Jimmy Carr has got previous when it comes to taking comedy seriously. He co-wrote with Lucy Grieves The Naked Jape: Uncovering The Hidden World Of Jokes, which was published in 2006. Like Bob Monkhouse, who he often reminds me of, he is clearly very much a student of the art of the punchline.

I can’t, however, recall Bob Monkhouse presenting an edition of the long-running BBC2 science strand Horizon. but here, as part of the BBC’s Landmark Sitcom Season, Carr digs a bit deeper into what giggling is all about.

The format is slightly different to the usual lab-coated editions of this series. It will be more of a talk show with the stand-up with the laugh like a demented seal quizzing guest boffins about the nature of humour. Experts include Professor Sophie Scott, who is breaking new ground in how the brain processes natural and social laughter, Professor Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary biologist and experimental psychologist who has a theory on why laughter was pivotal in our species development, and Professor Pete McGraw, a psychologist who claims his controversial theory explains all comedy. 

If you’ve ever thought a bit more about comedy than just wondering what time Live at the Apollo is on this could be right up your street.

Watch it on iPlayer here.