Like every Saturday, C opens the Guardian TV guide and heads straight to Modern Toss. In seconds, muffled giggles turn into outright loud laughter. C hands the guide to me, ‘look, it’s priceless.’ 

In this week’s cartoon, two characters stand on each side of a water cooler. One says, ‘What did you do at the weekend?’. The other one replies, ‘I smashed my house up with a bat.’

I give C a quizzical look. ‘Sorry, I don’t think it’s funny.’

C keeps on laughing. ‘IT IS funny!’

‘It’s NOT, why do you think it’s funny?’

C has tears in his eyes, my lack of reaction seems to be amplifying the comedy effect of the cartoon.‘It’s just hilaaarious.’

‘I still don’t get it, why would a guy saying that he smashed his house with a bat at the weekend make you laugh so much?’

‘I don’t know, it’s just mental.’

‘Oh well, I’m glad it makes you laugh.’