Have I Got News for You is an immensely popular TV panel show in which contestants are quizzed about the events appearing in the week's news. Its longevity is down to several factors. Firstly, it's a format which everyone can enjoy, and it's easy to get laughs from the week's news if you look in the right places (towards 10 Downing Street, for example). Secondly, long-term fans will always tune in because of the social rivalry between Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, the team captains, who get laughs largely by taking the mickey out of one another. And thirdly, the show has a new host and two new participants every week, and so up to three new fanbases are potentially discovering the show every week.

Of course, you don't survive this long on British TV without having a few scandals and close shaves. When details of Angus Deayton's affair came out, it looked as though the show might pack up entirely. Deayton – who was the permanent host at the time – was forced to leave instead, and the show continued with a guest host every week and became stronger than ever. Paul Merton also left the show for a time because he felt it had grown stale and repetitive. But this sabbatical didn't last long, and he returned after only a few series' absence.

If there aren't hair-raising moments, you don't get to enjoy the hilarious moments quite so much. And this is certainly a show with some hilarious moments in its long history. Ian Hislop's editing of the satirical newspaper Private Eye regularly lands him in hot water with guest contestants, for example. It regularly backfires on the angered contestant though, and Hislop always comes out on top. Piers Morgan got much more than he bargained for when he participated in the show. The man quickly started regretting his hate campaign against Hislop when it became clear that the audience was on Hislop's side. The tension was quite incredible, with host Deayton remarking: ‘Would you two like to go outside and have a fight?'

Whether you're a bona fide Londoner or are just visiting the capital for a few days one of the most enjoyable things you can do is pop into a comedy club for a night of laughter and fun. Live comedy is an art form which has always been massively popular and, if anything, it is growing in appeal with long running TV shows like Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Mock the Week bringing fresh stand-ups to the nation's attention. It is no surprise that this surge in interest is being reflected in the live scene which is vibrant, exciting and full of variety. There is something for everyone looking for a laugh in London, so have a look at what's on offer in some of the top clubs.

Many of London's most famous comedy venues are conveniently located right on Leicester Square and one of the most well-known is the Big Night Out club. Frequently playing host to many of the nation's most popular acts the club offers lots of discount deals for people planning to make a night of it, with three for one offers including the show, dinner at one of the many great restaurants nearby and entrance to a local bar and club. This is a great deal, particularly if you are just visiting London for a short stay. 

Those who prefer a more alternative taste to their comedy should check out The 99 Comedy Club who run a show every night of the week, every week of the year in a number of venues across the city, in Leicester Square, Oxford Circus and Islington. Frequently cited by comedy critics as one of the best ways to experience live comedy, The 99 Comedy Club provides an atmosphere that is intimate, friendly and, most of all, fun.

Comedy Carnival also run shows in multiple venues, in both their venue in Leicester Square and in The Grand in Clapham. They offer lots of great discount deals on dinners and shows at these venues and often host world famous comedians like Michael McIntyre, Jim Jeffries and Jack Whitehall.

Though British comedy remains as strong as ever it is still often difficult to find the best of it on television. Digital boxes mean viewers have a choice of anything up to 900 channels. This offers terrific variety but it also means that separating the really funny new stuff from the repeats you've already seen 20-odd times can be hard. If you are searching for some genuinely new, fresh and interesting British comedy on your television here's two shows that should more than suffice, both of which will be delivering new seasons this year: Fresh Meat and PhoneShop. 

Set amongst the six residents of a Manchester student house, Fresh Meat is the latest creation from the collective mind of Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong the duo behind Peep Show. Starring Joe Thomas of The Inbetweeners, Kimberly Nixon of Cranford and comedian Jack Whitehall the mix of surreal humour, romantic twists and cringing social embarrassment puts it somewhere between The Young Ones, Peep Show and This Life. The main focus of the show is the on-off, love-hate romantic relationship between good natured geology/ drama student Kingsley (Thomas) and dentistry student housemate Josie (Nixon). Much of the big laughs, however, are delivered by Whitehall's obnoxious J.P. and Zawe Ashton's Vod, a streetwise young woman with a confrontational attitude.

PhoneShop is a somewhat different kettle of fish. Now entering its third season, its action takes place in a South London phone shop staffed by a bizarre collection of characters. Chief amongst them are Jerwayne (Jevon Prince) and Ashley (Andrew Brooke) the two top salesmen whose slick, fast paced, slang heavy, back and forth banter sets the tone for the show. Watching over the pair is the shop's long suffering manager Lance (Martin Trenman), who also has to look after the tragically deluded sales woman Janine (Emma Fryer). Trying to make sense of it all is the only truly normal member of staff in the shop Chris (Tom Bennet). Written by Phil Bowker, PhoneShop paints a brilliant, bizarre, hilarious portrait of life in Greater London which manages to somehow be both surreal and utterly convincing. Though the slang heavy dialogue might take a few minutes to get used to, once you're hooked you're hooked.

