Comedy, much like sex, is a matter of taste. The sensible attitude seems to be that if everyone’s grown up and enjoying themselves without hurting anyone, then they can pretty much crack on.

But the question of taboo is often raised and people – often those who were outside the funzone at the time – can find themselves offended. Remember the divisive fury stoked up by the Daily Mail and chums, over the phone calls made to Andrew Sachs on a BBC radio show with Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross? Very few people would have even heard it had it not been used as a firelighter for outrage. But anyway, apologies and sackings were made and it was ages ago.

Love him or loathe him (and, hands up, I am definitely in the former camp), you might be startled to find Russell Brand the sharp, eloquent and gentle voice of reason in an increasingly hysterical world.

If you’re not a fan, perhaps only ever having seen him being lightly grilled by Paxo and admitting he doesn’t vote, it is still worth suspending your prejudice to check out russelbrand.com. Here you can find out about Brand’s merry mission of mirth and mahem, basically using comedy to diffuse complex situations, and enjoy his ongoing dispute with Fox News anchor and Ken-from-Toy-Story lookalike Sean Hannity. Hannity and Brand, you see, have entered into an amusing ongoing public spat sparked by some incendiary statements bandied around on Fox News Stateside about the Israeli/Palestinian situation. Brand’s online show The Trews (‘true news’, groan) has a laugh at some journalists while gently pointing out the facts, which is a pleasing role reversal.

Similarly, The Last Leg (Channel Four, tonight, 10pm) has returned for its second series. The show, starring Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker, was launched as an alternative nightly round-up of action at the 2012 Paralympics. Using edgy humour to break down barriers over disability, it was generally a resounding success, thanks to the funny Aussie, Hills who is magnificent live and a brilliant compere.

The show broached controversial territory in the name of humour to find out where the line lies.

However, is there a tougher gig than starting your new series with a few warm-up gags about Gaza, essentially about the waste of human life?

My taste antennae, which are more tolerant than most, were twitching, but the awkwardness was necessary viewing. The gang pointed out, first of all, how the situation was, of course, Not Funny and then proceeded to be very funny about a sensitive subject. Hills, who could give most politicians a run for their money in the brains stakes, went on a delicate rant about how to sum up the Middle East situation, choosing to compare the two warring states as naughty boys fighting over their dad’s house. And, ending on a message of peace and sanity: you could do a lot worse. Tuning into the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on Sunday night, it was no surprise to see some stand-up served up in a land known as much for its humour as its love of a drink or ten.

What was a surprise was comic Kevin Bridges’ jokes on the killing of Reeva Steenkamp.

Oscar Pistorius would have been a star of the Commonwealth Games had he not instead been standing trial for murder after shooting his girlfriend dead (saying in his defence that he mistook her for an intruder).

I don’t want to paraphrase Bridge’s gags for fear of making them sound less tasteful than they were, and he was very funny on other topics, but that was a line crossed for me. Even if, when I looked for any reaction on Twitter, all I could find was the verdict ‘funniest man alive’.

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