Last updated at 13:09, Monday, 23 January 2012

Reiver has previously lamented the lack of Cumbrian comedians. While just about every other part of the UK can boast at least one household name in the field of rib-tickling, Cumbria has none.

The sad death of Donald Scott brought down the curtain on arguably the county’s funniest performer, whose talents could surely have been recognised much further afield if he had been so inclined.

A new survey claims to reveal the funniest parts of the UK, but this should be taken with a barrel of salt, as it sees people estimating how funny they think they are. As most of us know, the people who regard themselves as funny are often sadly mistaken.

Five per cent of respondents claim to get laughs at least 16 times a day. On the other hand, one in 10 say they never make anyone laugh. This group is thought to include the cast of most current sitcoms.

Perhaps we should not be surprised to see that more Londoners – 65 per cent – think themselves amusing than Brits elsewhere. The north west came fifth out of 11 regions. Here, 53 per cent of people are self-proclaimed comedians.

Reiver expects Cumbria, a self-effacing place, to have registered somewhat lower, but the north west figure was almost certainly skewed upward by the figure in Liverpool being 100 per cent.

First published at 11:29, Monday, 23 January 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk