In recent years I have developed an interest in watching small clips of speeches or comedy or movies on YouTube rather than sitting down to watch full length episodes of the news or a sitcom etc on the TV.

I have quite a catalogue of some of these small clips which I watch repeatedly because they either make me laugh over and over, or I am inspired by their brilliance or moved with emotion.

One of my all time favourites is a clip of comedian Johnny Vegas making appearance on a TV show (which I have never watched in full) called “The Last Leg” hosted by Adam Hills with regular contributions from Josh Widdecombe and Alex Brooker.

The small clip is taken while the host is trying to record the introductory credits, and he is interrupted by Johnny Vegas who unrelentingly, calls out random and hilarious anecdotes which has the panel and the audience in waves of laughter.

Eventually he gets onto a random theme about fish – carp to be specific, and he says some outrageous random anecdotes which keeps them all laughing wave upon wave – I love it.

The humour is quite adult in nature, but what fascinates me about this clip is how the shocking description of the carps experience is translated from the words spoken by Johnny Vegas, to a realisation in the mind of Alex Brooker of its intense humour.

I have watched over and over again how the words leave Johnny’s mouth and the impact is first seen in the flicker of Alex’s eyes, as the full impact and understanding of the humour hits his mind and then translates into uncontrollable movements of his body with shrieks of uncontrolled laughter.

I am interested in the point of intersection in the moment when laughter strikes, because it represents a turning point, an opening up of understanding between comedian and audience in which something as intangible as intelligence is visible and exposed to the naked eye.

This intersection of understanding is for me, an image of clarity which has the potential to liberate those areas in our psyche which are locked in.

They have allowed me to access, and then explore the hidden and suppressed truths which need to come to the surface and with courage released into the world.

It is in those moments, that something as intangible as truth becomes known and accepted and life moves forward without fear because it is finally free, it is finally honest, it is finally full of hope.

My next blog will be: “The Cost of Complaining”

William Defoe