• Woody Allen: I was nauseous and tingly all over…I was either in love or I had smallpox.

• Jessica Simpson: I want that one!

• Woodrow Wyatt: A man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears.

• Oscar Wilde: Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood.

• Anon: Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.

• Jennifer Aniston: The best smell in the world is that man that you love.

• Mae West: Do not marry a man to reform him. That is what reform schools are fore.

• Albert Einstein: Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.

• Anon: No man is truly married until he understands every word his wife is not saying.

• Jim Carrey: I really want to love somebody. I do. I just don’t know if it’s possible forever and ever.

• Anon: Many a young lady does not realize just how strong her love a young man is until he fails to pass the approval test with her parents.

• Zsa Zsa Gabor: Husbands are like fire. They go out when unattended.

• Chuck Palahniuk: Your heart is my piñata.

• Dr. Seuss: We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

weirdness and call it love. • Anon: Forget love…I’d rather fall in chocolate.

• Anon: Forget love…I’d rather fall in chocolate.

• David Bissonette: I recently read somewhere that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.

• Anon: Love is like war; easy to begin but hard to end.

• Helen Rowland: A bride at her second wedding does not wear a veil. She wants to see what she is getting.

Television shows have dramatically changed over the years. The world is ever shifting, our humour is evolving all of the time, our tastes in television are different and it almost goes without saying that comedy shows are poles apart from how they were back in the 1950s.

Some popular TV shows were Father Knows Best and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Father Knows Best was a family-based show about a mid-western family in the United States. Originating as a radio show, featuring an overly sarcastic father, it became a TV programme with a more toned-down dad, Jim, who was still quite the character when compared to his patient wife, Margaret. The couple were parents of boy-crazy Betty, obedient Bud and whiny Kathy. Most of all, the show shared a story about a father who was there for his family, even if it was quite the balancing act.

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis was based on young Dobie Gillis whose passions were money, popularity and girls. The show was based on how he tried to achieve these things week after week, but never really succeeded, at least not as he'd like. You'd be surprised to know that back then, there weren't many shows based on teenagers, and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis was one of the rare few. This is a stark contrast when compared to today with many shows being aired based entirely on teenagers, with no parents ever appearing.

When likening the shows of yester-year to the shows of today, there may be similarities such as family-based settings and love plotlines, but the humour and narrative concepts have definitely evolved from what they once were.

Maynard: Hey, Dobe, what if I wrote to the president and asked him for a government loan?

Dobie Gillis: The president in Washington?

Maynard: Yeah! I'd say, Dear Mr. Truman….

Dobie: Oh, Maynard, his name is Kennedy now.

Over the years, people from all walks of life – intellectuals and the man in the street – have debated and commented on humour, what makes us laugh and why. Your sense of humour is likely to be different from other people. Maybe you like cheesy jokes, that, let’s face it, can be downright funny for their blatant irony? Maybe you enjoy cynical wit? Perhaps you appreciate inoffensive jokes? Whatever it is that you like, humour is a basic ingredient to a happy life. Without further ado, here are some quotes by famed individuals:

• “Common sense and a sense of humour are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing.”-William James

• “A sense of humour…is needed armour. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” -Hugh Sidey

• “A taste of irony has kept more hearts from breaking than a sense of humour, for it takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself.” -Jessamyn West

• “A sense of humour is a major defence against minor troubles.” -Mignon McLaughlin

A laugh is a surprise. And all humour is physical. I was always athletic, so that came naturally to me.” -Chevy Chase

• “Humour is one of the most serious tools we have for dealing with impossible situations.” -Erica Jong

• “You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humour teaches them tolerance.” -William Somerset Maugham

• “Humour is emotional chaos remembered in tranquillity.” -James Thurber

• “Humour is laughing at what you haven’t got when you ought to have it.” -Langston Hughes

• “Humour is the instinct for taking pain playfully.” -Max Eastman

Maybe you’re the kind of person that cracks jokes and makes everyone laugh at family gatherings? Perhaps people have mentioned to you that “you should do something with comedy or acting, you’ve got talent”? But, however much talent you may have, you won’t get anywhere unless you get on the stage and perform.

It’s a bit of a given, that comedy is an extremely difficult field to break into – as most acting and performing careers are – but with a little time, patience and practice, you could well get somewhere.

Writing a funny script and inventing your own jokes is by no means the easiest thing to do. Your act might run on inspiration and, let’s face it, the inspiration isn’t always there. A couple of tips that veteran comedians suggest is to not try too hard and always tell the truth.

