The Unifying Power of Comedy

Can you think of a more eclectic political bunch than former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, former British Tory Cabinet Minister turned podcaster Rory Stewart, Vote Leave co-founder and former Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan, LBC broadcaster and anti-Brexit campaigner James O'Brien, and former British Labour party MP and Russia Today host George Galloway?

You'd be forgiven for thinking that they'd never agree on anything.

But last week they did - and a couple of million others joined them. The motley crew I've just mentioned all either liked or shared a Tweet containing one of the funniest pieces of live radio that you are ever likely to hear. I know this because I posted the clip in question on Twitter three days ago.

Without giving too much away, the piece involves a farmer, a hypnotised hen, and the Irish broadcasting genius that was the late great Gerry Anderson. The clip, which is more than 10 years old, was subsequently animated for television by a company called Flickerpix.

The only reason I shared it on Twitter was that it came up as a Facebook memory for me that day because I'd posted it on my Facebook pages many years ago. It made me howl with laughter all over again, so I thought that a few people on Twitter might like to see it.

I wasn't wrong. At the time of writing, the video has been viewed more than 2.2 million times. It has brought Gerry Anderson to a whole new audience in Ireland, Britain, Canada, Australia, the United States and a few other places - much to the delight of his family.

The huge online reaction to the clip made me think about the power of comedy, and also the power of Twitter. It's still my favourite social network - sorry LinkedIn - despite its many faults. I love the randomness of it, the fact that you can follow breaking news instantly, direct from the source, and the cat videos of course.

Maybe it's an Irish thing, but I've always been a bit suspicious of people without a good sense of humour. I also find it strange in a corporate setting that sometimes people leave their sense of humour entirely at the door - or just as they log onto the Zoom or the Teams call.

Humour is a great icebreaker. It also helps build relationships and can allow people to show a warm, more human side, particularly at senior levels in a large organisation. Fundamentally, it brings us together. But it shouldn't be forced; some people are comfortable making others laugh, others simply aren't.

I think humour should be taken more seriously in the workdplace, particularly given that so many people are work from home, and not necessarily having the same personal interaction and fun they would have in the office.

But enough preaching. If you haven't yet experienced the wonder that is Gerry Anderson and hypnotised hen, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It can be found here . Enjoy.

#humour #humor #workplace #workplaceculture #workingfromhome #radio #radioshow #liveradio #animation #ireland #northernireland #irish #socialmedia #comedy #radiohost #GerryAnderson