I kid you not but we we live in the laughter capital of the UK
Some interesting research has placed Sunderland top of the league. Woo and indeed, hoo.
At a time when cynics might suggest that scientists could perhaps be more productively employed, research concludes that Wearside is the “UK’s laughter capital”. The Mecca of mirth, the hilarity hub, the side-splitting citadel, the … you get the picture.
Evidently the average Brit laughs 23 times a day; a figure lowered significantly by Saturday night television. But in Sunderland it’s a whopping 33 times. Facing almost certain relegation is Derry, bottom of the league with just 13 laughs and “the UK’s laughter blackspot”. You don’t say.
Quite how anyone could possibly prove all this is not obvious. However, the research was commissioned by top scientific publication the Beano and is therefore unimpeachable.
So taking the findings at face value, what are we laughing at? Do we locate humour where others don’t?
My sister lives in Leeds. A colleague of hers told her how a Spanish restaurant had bumped up her bill as her table offered “an unrivalled view of John Noakes’ yacht”.
The thing is that the colleague, a nice lady from Pontefract, remains indignant at being charged £30 for two plates of chips all those years ago and still failed so see the humour; whereas my sister was struggling for oxygen at the mere mention of the late Mr Noakes’ yacht.
Is Sunderland’s supposed tittering a case of if-you-didn’t-laugh-you’d-cry (a popular theory among our football supporters)? Or are we genuinely jollier (there was even a Jolly bus at one time)?
Sadly we are unable to take the research at face value. The report is compromised by its “finding” that actors are considered the funniest professionals. Who thinks that? Our best guess would be actors.
Second funniest are taxi drivers, who confirm this themselves and are an ever-reliable source of information on any matter.
The report also claims that 29% of people find internet memes funny. Oh come on.
With all due respect to the Beano, perhaps we should quietly forget the report. Still, it’s nice to be top of the league for something.