders and civic dignitaries, and finally led away by gentle hands. By the time of Men at Arms, the Guild leader is a grim-faced clown called Dr. Whiteface, the stern-looking one who does not get involved in all the side-splitting comedy pratfalls nor any business with buckets of water. In some indefinable way, all the action in the ring revolves around him while leaving him untouched. He is the one the other clowns appear to be afraid of. (It may be the case that senior Clowns and Fools alternate the top position on a "Buggins' Turn" principle?) Dr. Whiteface is evidently made of sterner stuff than Geoffrey, as he faces down Captain Carrot in a battle of wills.

Although the word is not used, it is clear that Dr Whiteface derives directly from the whitefac, or dominant clown of European circus tradition, this figure is sometimes termed a Pierrot owing to the resemblance of his costume and face to those of the French clown of that name. The costume is suggested (in the Discworld Sketchbook) to be hereditary among leaders of the guild, suggesting that there is always a Whiteface while the Chief Butt is a mere sidekick (and quite often kicked at that) to the guild president.

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