I enjoy a laugh as much as the next man person.

What baffles me though is what makes other people laugh.

There is a phenom fenom phonem phenomenon these days that leaves me completely cold yet seems to be highly amusing to everyone else.

I refer to Mrs Brown's Boys and Brendan O'Carroll.

I have the highest regard for Brendan O'Carroll as a person, but not as a comedian.  I just don't understand why any so called comedy that relies heavily on overacting, pie in the face humour or a terrible background of laughter is supposed to be funny.  I never really "got" Father Ted for the same reasons, yet the whole world seems to think that Father Ted and Mrs Brown are the funniest thing to ever hit our screens.  What the fuck am I missing?

My mother was devoid of any sense of humour whatsoever.  She could sit and watch something on television, and where I would be chuckling away she would sit there with a blank expression.  I lost count of the number of jokes I had to explain to her.  So maybe I have inherited that?  But then I understand Father Ted's and Mrs Brown's jokes but I just don't think they are funny.  They are too obvious for that.  They are banana skin humour and I can see the joke coming a mile off, and by the time it arrives the humour is gone.

When Mrs Brown first hit television I ignored it.  I thought it would be a one hit wonder, but then a whole series hit the screens and the next thing I know it's being made into a film.  It has also gone across to the water to the UK where it is also a big hit and has won awards.  So obviously a lot of people think it's fantastic, but I still don't.  Either I am the only one in the entire parade who is marching in step, or I am missing something vitally important in my funny-bone.

Come to think of it, there are precious few comedies that can raise a smile.  There was a series called "Stella" on television a while ago that got me chucking but after the first two series [why the fuck do they call them Seasons?] it fell flat on its face as it just rehashed its old jokes and became too predictable.  Similarly I enjoyed the first few runs of "The Royle Family" as it was so close to home, but that got predictable too.  I can't think of any others.

So where am I going wrong?  What am I missing?  Has my sense of humour worn out or has it just not followed me into the twenty first century?

Am I the only one?