Humour you say?

I was asked to participate in Progressive Greeting’s Focus On Humour feature this month… here’s my quick fire offerings.

Your opinion of humour cards in general 

The humour market is clearly a massive part of the greeting cards world and in light of recent years, I can totally understand why that is needed!

For me, humour allows us to convey our feelings without having to explicitly say what we mean. We Brits are not renowned for our wild abandonment and expressive ways, but we as a nation, are exceptional at taking the p**s, so having a card which can nudge the recipient towards the idea of what we're getting at, via the means of a gag feels like a fitting way to do it. 

The beauty of the humour market is that there are no boundaries, everyone has a sense of humour and it is tickled by whatever tickling device does the job (a metaphorical tickling device I might add, unless it's one of those fancy plush cards with extra bits glued onto the front). So there really is something for everyone... and right now, we need all the laughs we can get.

Your views on age-related humour – is it different now, are people making jokes about different things, do you think certain things have fallen out of favour

Overtly sexist and misogynistic cards feel like they need to get in the big bin of bad card designs, the 80's were a loooong time ago. However, I think age related humour still has a place for sure.

I have just recently broken into the over 40's club and with two children in tow, there's nothing more I like than receiving a card telling me how past it I have become, or how my back is creekier than a rusty gate, or how I'm starting to smell of cabbage, or how I've already got a space reserved at the care home.... I could go on. We love to poke fun at one another, with a wry little smile and a silent "I love you really" behind it all, it's what we, as a nation, do best!

What’s making you laugh now, who are the comedy celebs in general these days, and what subject matters reflect 2022 humour

Being a 40 year old, dad of two, I'm not sure my hot takes on anything contemporary should be listened to.... what even are 'hot takes'?

And finally your own favourite comedian/TV comedy show?

I'm a big fan of the absurd, I loved the Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace... but also have all the time in the world for a more cosier comedy like BBC's Ghosts or family friendly fun like Wallace and Gromit.