Isn’t it funny what sparks laughter in different people? I don’t mean that was ‘funny.’ I mean ‘interesting.’

I would really like to know the science behind this. Why do some people love slapstick comedy? Why do some laugh at coarse humour? Others like more subtle, gentle prompts while some go for really contrived laughs. Folks will laugh at mocking humour, ‘cruel’ humour, sexist, religious, identity-styled humour.

And that’s where it starts to get complicated! What one finds amusing, another may find offending. I know comedians and comedy writers must have a heck of a time trying to balance finding laughs from situations that won’t upset anyone.

Within reason, I think people in general need to chill a bit. There is obvious ‘bad taste.’ And that needs monitored, of course. And times change. As a kid I remember watching the TV series, ‘Til Death Do Us Part.’ We would justify its comedy status by saying the racist Alf Garnet character always got his come-uppance.

I bought the DVD collection of the series follow-up, ‘In Sickness and In Health’ some years ago. It’s horrendous. Embarrassing to the nth degree! I cringed so much watching the first episode, I’ve never brought myself to watch the rest. Horrible.

I like a more understated humour. Something that may be obvious, but the delivery carries it. Say, ‘Dad’s Army’ for instance. I love that programme and have all the episodes on DVD. ‘Last of The Summer Wine’ is another. It’s a gentle humour, filmed in a beautiful part of the UK (Yorkshire) and though dated, I find it like a warm, cozy, comfort blanket.

But wait.

The absurdity and zaniness of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and especially Fawlty Towers make me properly ‘lol’ as the kids would say. The latter is my all-time favourite comedy show. Hands down.

From the other side of the Atlantic, I still watch Bilko, and The Addams Family / The Munsters. M*A*S*H is another that falls into the ‘understated’ category. Very clever script writing. I love it.

Away from television and comedians, in day-to-day life, I like a more natural humour. Some people try too hard to be funny, I think. Amusement needn’t come from spoken word. Looks and reactions do it. Even non-actions sometimes speak louder than words.

But best of all, and it may come as no surprise, I enjoy written humour. I like the play of words; the way even punctuation and shortened sentences are used to heighten the smiles or laughs. Written word of course doesn’t carry the accentuation of visual accompaniment, but it does afford the reader the freedom of imagination. And that is exclusively tailored to the individual.

Life is funny. We should laugh with it.

I like a laugh, me. You can probably tell, knowing I wrote a wee, light-hearted book about surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

To paraphrase Mr Spock:

‘Laugh Long & Prosper.’