laughter...

...is the best medicine, they say.

And I have to agree.

Every Saturday evening for the past few months I have sat down at around 8.30pm to enjoy a re-run of what must be all the episodes of Dad's Army - a wonderful comedy following the adventures and (mostly) mishaps of a group of home guard soldiers as they endeavour to protect good old England from Nazi invasion in World War 2.

Of course these were first aired when I was very young and they got me thinking about the comedy series I used to enjoy in my youth.

There were many: Porridge, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Citizen Smith, 'Til Death Do Us Part, The Likely Lads, Rising Damp....

I could go on forever.  It really was a golden age for (sometimes political incorrect) humour.

But my favourites were 2 spin offs from Monty Python's Flying Circus: Ripping Yarns with Michael Palin and Terry Jones, and my all time favourite, John Cleese's Fawlty Towers.

The latter literally had me rolling on the floor with laughter at the age of 13 and such is its timelessness it still has the same effect on me now, even though I know all the lines by heart. If you asked me to pick a favourite episode then I'd have to confess that its impossible to do so.  Only 12 were ever made and that ensured that the quality of each one was perfect.

I've been harking back to my youth a lot lately - perfectly natural given my circumstances I guess - and found lots to cheer me up.  And I agree that laughter really is the best medicine.  

Even when it's nearly 40 years old.