A funny thing happened to me when I was watching the penultimate episode of Rev the other week. When Liam Neeson appeared in a shell suit as God and reassured Adam Smallbone that he would always be there for him I started to well up. I wouldn't go as far as to say a tear ran down my cheek, but I was definitely moved. And no, I'm not a Christian and have no plans to become one.

This is not the sort of thing I expect from comedy, but when it happens it shows that, despite what some comedians insist on telling me on Facebook, there is more to being funny than just being funny. Comedy has the power to be touching as well. Particlarly in sitcoms where one invests emotionally in the travails of a character.

I guess this might be partly what Ricky Gervais is up to in Derek. When he was reunited with his estranged father at the end of the first series this was less about laughs and more about making a sentimental connection. I expect there may be further moments like this in the current series.

Gervais has previous when it comes to comedy going for the tear ducts. Even in The Office I was moved by David Brent's desperation when he begged for his job back when he was made redundant. It was partly the contrast between the usual levity of Brent and the sudden heaviosity, but also the fact that we were seeing side of Brent we hadn’t seen before – the real David Brent behind the crap clowning.

There was a trend in Edinburgh a few years for shows about dead dads that got audiences welling up. In the same way that if you wanted to win an Oscar you had to play someone with a disability the joke doing the rounds was that you had to talk about your deceased parent to be in the running for a Foster’s nomination.

Russell Kane did a show about his late father, Des Bishop did one in which he talked about his dad having terminal cancer. Jason Cook dedicated a show to his dad  – they were all incredibly moving as well a being very funny. Cook sometimes sobbed onstage. As did Susan Calman in her show a couple of years ago when she spoke about how important gay marriage was for her.

So yes, comedy is obviously about laughs, but it doesn’t have to go relentlessly for the funny bone with tunnel vision while wearing blinkers. The way things are currently going in comedy, the next time a review says “I wet myself” they may not be talking about pissing their pants with laughter, they may be talking about tears streaming down their cheeks.