Mirth. Gaiety. Bon Homie. Jocundity. Lols. It is in the realm of laughter in which this article will dwell. Humour, as we all know, is subjective. What might make one person chuckle might be enough to make another so disgusted that they vomit on a hedge. For instance, I once knew a man who could sit there stony-faced through any social encounter; any comedic film or television, anything. There was not a situation conceivable that could shake his icy demeanour. In short, he was rarely invited out. However, there was one sure-fire thing he could do to make his otherwise frigid exterior thaw and see a smile spread across his face. And that was when he would destroy an entire flan with a leaf-blower. He would stand there, howling with laughter as turbo-charged gusts from his DeWalt 18v Cordless Blower buffeted the gelatinous surface of the flan. This man has of course since been institutionalised, and - thankfully - the sanatorium where he now resides have been relatively accommodating toward this specific need.
All of this is to say, that everybody has their own definition for what they consider to be funny. However, I think we can all agree that if you don't enjoy Peep Show, you need to stop reading this immediately as you are evidently incorrect.
In order to create some more rigorous, and ruthless, meritocratic framework around the idea of humour, RTÉ and Ray D'Arcy have launched a new competition. Stand Up And Be Funny is a talent competition which seeks to find some of the funniest people in Ireland.
To enter this competition all the person needs to do is send a three-minute video of themselves being a font of shit-hot amusement, to RTÉ and they could be in line to develop a new comedy series with RTÉ.
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To apply, you need to be over 18 and the video must consist of previously unbroadcast new material. As it is meant to be a competition for 'new talent' people who have been working on the circuit for over five years are ineligible to enter.
The deadline for entries is 4pm, October 25. For further details, check out the website.
