I BELIEVE that laughter is the best medicine, but it seems to be in short supply these days.

I don’t know when I last enjoyed a good belly laugh, the sort that left me with the shaken not stirred sense of the feel good factor.

One of my favourite TV quiz programmes asked questions on old time comedians Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. Even the younger generation, while lost when it comes to the first two, have all heard of the comic duo.

These stars provided good old innocent slapstick and humour, a tradition carried on by others such as the late lamented Morecambe and Wise. The laughter they caused was indeed great medicine and it was all produced by them without causing offence to anyone. You could watch them along with your granny and not feel embarrassed by any aspect of their comedy. But where has it all gone?

I admit that with the sad state of the world there isn’t a great deal to laugh about but there wasn’t much to laugh about during the days of the old comedians either but laugh we did!

Humour, nationally and individually, changes over the years and like most of us I enjoy the dose of wit that has gradually replaced the fall-about antics of old, such as the Two Ronnies and I did like the somewhat irreverent style of the late Dave Allen and Father Ted.

I am not a great one for today’s comedians but perhaps I am just unlucky in my viewing for those I have watched before switching off in despair seem to think that dubious language and references are amusing.

The only character that seems to bring an audible chuckle from me is the 'keystone cop' so cleverly portrayed by John Mendoz as PC Penhale, the keeper of law and order in Doc Martin – now there’s a good programme of family entertainment if ever there was one.

Perhaps I am behind the times but 21st century humour on the whole does not provide a dose of the best medicine for me.