You’ve got to laugh: why a sense of humour helps in dark times

Humour makes us more resilient, creative and resourceful - so is more important than ever during a pandemic

Five years ago my brother awoke to dreadful news. His close friend was on a business trip in Mali, staying in the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. It had been stormed by Islamist militants and, ultimately, 170 hostages were taken, 20 killed. My brother's friend, a Canadian, was on the seventh floor. Gun battles exploded directly below him. Escape wasn't possible. He locked himself in the bathroom, texted his wife, his family - and my brother.

Things are a little tense inside the Radisson at the moment, Simon. Any English humour available?" He was looking for jokes.