Satire is humour; not cynicism, criticism or sarcasm but simply humour.

In its purest form it is a humour without rancour or prejudice which even the satirised can get a laugh from.

Satire adds a humorous dimension to familiar things in life. It exaggerates, hypothesises, teases and caricatures to remind us that if we ignore the funny side of life the serious side will take over.

Satire which belittles or denigrates ceases to be funny and in fact can easily cease to be satire, although in some very deserving cases it is hard to resist.

Satire is cheeky, irreverent and outrageous but not mean-spirited.

Amongst a daily life besieged by politics, in-laws, natural disasters and elections, there’s nothing like a dose of satire to keep you in good humour.