Believe it or not, the truth can be pretty funny. Whether it’s joking about your race or subculture, your girlfriend or boyfriend, your friends, your job or anything people in the audience can relate to, you can turn it into something funny and natural.

Start off by practicing and getting used to the spotlight with friends and family. You may have been doing it for a while in informal settings, but have you actually sat them down and been “on stage” yourself? It certainly takes some getting used to, but as you gain more confidence you can sign up to a comedy group or at a comedy night. This is a great place for people to get together, make each other laugh, put on shows and practice their routines.

Laughter is undoubtedly one of lives biggest joys – who doesn’t enjoy a good chuckle? Sometimes, though, it may not be the easiest thing to do, what with the stress and worries of day-to-day life. So, to help put a smile on your face, here are some humorous one-liners and phrases from comedians and TV Shows to help you sit back, relax and laugh.

1) “I think Smithers picked me because of my motivational skills. Everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I’m around.”

2) “I’ve figured out an alternative to giving up my beer. Basically we become a family of traveling acrobats.”

3) “Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention please… I would become a better public speaker.”

4) “Beer… now there is a temporary solution.”

1) Sheldon: Why are you crying?

Penny: Because I’m stupid!

Sheldon: That’s no reason to cry. One cries because one is sad. For example, I cry because others are stupid, and that makes me sad.

2) “I’m clearly too evolved for driving.”

3) Penny: So what do you say Sheldon, are we your X-men?

Sheldon: No, the X-men were named for the X in Charles Xavier. Since I am Sheldon Cooper, you will be, my C-men.

4) Raj: I don’t like bugs, ok? They freak me out.

Sheldon: Interesting. You’re afraid of insects and women. Ladybugs must render you catatonic.

1) “Even as a junkie I stayed true to vegetarianism. –‘I shall have heroin, but I shan’t have a hamburger. ‘What a sexy little paradox.” (My Booky Wook)

2) “To a heckler: I, sir, am heterosexual, and one day I will show you the statistics and make you weep.

Russell Brand is the type of guy that can make people laugh just by looking at him. With his skinny jeans, messy hair and eyeliner, he is hardly the regular man in the street. But his ability to make people laugh goes way beyond his appearance.

Russell Brand, born June 4th, 1975 was raised in England by his single mother. He had an often troubled childhood, his mother was ill for many years and he didn’t receive much support from his unreliable father figure. Russell started using drugs at a fairly young age as an escape and was an addict for many years.

His one love was entertaining people though and his acting career started when he attended the Grays School Media Arts College and, later, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Due to his eccentric and notorious behaviour, he was expelled on a number of occasions but that didn’t stop this natural entertainer from reaching the top.

He’s the kind of self-mocking comedian who doesn’t mind being the butt of jokes and, though he’s cleaned up now, he often takes quips at his heroin and sex addictions. He’s a pleasure to watch as his lines flow out with effortless ease, with a stream of consciousness style that makes his act look improvised, which some of the time it probably is.

His humour and wit is original and his acting outstanding and, even though he’s been fired and kicked off shows for some of his rather scandalous or controversial remarks and jokes, he doesn’t back down.

Here’s just one sample of Russell’s wonderful wit:

Ade Thompson. Ade has been working the London comedy circuit for almost 2 years, performing in venues such as Metbar and Dirty Dicks. Here he talks to happyfacetv.co.uk:

A: No, not really. I’ve always had a moronic need to say the thing that amuses me most rather than what might genuinely help the situation at hand though. People had told me I should give comedy a go, but I never really listened. I was too busy thinking of what would amuse me in that situation I guess. Also, for a long time, I was positive that I would make it under my serious performance guise, as a hip-hop rapper. When it came down to it though I decided a white, middle-class guy in his late twenties might have more luck making jokes on stage than making beats. Q: Once you

A: I just decided I was going to give it a bash by myself, with no one in the audience that I knew. The fact that I had sung crap rock songs and later rapped in front of hundreds of people without being nervous probably helped. So I went ahead and got in contact with a gong show at Southwark Rooms, then wrote possibly the UK’s worst routine, arrived, performed, sucked and left.

A: Heckling. It’s infuriating having someone tear your routine apart for no other reason than they’re a bit p*ssed and would rather be at a football game. Comics have nothing against football fans, for the record. Some even enjoy football. And get this; they don’t even interrupt the game to tell jokes.

A: The chicks? Not really. Most comedy nights are sausage ponds. Tesco Value Sausages. No, the best thing for me is when you see another act on the same bill that you find really funny. I once watched a guy doing a 10-minute routine about a celebrity death that was the funniest thing I’d seen in ages – and it’s always stayed with me. There’s something really satisfying about knowing you’re involved in a night, circuit or group that are the first to see raw talent like that.