I AGREE with Colin Mortimer’s letter regarding the poor quality of Christmas TV (HAS, Dec 15).

Comedy is dead. I can hardly raise a smile at shows advertised as comedy.

I watched Outnumbered on BBC 1 last Friday which was billed as a situation comedy and failed to find anything remotely funny. I carried on watching Live at the Apollo and could only muster the occasional grin.

I saw Ken Dodd at the Civic a couple of years ago and had to leave because my jaw was hurting so much with laughing.

That’s what comedy is about.

Also I thought last Saturday’s Question of Sport was going to be good, with it being a Sports Personality of the Year special, but I switched off having had enough of the childish antics of the two dipsticks Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell.

I live in hope that Christmas TV may bring a laugh but, as a back-up, I can watch my box set of Only Fools and Horses.

John Brant, Darlington.